Kapanui Comes Full Circle In His Return As Quarterbacks Coach

The Rainbow Warrior family is welcoming home one of its own. Former linebacker and standout special teams player Chad Kapanui is back in Manoa, this time on the sidelines as the University of Hawai'i's new quarterbacks coach.

Kapanui, who played for UH from 2000-2004, brings nearly two decades of coaching experience, including recent stops at Bishop Gorman and Liberty High School in Las Vegas. But for him, this moment is about more than football.

"It means everything to me." Kapanui said. "Once I started coaching high school, it became more of a dream for me to coach at the Division I level. The one school that always came to mind was Hawai'i and now it's a reality for me."

The dream was made a reality through UH head coach Timmy Chang, a longtime friend and former teammate. The two were part of the same UH recruiting class and shared five years on the field together.

"We came into the program at the same time," Chang recalled, "and so me and him have a special bond together. He knows our offense. He's been in the offense since he was an 18-year-old in the run-and-shoot system. All those things play a factor and matter. And I enjoy having him on."

As the program faced a coaching transition, the timing and trust between old teammates aligned to bring Kapanui home.

"Timmy and I always talked about one day maybe coaching together," Kapanui said. "It kind of worked out perfectly… Coach Dan (Morrison) was stepping away, and it was kind of like God's timing." 

Part of that timing was rooted in familiarity with UH's current system and personnel. Kapanui previously served as a mentor to current UH signal caller and QB1 Micah Alejado while they were both at Bishop Gorman. Alejado notes how much of a blessing it is for his old high school coach to now guide him during his collegiate career.

"We had a great relationship in the two years that I had him up there with me and we accomplished some good things in high school," Alejado said. "So being able to have that kind of guy as your quarterback coach in college is humongous because you have a guy you can lean on. He's almost like a father figure to me. He takes care of me a lot off the field and it means a lot."

At Liberty High School, Kapanui helped turn a struggling program into state champions—beating Bishop Gorman in 2019 for Gorman's first in state loss in over a decade. He later joined Gorman's staff and helped the Gaels win a national title in 2022. Along the way, he's coached four Gatorade Players of the Year and directed offenses that broke state records in both passing and points scored.

Longtime UH fans may remember Kapanui as one of the "Three Chads"—a trio of Roosevelt High School teammates who suited up at UH in the early 2000s: Kapanui, Chad Kalilimoku, and recent UH Circle of Honor inductee Chad Owens.

"It's crazy, because we grew up playing with each other from a young age," he said. "Then we went into high school and went to college. For us to suit up together at the Division I level...it was pretty awesome."

Kapanui entered UH as a quarterback prospect, but ultimately made the move to linebacker. Despite being a defender during his UH playing days, Kapanui's background as a four-year quarterback at Roosevelt gives him a unique advantage in coaching quarterbacks. And despite never taking a snap at quarterback for UH, he still amazingly tossed three touchdown passes as a Rainbow Warrior. 

"I learned some things on offense, and I learned a lot of things on the defense," he said. "And I think that's why I see things a little bit different from most people."

After graduating from UH, Kapanui went on to be named MVP in the 2005 Japan-USA Bowl and played professionally in the XFL for IBM (2005-2006) as well as arena football for the Sioux City Bandits (2007-2008). 

He then followed his wife Brandee to Las Vegas where he got into high school coaching and where he and his wife have raised their children: Shaena, Chad Jr., Champ, Chazen, and Chelsee. His son Champ is currently a freshman linebacker at San Jose State.

The return to Hawai'i is personal for Kapanui. He's grateful to be back closer to his mom and to honor the memory of his sister, who passed away last year.  While his wife and younger children remain in Las Vegas for now, Kapanui – in his 19th year of coaching – is fully locked into developing the next generation of Hawai'i quarterbacks, including his former high school protege Alejado.

On Alejado's breakout performance in UH's 2024 finale against New Mexico in which he threw for 469 yards and five touchdowns, Kapanui said: "That's just regular Micah to me. The kid is a baller. He's got the it factor. High IQ, great leadership…he's like a coach on the field."

And for the current QB room as a whole?

"I love this group," Kapanui said. "These guys get along…they're all willing to be great. They push each other, whether it's on the field or off the field. It's a fun group."

The fun for Kapanui extends to reuniting with his former Rainbow Warrior teammates on the coaching staff. Not just Chang, but also Chris Brown (associate head coach, linebackers) and Derek Faavi (offensive line) as they give back to a place that built them as young men.

"It's a dream for all of us," Kapanui said. "I believe that's the same reason why coach Timmy is the head coach. That's why coach CB is here, why Coach Derek is here. We always wanted to give back somehow. Why not give it back to our alma mater?"

From Pauoa to Manoa, from linebacker to quarterback coach, Chad Kapanui's journey has come full circle.
 

#HawaiiFB