​As the college football world turns, University of Hawaii head coach Timmy Chang remains grounded in his goals.“I think college football has changed,” said Chang, who enters his fifth season as the Rainbow Warriors’ leader. “You have to be flexible to build a roster and compete. We’re doing that. We’re a different type of program. We’re in a different location. And that poses different factors and opportunities and challenges that we have to be able to adapt.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFifty-four months after inheriting a disheartened program that was in emotional turmoil, Chang is navigating an evolving landscape. The transfer portal has eased the way for players to change schools without interruption. Student-athletes may now profit from use of their name, image and likeness. The House vs. NCAA settlement requires profit sharing up to $20.5 million annually per school. (UH has budgeted $5 million for NILs and profit sharing this coming academic year, with $2.5 million earmarked for football.)The Rainbow Warriors have been impacted living in a material whirl.“Jackson Harris is an example,” Chang said of the wideout who received a lucrative NIL deal after transferring to LSU following the 2025 regular season. “I think he loved our program, but he left for the money.”But the portal is accessible in both directions, and the Warriors were able to find tall and fast transfers to reload the receiver positions.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“We just focus on our program, focus on our staff, focus on getting better,” Chang said. “Those are the things we can control. We focus on building and developing young student-athletes.”In accepting the UH job in January 2022, Chang emphasized assembling a staff that shared his vision, connecting the program with academic and administrative leaders, and taking great care of his players.“If we want someone to come into our program, it means something,” Chang said. “You’re taking in somebody’s son. You’re taking in someone who wants to trust you. That’s the biggest thing.”For Chang, that meant providing educational and nutritional opportunities.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“Five years ago, we fought for feeding our kids and taking care of them,” said Chang, noting such programs as the Braddahhood Grindz and Sodexo provide training tables. “We’re fed year ’round besides the days we’re truly off, like spring break or winter break. We kept them fed.”With expanded guidelines, every team member, including walk-ons, partakes in the training table.“Once you’re on our team, you’re part of it,” Chang said.He also has provided some leeway for youthful mistakes.“I made it vocal, my biggest problem is we’re very quick to move to the next thing and move off people,” Chang said. “We want to build a program where we can give people second chances to try to do things right. We want to grow and develop and build that trust with