At 7-3 overall and 4-2 in Mountain West Conference play, the University of Hawai‘i football team is enjoying its best season of the decade thus far. The Rainbow Warriors, who are idle this week, will take on UNLV at Allegiant Stadium on Nov. 21 with Mountain West championship game hopes still in play for both teams.
Hawai‘i's most recent victory, a 38-6 home rout over San Diego State over the weekend, clinched the program's first winning season since 2019.
With two regular season games remaining, the Rainbow Warriors are continuing to battle for a spot near the top of the Mountain West standings. The 'Bows are also set to play in their first bowl game since 2020 in December, though the details will be determined based on how they finish in conference play.
The Rainbow Warriors have improved each year under fourth-year head coach Timmy Chang and are enjoying a breakthrough season in 2025. Perhaps no player on the roster illustrates the program's rise more than redshirt senior running back Landon Sims, who arrived in 2021 out of Peninsula High School in Gig Harbor, Wash.
The son of former UH running back Travis Sims, Landon Sims joined the Rainbow Warriors as a walk-on. At the end of his freshman season, the program went through a period of turbulence, as public dismay towards then-head coach Todd Graham following a mass exodus of players eventually led to his resignation and in turn, Chang taking the job at the end of January 2022.
Now a redshirt senior on scholarship, Sims has been a steady member of the UH backfield for three seasons. In 2025, he has 487 rushing yards on 104 carries and three touchdowns, building a reputation as a bruiser. The converted tight end also has 233 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 31 catches.
In a Q&A with Aloha State Daily, Sims goes deep about his family's UH legacy, sticking around in Mānoa through the tough times, bearing the fruits of his labor in 2025 and more.
Aloha State Daily: What's it like being the son of Travis Sims, and what was your level of familiarity with UH prior to college?
Landon Sims: "I had a pretty normal childhood, I'd say. Good, loving father. We always make the joke when we would come out here that anybody over the age of 50 would know who he was, but anyone besides that, no clue. But yeah, it was good. Very early on, I found a love for Hawaiʻi and he made it very clear that he is who he is today because of his time here and what he learned and what this program made him to be. And I feel very similar in that sense. I wouldn't trade it for the world. There's many different ways my life could've turned out. But, I'm more than happy to end up staying here for all of my time [in college]. It absolutely maybe who I am today."
ASD: How did playing high school football during the COVID-19 pandemic go for you?
Sims: "Washington was really strict on that kind of stuff. Going into my senior year, they said we weren't going to have a football season because of COVID. That was in 2021, and most of the dreams of college football or whatever, I wasn't planning on it. But then, out of nowhere, the Governor signed a six-week spring season. We found that out in, I think, February, and then we played in March. We only played six games in that spring, and I ended up going All-State, and I did very well that season. Maybe I do want to play college football. Everyone that's been reaching out, all the scholarships were gone in the fall, so that's kind of my my path to being a walk-on. There's a few schools that were interested and when I made my decision, my dad, he stayed completely out of it. I made the decision with the intention that, OK, I'm gonna try it, and if I don't fall in love with it, then I'll go transfer somewhere else and do the academic route. In another life, I'm a frat president at some university, some state school. But like I said, I'm more than happy that I ended up here, and it's all in God's plan, and very grateful that I found my faith and I found my family, my home away from home with that decision."
ASD: The end of the 2021 season, your true freshman year, played out pretty publicly. What do you remember about going through that time period as a player?
Sims: "It's funny, because I came out here an hour early this morning, and I was just sitting on the bench reminiscing. And nostalgia is a hell of a thing. I was just talking to these younger guys, and what makes you feel really old is when you're throwing out names of guys and they have no idea who you're talking about. But I've been here longer than the staff, so I have seen some things. And that '21 year, as bad as people make it out to be, I really enjoyed myself, and I absolutely loved it. That's why I stayed here. Even with the coaching change, I absolutely adored everyone that I met and the culture and the lifestyle here. I was a guy that didn't say a word my first two years out here. I just kept my head down and worked, and I think that's why I was a favorite of coach Graham's. But overall, like I said, I really enjoyed my experience on and off the field. It was just great, and that's why I stuck around."
ASD: Out of all the true freshman that came in with you, there's only four of you left. [Sims, Zhen Sotelo, Tariq Jones, David Cordero. Note: Brayden Schager and Maurice Ta'ala were members of the 2021 freshman class that didn't use a redshirt and exhausted their eligibility in 2024. Current redshirt senior Karsyn Pupunu enrolled at Weber State in 2020 before joining the Rainbow Warriors in 2021]. Do you feel a special bond with those guys?
Sims: "Oh, for sure. Most definitely. [Note: Hawai‘i had 29 freshmen listed on its roster in 2021]. This is when the transfer portal was just starting out. They would still recruit high school guys. So, we had a big high school class. But yeah, especially the guys that I walked-on with, special bond. David Cordero, Karsyn, we were very differentiated with how we went about things back when Todd Graham was here. We would have our own devo lifts, they would call it, with just the walk-ons only. We would do everything separate from the team. I thought that was the norm, but it made me who I am today. You just keep your head down, and you work and you work and you work. And then eventually people notice that work. It pays off. Those guys did the exact same thing. Great to see both of them on scholarship now, so very special feeling."
ASD: How much are you able to appreciate the season you guys are having after going through some of the program's down years?
Sims: "I talk about this all the time. You got guys coming in this year, guys coming in last year that get to experience winning, and I think it's the most rewarding feeling in the world, right? I get to help contribute to a program, a season that I never had back in the 3-10 days. I said to Pofele Ashlock, I was like, 'Man, practice is fun when we're winning.' It's good vibes that I'd never known, not that all we'd ever know was losing here, but it's definitely a different perspective and I know that our team is very faith-based, and we're giving all the glory to God, whether it's a 3-10 season, whether it's a 10-3 season. But what I'm trying to get these guys on board with is they don't realize we can be one of these legendary teams. We can be a 2007 era team. We can be a 1992 era team if we keep this trajectory and keep winning and keep buying in. [Note: Travis Sims was the leading rusher for an 11-2 Hawai‘i football team in 1992, considered one of the greatest seasons in program history]. The magnitude of this season is great. Just going forward to put Hawai‘i on the map, especially in a day and age where NIL rules all and loyalty is a thing of the past. And college football, like I said, I think it's great and extremely rewarding, and I really wanted to show something from my time here and being able to do that in my last year is the best feeling."
ASD: As a college senior, how much thought have you given to your next steps following the season?
Sims: "A lot of different doorways. Never in 1,000 years would I have thought I would have a chance at playing in the next level if you told me that three, four years ago. But with my track record and being as consistent I've been playing, who knows? I think I'm going to kick myself if I don't pursue that. So, I will be given everything I have and putting effort into going to the next level and playing professional. And if that doesn't work out, then I've done a great job off the field, I think, networking and building my career. That aspect, I've interned at First Hawaiian Bank for the past two years during the summer, and they've done a great job and a great program, just showing me what I kind of want to do with my life and my career. I got my finance degree last spring and I'll get my finance masters this summer. So, definitely something in that realm. But whether I remain here or not, it's up to God, so something I'll pray about, and either/or, I'd be perfectly happy."
ASD: You've seen a lot of people come and go in your five years here. Is there anyone you'd like to shout out? Or are there too many names to name?
Sims: "There is a lot to name, but one that one that stands out is Victor Santa Cruz. He was the guy that recruited me here. Fun fact, when I committed, I didn't even know who our head coach was. I was just that out of the loop. I just like, sure, I'll try football. But he's the one that got me here and got me rooted. But just every coach I've had along the way, I've been blessed. I haven't had any negative experiences, from Abe Elimimian to Keiki Misipeka to coach [Anthony] Arceneaux now. Coach Thomas Sheffield was my coach as a tight end for two years. I've just been blessed with great mentors, great coaches, and just a great family atmosphere. And with the transfer portal, it's a bit tougher to build those relationships, because guys come and go every six months. But the guys that stuck around from the start, those are the guys that you can really share bonds with and look back on, like, man, look where we came from. And like I said, it's the most rewarding feeling in the world because of that, just to see how far you've come."
ASD: Thanks a lot for your time. Is there anything you'd like to add?
Sims: "Just show as much support as you can as we finish the season out. I think we saw this past week how much of an impact it means when we play at home, when we have the atmosphere and the fans and the weather and just being at home and playing for the state. So whoever it may be, show out and show your support wherever you can."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
