The easy answer is Chris Brown. He is the former Bishop Gorman assistant football coach who now exists as associate head coach/linebackers at Hawaii.
The easy answer is that Brown has created a pipeline of Gaels players to make the island home and play for the Rainbow Warriors.
And it’s all true.
Brown is a Hawaii graduate who has helped welcome countless former Bishop Gorman players to the Hawaii roster.
It’s a wonder they haven’t changed the team colors to orange and blue out there in Honolulu.
But there is more to it than one terrific recruiter. More to why such a path exists.
The Mountain West held its annual football media days at The Palms this week and each school was represented by its head coach and four players, two each from the offensive and defensive side.
This is who Hawaii brought:
Micah Alejado, QB, Bishop Gorman.
Cam Barfield, RB, Bishop Gorman.
Jamih Otis, LB, Bishop Gorman.
Elijah Palmer, DB, Bishop Gorman.
Ties that bind
“It’s about the family aspect.” Palmer said. “We’re a really tight-knit group. That’s what attracted everybody to Hawaii. The island embraces you if you come with open arms. Once there, you’re part of the family, and I think that’s the main reason that got everyone there.
“That and the opportunity to play.”
Ah, yes. Let’s not forget about that part.
There are Bishop Gorman players who annually have 5 stars attached to their resumes and choose between monster programs like Michigan and Oregon and Ohio State and so on.
And such have been nearly impossible for Mountain West level schools to land.
But depth of talent is one factor that makes Bishop Gorman such a dominating program. There are college players strewn along the two-deep and then some. Skill everywhere.
There are enough of them to go around, and schools like Hawaii and UNLV are finding that to be the case.
“Having the chance to get on the field and get exposure is a big draw for those guys (at Hawaii),” Bishop Gorman coach Brent Browner said. “Having someone like Coach Brown there — he knows what type of kid they’re going to get, how they’re going to work. It’s a testament to their development. How they’re treated out there is another big piece of why they go. They love it.”
It’s a recruiting journey to Bishop Gorman also being made more and more by UNLV, whose coaches understand as much as any the ability that exists within the local prep power.
Browner said Rebels coach Dan Mullen and his staff are frequent visitors to the school, that they are leaving no stone unturned when pursuing its players.
“(Mullen) has been actively recruiting our guys since he got here last year,” Browner said. “It’s another program, like Hawaii, that has been amazing for our guys to get an opportunity to play. UNLV coaches are here as much as humanely possible. That part has been great. Coach Mullen is really invested in Vegas kids.”
As is Hawaii coach Timmy Chang.
Same ideals
Chang speaks about Bishop Gorman’s annual pursuit of a high school national championship, of developing players to a certain standard of excellence. Not the hope of winning but the expectation of it.
He wants Hawaii to be built on the same ideals, the same thought process.
“There are a lot of similarities in how we run our program and how we want to be,” Chang said. “(Bishop Gorman) guys understand those standards and can help bring them into our program. When you have guys like that, it helps.
“Guys are chomping at the bit to play and raise the bar. That’s what I’m most proud of with those guys. When you come from such a high school program, you have to adapt and carry it over and find a way not just for yourself, but you have to get everyone else on the same page. A lot of what is going on at Hawaii is because of these players. It’s a player-led mentality that they have.”
Hawaii is considered among the top tier of the Mountain West this season, and the sophomore Alejado is the league’s preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
The Rainbow Warriors are expected to challenge the likes of UNLV and New Mexico for conference supremacy.
And if they do, you can believe much production will come from those Bishop Gorman alums.
“When you come in with the right mindset and intent, anything is possible,” said the senior Otis. “When we first came in, our intent was to play early. I feel like we got the best scenario out of it.”
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.
