McMackin, Lee recruit in California

Stutzmann gets chance to coach UH receivers

Greg McMackin and Ron Lee left last night for some face-to-face recruiting visits in California. The Hawaii football coaches will return to the islands tomorrow.

Hawaiian Airlines has donated seats for UH coaches to recruit on the mainland.

The Warriors hope to find a quarterback to add to a class that is so far heavy on defensive backs and linemen.

McMackin, named head coach replacing June Jones a week ago, also hopes to officially announce his staff in the coming days.

UH got good news yesterday as former Warriors receiver Craig Stutzmann accepted a graduate assistant position. Also, Nick Rolovich, another former UH standout, was expected to arrive in Hawaii last night. He is poised to become the Warriors quarterbacks coach.

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Recently at Hawaii, graduate assistant has not been your typical entry level position for aspiring college football coaches.

Jeff Reinebold and Dennis McKnight were both in their 40s with plenty of experience when they accepted GA posts with the Warriors, and both were rewarded with full-time staff positions after one year.

Reinebold and McKnight both went with June Jones to SMU. Greg McMackin, named the new UH head coach a week ago, is still filling vacancies on the new staff.

But the open GA spot is filled, as former Warriors receiver Craig Stutzmann accepted an offer and began processing yesterday. The appointment becomes official when Stutzmann is accepted by UH and his paperwork goes through.

At 27, Stutzmann is a little older than most graduate assistants, but younger than the recent UH "interns."

The position doesn't pay much, just tuition for graduate courses and a small stipend. And Stutzmann enjoys a teaching job at his high school alma mater, Saint Louis, where he was also junior varsity head coach.

After talking things over with his wife, Briana, Stutzmann decided to pursue his dream of college coaching.

"I always told people I'd rather coach in college than play in the pros," Stutzmann said. "The opportunity is awesome."

After an All-State career at Saint Louis, Stutzmann played at UH from 1998 through 2001, finishing his career with 2,025 receiving yards on 177 receptions with 18 touchdowns.

He is remembered by many Warriors fans for punting the ball into the stands after scoring a touchdown late in UH's 72-45 win over BYU in 2001 and being ejected in his final game.

After a brief stint with British Columbia of the CFL and then with the Hawaiian Islanders arena team, Stutzmann put his political science degree to early use, running for the state house in 2004. He didn't campaign much, and lost to veteran Scott Saiki. He also taught special education at Kalaheo.

At UH, Stutzmann will likely work with the receivers along with Ron Lee.

Ron Lee (receivers), Cal Lee (linebackers), George Lumpkin (defensive ends) and Rich Miano (defensive backs) are expected to be retained on McMackin's staff. Ron Lee and Cal Lee are poised to become the offensive and defensive coordinators.

Two of Stutzmann's UH teammates, Nick Rolovich (quarterbacks) and Brian Smith (offensive line), are likely to join the new staff.

McMackin said nothing is set, and all assistants will have to re-apply, per state law.