Jared Ursua landed his first FBS coaching job in 2022, joining Timmy Chang's initial University of Hawai‘i staff as the team's new wide receivers coach.
Up until that point, the Big Island native's entire collegiate career took place in the state of Utah — Ursua played for Southern Utah from 2008 to 2011 before joining the team's coaching staff from 2014 to 2018. He then coached receivers at Weber State from 2019 to 2021, and was also the recruiting coordinator there.
When he made his way back to Hawai‘i, he was certainly familiar with his surroundings, but he was hungry to learn more. What made the run-and-shoot offense so effective? And what does it look like when it's clicking? For that, he had the ultimate resource in little brother John.
Following a disappointing 3-9 season in 2017, former Hawai‘i head coach Nick Rolovich decided it was in the best interest of the program to return to its roots in the run-and-shoot, an offensive system where quarterbacks and their four receivers put up large numbers on a variety of option routes.
Despite tearing his ACL in 2017, John Ursua emerged as the star of the team's revamped offense in 2018, hauling in 89 receptions for 1,343 yards and 16 touchdowns. NFL teams were tantalized by his tape, and after declaring early for the 2019 NFL Draft, he was selected in the seventh round by the Seattle Seahawks.
While Jared Ursua would frequently question John Ursua about what he saw on a certain play, John was trying to get his playing career back on track. After three seasons with the Seahawks, a repeat ACL injury would go on to derail the rest of his playing career. He went to Canada and latched on with the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders and BC Lions in 2023, but saw the field for neither.
John Ursua's post-playing career began in the Islands, first as a trainer for youth athletes who aspired to reach the heights that he did as a player. The training, which focused on speed and agility, ranged from one-on-one to group settings. A close friend of Ursua, who runs Level Up Elites in Orem, Utah, encouraged him to make the move after telling him dozens of clients where eager to learn from him.
It is also in Utah where Ursua, 32, joined the coaching staff at Orem High School as the school's new receivers coach. It's his first full-time coaching gig on a staff, the start of a journey he hopes to turn into his new career.
"This is something I'm going to pursue 100%," John Ursua told Aloha State Daily. "This is what I want to do. I want to stick around the game and give back to the kids. This is going to be a long journey for me, but this is just the beginning."
As fate would have it, Ursua's first game on the Orem staff took him to O‘ahu, where the Tigers opened their 2026 campaign at Kamehameha. The Aug. 14 contest was moved up a day due to Tropical Storm Lala, a game Orem won 16-7.
"I couldn't have written it better. I was shocked when they said we were playing Kamehameha first," Ursua said after the game. "It was a treat to be out here. Our boys got to come and hang out for a week, and (Kamehameha) has a great team over there, and we're just glad we got to play them."
Orem High School receivers coach John Ursua on the sidelines during a game against Kamehameha on Aug. 14. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff) 
John Ursua following Orem's 16-7 victory over Kamehameha on Aug 14. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff)
Overseeing John Ursua's hire at Orem was head coach Andy Stokes, who back in the day was the final pick of the 2005 NFL Draft but never saw action in a regular season game.
"We love John," Stokes said. "I know John's older brother really well, Jared. John's played in the league. He's done a lot of the things that we do in our offense. He brings a great perspective to the boys. I know that he wants to grow in the coaching world, I'm grateful for the opportunity to help him out a little bit."
Four years ago, it was Jared Ursua who relied on John Ursua's advice. These days, it's only right big brother returns the favor.
"I've been calling him, just being like, 'Hey, what do you here, what can I teach these kids on individual (drills), how can I help them grow?' It's been cool to be able to lean on him now," John Ursua said. "At first, he was asking me about the run-and-shoot and UH and all this, but now we get to feed off of each other more, so it's been really fun."
"John and I are always talking about the future, and that kid is so gifted, and I've known it since he was eight or nine years old," Jared Ursua said following a recent Hawai‘i football fall camp practice."
How often does Jared Ursua show his receivers John's UH tape?
"All the time," Jared Ursua said. "We have a cut up kind of directed toward the '18 and '19 seasons. Those guys were excellent, and then coach (Craig) Stutzmann and (Nick) Rolovich and (Brian Smith) had an offense that we watched and followed. That group was pretty special. That's was a special time in life for him."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.
