UH football practice took an unexpected turn Wednesday when head coach Timmy Chang ended drills at the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex and sent the Rainbow Warriors on an unannounced trip to Kalani High School to simulate road conditions.
After about an hour on the Mānoa campus, players gathered in the ‘Ewa end zone as associate head coach Chris Brown outlined a “mission mindset.” Brown said he challenged the team to operate in unfamiliar territory and then directed them to sprint to the Diamond Head-makai gate, where three yellow school buses waited.
Brown said the bus ride was silent by design. Players wore helmets during the roughly 3-mile trip, and once they stepped off at Kalani, Brown said, “it was all business.”
The Warriors immediately resumed their practice plan on Kalani’s artificial surface. Special teams took first reps, followed by 11-on-11 periods with the first-team offense against the No. 2 defense, then the second-team offense versus the starters. Kicker Sean Olvera-Harle and punter Gehrig Heil worked on angled attempts from the sideline through the uprights.
Dime linebacker Jamih Otis said the approach did not change with the venue. “Football is football,” Otis said, noting that once there is a field and a ball, the fundamentals remain the same.
With six of 12 regular-season games away from home, including the Aug. 29 opener at Stanford, Chang said he wanted to push the team out of its comfort zone. Kalani’s field, which does not host varsity games because there are no permanent stands, provided a different environment without advance notice.
“We wanted to put them in a different environment so they can see, feel and perform their goals,” Chang said, adding it was part of a broader plan for how the staff wants the team to prepare.
In past years, scheduling conflicts have taken UH to Farrington, Roosevelt and Saint Louis for practices. Wednesday marked the team’s first session at Kalani, which has no alumni on UH’s active roster or coaching staff.
Running back Cam Barfield said the ocean backdrop and Kalanianaole Highway traffic did not distract the team. He called the setting “beautiful” and said the different scenery, wind and surface were reminders of how game conditions can vary and why adaptability matters.
UH football practice tests comfort zone
Brown said the exercise was meant to be uncomfortable, emphasizing preparation for the unknown. He described the hour at Kalani as productive, while noting the Warriors still have details to refine. “We have to sharpen some things,” he said, adding the team does not want to peak during camp.
The Warriors also are monitoring weather concerns, with a potential tropical cyclone tracking toward the islands, another variable as they navigate the remainder of training camp.
The Rainbow Warriors’ approach to camp echoes longer-term goals outlined in how the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors eye 2026 breakthrough season.
Stanford, which will host UH in the Aug. 29 opener, competes in Division I FBS under the Pac-12 Conference, while weather monitoring for the islands relies in part on updates from the National Weather Service.
