The sun had yet to rise in Mānoa, but the University of Hawai‘i football team was already on the field at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on Monday morning and ready to begin spring practices.
Early starts at this time of the year are nothing new to the Rainbow Warriors, who for the third year in a row are one of the first teams in the country to begin spring ball.
Monday marked 65 days since the 2024 team ended its season with a 38-30 home win over New Mexico, capping a 5-7 campaign. With no bowl game to prepare for, the offseason began early.
"Not playing a bowl game really goes into it. Looking at where the spring calendar lines up, where the spring break lines up and then when they when we get back into school," head coach Timmy Chang explained. "These guys have been now off two months from playing football. There's things that we can correct and get better at, watch the film, and I think their bodies are ready to roll. They're excited to be out here."
Chang's contract was extended by a year in the days after the 2024 season by UH interim athletics director Lois Manin. With a career record of 13-25 in his three seasons at the helm of his alma mater, Chang is signed through the 2026 season.
With another early start to spring ball, the hope again for the Rainbow Warriors is to make a bowl game and qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2021. Doing so would push spring practice back next year, a circumstance the 'Bows would certainly welcome.
"It's definitely a great urgency," incumbent starting quarterback Micah Alejado said. "The season just ended a couple of months ago, but I think for the offense, we understand what we need to change from the last season to spring ball, and how we can change that. I think you can see it in today's practice, the urgency and the simple reminders of the little things. We're big on the little things this year and perfecting the little things because eventually the little things added to the big thing."
In the 2024 season finale against New Mexico, Alejado wowed in his first career start with five touchdown passes and 469 yards on 37-for-57 passing. Because he only played in four games in 2024, he preserved his redshirt and will still be a redshirt freshman in 2025.
After three-year starter Brayden Schager ran out of eligibility, Hawai‘i's quarterback room in 2025 will be young and lacking in experience. New scholarship quarterbacks Luke Weaver and JJ Nielsen were sharing reps with Alejado on Monday, along with walk-on Caleb Freeman.
Monday's early start was also a chance for the Rainbow Warriors to adjust to changes in their offensive coaching staff. Following the retirement of quarterbacks coach Dan Morrison, analyst Cade Socha was elevated to the position. Meanwhile, running backs coach Anthony Arceneaux added offensive coordinator to his title and was seen roaming around multiple position groups on Monday.
"He's a great leader," Chang said of Arceneaux, his childhood friend and former Saint Louis teammate. "He gets us organized and then puts us in the right position. He's very vocal. My relationship with him has been very, very good over the years. Now he takes a leadership role and has a voice and makes sure that everybody's accountable to what do on offense."
Echoing Chang's sentiments was Alejado, the quarterback who appears poised to be handed the keys to the offense come August when the season begins.
"He's great. He's a guy that brings the fires to the room, definitely," Alejado said. "In every meeting and every practice, you can see the constructive criticism that he gives us. I think that's great for us. ... Coach Arceneaux's a guy that's not scared to step on toes. He's not scared to get feelings hurt. I think that creates a stronger and a more better football player for sure."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
