[ WARRIOR FOOTBALL ]
McKnight interested
in UH job
Former Hawaii special teams coach Dennis McKnight said he is interested in his old job, which is open now. But McKnight is not certain he can commit for as long as Warriors head coach June Jones might want.
"He's talked to me about it, and there are a couple of other guys he wants to talk to," McKnight said in a phone interview from his home in San Diego. "I think he's looking for a long-range, permanent solution. June's going to do what's best for the team."
McKnight lives in San Diego, where he owns three car washes and his two children are in junior and senior high school. He and his family visited UH during spring practices last month.
"I would definitely like to be a part of helping what I think could be a phenomenal year," he said, but is not sure he wants to make a permanent move to Hawaii.
When McKnight was UH special teams coach in 1999 and 2000, his family remained in San Diego.
When McKnight resigned to be with his family, graduate assistant Tyson Helton was promoted to full-time assistant, with duties including special teams coordinator. Helton left UH after last season to become an assistant coach at Memphis.
Jones has said he wants to fill the position before fall camp begins in early August.
"We're most definitely interested (in McKnight)," Jones said. "I've got to work through a couple of other candidates. It would probably be a one-year deal with Dennis, so we'd have to weigh that."
Jones declined to disclose who the other prospects are at this time.
Frank Gansz, a retired NFL special teams coach Jones worked with on the Atlanta Falcons staff, served as a guest coach at UH during spring camp. Gansz said he is not interested in coaching on a full-time basis.
In other UH football news, Tyrone Brown, a scholarship linebacker, has been cut, along with 12 other players who are walk-ons, sources close to the team said.
"I have no comment on that, other than we made a decision to bring in some other players at that position," Jones said.
Linebacker is one of UH's deepest positions. Jones also recruited two freshmen -- Carl Stokes and Khevin Peoples -- who he thinks might be able to contribute immediately.
Brown, who would have been a senior in eligibility this fall, was highly touted coming out of Highland High School in Palmdale, Calif., in 2001. He rarely played at UH. Brown will have the option of retaining his scholarship for at least one school year.
The Warriors needed to cut players to make room for new players arriving later this summer. NCAA rules limit football rosters to 105 players for fall training camp.
Brown was not available for comment.
The others cut are defensive linemen Wilson Cluney, Justin Faimealelei and Frank Pojsl, linebackers Zach Lee-Ho and Laiana Wong, defensive backs Brett Nakamura, Trumaine Oto, Dan Principe, Christopher Price-White and Jayson Malufau, running back Alonzo Chopp, and wide receiver Cheyne Todani.
There will likely be more cuts. Some players will be invited back to the team once school starts and there is no roster limit.