Craig Stutzmann was born in Hilo, but O‘ahu is where his family planted their roots.
The Stutzmann family moved to Varsity Circle when Craig Stutzmann was a year old. The University of Hawai‘i's lower campus just a few hundred feet away became young Craig's sanctuary.
Cooke Field is where he learned how to throw a football. He'd swim at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatics Complex. He'd play catch at Rainbow Stadium with his cousins. The pond near the football team's grass practice fields is where his grandfather taught him how to fish.
"I grew up in Varsity Circle," Stutzmann said in a Monday morning Zoom call. "That lower campus was like my playground."
After a standout prep football career at Saint Louis, Stutzmann chose to play for his childhood team despite interest from half a dozen Mainland schools. A three-year starter at slot receiver, his final play as a Warrior was a touchdown reception in a 72-45 blowout of rival BYU to end the 2001 season. Stuzmann punted the ball into the crowd out of celebration and was ejected, a decision he still has no regrets about 25 years later.
Following a brief stint with the CFL's BC Lions, Sutzmann began his coaching career, which has included nine college teams in the past 17 years. The 2014 season was the first time he was named an offensive coordinator at the collegiate level at Division III Emory & Henry, which ran Stutzmann's Spread & Shred offense.
Since then, Stutzmann has been viewed as one of the offensive masterminds at each school he's coached for, which included a stint at his alma mater from 2016 to 2019. After former head coach Nick Rolovich departed for Washington State, Stutzmann was passed over for the head coaching job by former UH athletics director David Matlin in favor of Todd Graham. Stutzmann followed Rolovich to Pullman, and both were removed from their roles in 2021 after not complying with the state's vaccine mandate.
Lā‘ie native and Radford alumnus Ken Niumatalolo landed the San Jose State job in 2024 and knew exactly who he wanted to run the team's offense, offering Stutzmann the offensive coordinator job. The Spartans and Rainbow Warriors did not play each other in 2024, but when Stutzmann got the opportunity to coach against his alma mater for the first time on Nov. 1, 2025, he called the plays as the Spartans gashed UH for 630 yards in a 45-38 victory.
Things have changed around Mānoa since Stutzmann's hanabata days. Rainbow Stadium was renamed Les Murakami Stadium in 2001. And Cooke Field is now known as the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, UH football's temporary location for home games since 2021 as the new Aloha Stadium gets built. Niumatalolo and Stutzmann both coached the Spartans in Mānoa in the 2024 Hawai‘i Bowl, but that contest was against the University of South Florida.
For Stutzmann, the opportunity to coach against Hawai‘i in Hawai‘i will finally come on Saturday, Oct. 3, when the Spartans and Rainbow Warriors will battle for the Dick Tomey Legacy Trophy at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex at 6 p..m. The opportunity for Stutzmann to coach against the 'Bows in his old stomping grounds promises to bring a new set of emotions.
"I can't wait to play on Saturday against the University of Hawai‘i," Stutzmann said, "It's going to be surreal. It's going to be fun. It's going to be a whole lot of different emotions, but we're going to put on a good show."
Stutzmann, of course, is far from the only Hawai‘i connection in San Jose State's football program. It starts at the top with the team's head coach in Niumatalolo, a UH alumnus who owns a house in Mānoa. When the Spartans were idle last weekend, Niumatalolo was on Island to celebrate his granddaughter's birthday. Does he have a favorite spot to hit when he's back home?
"My problem is I have too many of them," Niumatalolo said. "That's why I always gain weight when I come home."
San Jose State's roster features multiple Hawai‘i high school graduates in slot receiver Tama Amisone (Kapolei), linebacker Aizik Mahuka (Mililani), safety Tuli Tagovailoa-Amosa (Kahuku), tight end Kama Kopa Kaawalauole (Campbell) and offensive lineman Kamuela Wilhelm (Punahou). Additionally, the coaching staff includes Hawai‘i alums in tight ends coach Kolney Cassel, defensive pass game coordinator/cornerbacks coach Brian Norwood and receivers coach/passing game coordinator Billy Ray Stutzmann, Craig's younger brother. Additionally, offensive line coach Ramsen Golpashin coached UH's offensive line in 2015.
Despite all the Hawai‘i ties, no name will ring a bell to UH football fans more than San Jose State starting quarterback Luke Weaver. As Hawai‘i's backup in 2025, he went 2-0 as a starter and delivered the winning touchdown throw in UH's thrilling Hawai‘i Bowl victory over Cal.
Weaver's heroics instantly caught the eye of SJSU's coaches, who were in the market for a new quarterback after Walker Eget departed for Duke. Once Weaver entered the transfer portal seeking more playing time, the Spartans moved quickly to gain his commitment.
The Spartans are 2-2 heading into Saturday's matchup, their most recent game a 26-10 loss to Fresno State on Sept. 19. Weaver threw an uncharacteristic four interceptions; the most he had previously thrown in a game at the FBS level was two. Niumatalolo believes Weaver, who had nothing ill to say about Hawai‘i on his way out, is more motivated by wanting to bounce back rather than earning a victory against his former team.
"Luke had played really well the first three games. I mean, Luke was good as anybody. Fresno wasn't one of his better games. I know he wants to bounce back, and so I know that's a big priority for him," Niumatalolo said. "And I know he will. I have all the faith and confidence in him. Luke hasn't had anything bad to say about Timmy (Chang), the coaching staff, just everybody there.
"He loved his time there, and it was a great experience. He wanted a chance to play, and that's why he's here. Just had great things to say. But I haven't sensed the motivation to beat Hawai‘i. I think more than anything, I think he wants to bounce back because, like I said, he's been playing really good and two weeks ago, kind of stumbled. I know he wants to get back on track."
Meanwhile, the Hawai‘i team the Spartans are facing on Saturday will be desperate after a 1-3 start, its most recent outing a 27-10 stinker at Wyoming. Stutzmann is wary of UH's desperation and is challenging his team to surpass it.
"The Hawai‘i defense, they play hard. Coach (Dennis Thurman) does a really good job there, and I think they play hard. They're physical. They fly around, play with their hair on fire, and so we got to make sure that we're ready to go off the bat and not just meet the same intensity, but we got to exceed it," Stutzmann said. "We got to play harder than those guys. We got to play clean. But I think overall, there's a lot of different things that they do. A lot of different fronts. A lot of different pressure packages. They try to confuse the line. They try to confuse the quarterback. We got to be good with our eyes, and then when it's all said and done, just play harder than they do."
With the advantage of a bye week prior to Saturday's matchup, Stutzmann says a lot of his recent time went toward the team's upcoming contests at Hawai‘i and against Wyoming on Oct. 9.
"I would say probably about 10 to 15% of that was was making sure that we clean up the self-inflicted wounds, but about 85 to maybe 80% of that was getting ready for the University of Hawai‘i and also getting ready a little bit for Wyoming because we play Wyoming on a short week when we get back from Hawai‘i," Stutzmann said. "Getting a head start on Wyoming was a little bit, maybe another 10%. So, I know that adds up to more than 100%, but I went to Saint Louis, so my math isn't the greatest."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
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