Photo credit: Russ Cannon/Hawaii athletics
For those who follow college football, it seems hard to dislike Hawaii.
The Rainbow Warriors have been the ally to every college football fan alive. When your 12-hour day of college football is wrapping up on a Saturday and you don’t want to go to bed yet, don’t fret. Hawaii kicking off at midnight ET extends the joy of your college football viewing experience.
Hawaii football from Bob Wagner to June Jones has always held a good vibes feel. But ever since Todd Graham has become the coach, those vibes and the program’s success are rapidly departing. Hawaii football is a program heading in the wrong direction.
Cut the Head off the Snake
Right now, the problems all lead to the head of the program, Todd Graham. The current head coach has been accused of verbal abuse and ignoring mental health. Recently at a meeting of the Hawaii State Senate, there were numerous accounts of Graham mistreating players.
Graham was accused of saying that playing the ukulele was “fu**ing annoying” and of calling Hawaii “a third world country” for not having vending machines with Dr. Pepper.
The Hawaii State Senate says it is prepared to buy him out. This is what needs to happen for Hawaii to get back on track as a program.
A Mass Exodus
In some cases flipping your roster through the transfer portal can be a good thing. But with these accusations, it is all viewed as negative. Since the start of the 2021 season, the Hawaii football program has had 18 players enter the transfer portal to get away from Graham.
Even his own son, Michael Graham, has entered the transfer portal looking for a new home. Todd Graham is 11-11 so far in two seasons at Hawaii.
Todd Graham Financial Information
- $800,000 base pay yearly through 2024
- Hawaii will owe Graham $1.275 million if it was to buy him out now
- Hawaii has never spent more then $600,000 to buy out a coach