Quotes from Mack, including about a Junior Day!

HSB Note: "After scrambling for recruits during a three-week period following his hire as the new Hawaii football coach in January, Greg McMackin intends to get a jump-start on the competition for 2009. The concept of a designated day for high school juniors to visit Hawaii's campus in a group, a "Junior Day," appeals to him and could work its way into McMackin's methods in the near future."

About how he's interested in having a Junior Day, Mack said:
"We're definitely interested in that. A certain day we'll have all the juniors over. Very interested." (HSB)

Note: I am very, very happy about this! I'm been advocating a Junior Day since Mack got hired and have probably been talking about this way too much over the past month...but if UH actually does this, I think it will be a HUGE boost for recruiting and can take UH to the next level of local recruiting success.

HSB Note: "Saint Louis junior Billy Ray Stutzmann was offered a scholarship by UH last week, according to Stutzmann's father, Bill. It's the first known offer for the graduating class of 2009. McMackin reiterated a desire to make recruiting locally his priority. That three-week clamber resulted in nine homegrown players committing for 2008."

About how he's making Hawaii recruiting his priority, Mack said:
"We will recruit Hawaii first. We are the University of Hawaii, we are Hawaii's football team. Spring really is the start of recruiting season -- right now it's recruiting season for next year, and in May I'm going to be in every high school in the state of Hawaii. I want to know the coaches, the principals, the athletic directors." (HSB)

HSB Note: "He also intends to have a clinic for local coaches of all levels -- down to Pop Warner -- on April 19, followed by a team practice and scrimmage."

HSB Note: "McMackin cautioned the QB Club regulars that with Hawaii's offensive skill positions totally overhauled, this season could see a return to run-and-shoot basics. While he is a proponent of the run-and-shoot dating back to his days coaching at Oregon Tech, the Warriors offense might not be as freewheeling as it was when operated by the Western Athletic Conference's first "Offensive Unit of the Year" -- Colt Brennan and receivers Jason Rivers, C.J. Hawthorne, Davone Bess and Ryan Grice-Mullins."

About how they are going to go back to the basics of the run-and-shoot because they do not have the vets they had before in the offense, Mack said:
"If you watch our defense play, we're very fundamental, try to be very sound, technically. We're going to do more closer to Mouse Davis' run-and-shoot where it's the reads. We had some talented, veteran guys, and they were allowed to ad-lib a little more. We're going to tighten things up a little bit." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Come April, McMackin will play no favorites. He firmly asserted that full opportunities will be given to Warrior newcomers to impress him for playing time. That's good news for junior college transfer quarterbacks Greg Alexander (Santa Rosa College) and Brent Rausch (College of the Desert), who arrive on a team without a locked-in starting signal-caller."

About how the best players will play, no matter how long they have been in the program, Mack said:
"That's our job, is to play the best players. Doesn't matter if they played before or not. In the spring is when that'll happen. We'll look at our players, and then in the fall, I told our quarterbacks, I told our team, that the two JC players are going to get reps." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Tyler Graunke, a fourth-year junior last season, was once thought to be Brennan's successor entering the Warriors' 2008 opener at Florida, but is no longer the front-runner because of a violation of team rules which resulted in a suspension from team activities. McMackin hasn't said when or if Graunke would be reinstated."

Asked about Tyler's status, Mack declined to answer:
"As far as any players, that's really between he and myself." (HSB)

HSB Note: "On the other side of the ball, junior Brashton Satele has made strides and could threaten to crack into an already-solid platoon of linebackers, he hinted."

About how they will show the new uniforms later this week, Mack said:
"We're going to have a press conference this week to show you the uniforms, and I know you all will be happy because we put some green in them. I showed it to some of the players, and they think it's pretty sharp." (HSB)