The Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors football program has experienced a bit of internal turmoil this season and that was driven further home on Thursday with news that freshman defensive back Michael Graham has entered the transfer portal. He didn’t record any stats this year, but it’s notable because he is in fact the son of Hawai’i head football coach Todd Graham.
Just wrapping up his second year with the program, the veteran college football coach’s tenure in Honolulu has already grown toxic. A bombshell report by SFGate earlier this month revealed the crumbling culture and locker room environment under Graham, including a current player relaying that the head coach had killed his love and passion for the game of football. As a result, several key players have already entered their names into the transfer portal, including starting quarterback Chevan Cordeiro and running back Dae Dae Hunter. On Tuesday, Graham placed the blame on the presence of the portal itself as reasoning for the sudden attrition and nothing else.
And now his son is one of those very players looking to leave the islands. It’s unknown the exact reason for his particular departure but things are not good with the Warriors’ program right now. We’ll see if this gets to a point where the administration will be left with no choice but to make a move.