When Timmy Chang signed his initial contract to coach the University of Hawai‘i football team in January 2022, the harsh reality he faced was that there wasn't much of a team left.
A mass exodus of players following the 2021 season under former head coach Todd Graham left the Rainbow Warriors depleted. Graham resigned a week after a Senate hearing was targeted towards him, but the damage to the program had already been done.
By the time Chang and his staff patched a roster together, his initial team was set to have 53 newcomers on it. Though Chang faced an uphill battle to rebuild his alma mater, it was his first commit that helped him realize brighter days could be ahead.
Wynden Ho‘ohuli was a four-star linebacker out of Mililani High School. Although his senior season of high school football was wiped out due to COVID-19, he was already an established prospect without it. Dozens of power conference schools extended scholarship offers to Ho‘ohuli, and he ended up choosing the University of Nebraska. By all accounts, Ho‘ohuli did well during his redshirt season in Lincoln, and Nebraska coaches were looking to make him a part of the team's future. As he weighed his options, Ho‘ohuli decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
Then Uncle Timmy came calling.
Ho‘ohuli's father, Watson Ho‘ohuli, was a University of Hawai‘i linebacker from 2000 to 2005, and teammates with Timmy Chang for five years. Baby Wynden would be carried in the Aloha Stadium stands on Saturdays in the fall. As a new era of UH football dawned, Wynden Ho‘ohuli knew it was only right he'd be a part of it.
"I remember that time like it was just yesterday," Wynden Ho‘ohuli told Aloha State Daily. "When Timmy came in, I was the first (recruit) that came in, and I've rocked rocked him ever since. We've been close to each other outside of football, and I already knew it was a perfect fit for me to stay home and play for Timmy because I know he's a ride or die kind of person.
"He's gonna ride for his team. He's gonna do everything he can for the team, and I respect that so much from a coach, especially a head coach."
Grand roster reconstruction of 2022 aside, Chang knew that landing a local prospect of Ho‘ohuli's caliber in any recruiting cycle would be a big deal.
"Wynden, first off, outside of football, he's a nephew, right? Watson was my teammate, and he comes from a great family. I think the world of Wynden and how he carries himself," Chang said. "The value he brings and experience, and what he does for our football team, he does a lot. Love that we have him here."
During his time in Mānoa, Ho‘ohuli has played in 35 games with 48 tackles, including seven for loss and three sacks. Some of that production came when he was moved the defensive line. In his debut season in 2022, he was limited to four games due to injury, but the medical redshirt ultimately allowed him to come back for a sixth year of college ball.
In 2025, he moved back to his natural position of linebacker, shedding the extra weight that was needed when he was a rush end. And in 2026, Ho‘ohuli has already solidified himself as the team's starting middle linebacker in camp, taking all the first team reps alongside outside linebacker Jamih Otis.
"Wynden was a special, special player out of high school," recalled UH associate head coach and linebackers coach Chris Brown. "I remember watching him when I was up at Bishop Gorman. I knew he wanted to come back home (to UH). His family's here. The kid is local boy through and through. I know he loves playing for the state. He's going to play a lot this year. We put him at defensive end for all those years because we had to find a spot for him because he's such a good player. But his best position is playing inside the box, playing linebacker. So, now he's right at home."
Though he was too young to remember watching his father at Aloha Stadium, Wynden Ho‘ohuli can definitely relate to him. Wynden's two sons, ages 1 and 3, will be in the stands this fall.
"It means the world. It's like a full circle moment," Wynden Ho‘ohuli said. "I was a little kid running around here when my dad was playing. I got my own little kids too. I'm always super grateful. I'm grateful for this opportunity to be here, represent the team, represent the home state, and just be able to represent my family as well.
"My pops paved the way for me, and I always just owe it to him to come out here every day and be the man that I was supposed to be and destined to be. I gotta be a leader, gotta be a provider."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
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