Hawaii football gets ready to begin Chang era in Honolulu
By Kathryn Rose
The offense is getting back to real Hawaii roots
The Warriors are going to sling the ball around this year, as new offensive coordinator Ian Shoemaker comes in. Shoemaker comes from Eastern Washington, where his quarterback ranked second in FCS in passing yards per game.
Where the first big question comes in, though, is who is going to be the quarterback. Transfers Cammon Cooper and Joey Yellen will be fighting incumbent Braden Schager for the job.
At running back, Dedrick Parson should get the nod as the starting tailback. Parson had nearly 900 scrimmage yards last year, and he matches this offense well as a pass-catching back.
The receiving corps doesn’t have a ton of depth at all. Zion Bowens is a fine player who caught for 400 yards last season, but outside of that, the talent drops off quickly. BYU transfer Chris Jackson and Jonah Panoke will join Bowens as the three main targets in Hawaii’s passing game. Caleb Phillips will get the nod at tight end.
The offensive line is this team’s biggest strength by far. There are three returning starters, and Utah transfer Luke Felix-Fualolo could add another vital piece to this unit. Behind those four or five core guys, though, there’s not a whole ton of depth or experience, so one player getting hurt could be a huge deal.