It was February 2025 when the cracks in the facade of Sherrone Moore’s reign began to appear, or at least were put on display for his entire coaching staff to see.

In a meeting called by the then-Michigan football coach on a cold afternoon in Ann Arbor, Moore delivered a vitriolic outburst featuring tears and tossed papers in a virtual harbinger of his downfall at Michigan a scant 10 months later.

By December 2025, Moore would be no more within the walls of Schembechler Hall, fired for an inappropriate relationship with a staffer, and jailed the same day on a trio of charges related to allegedly threatening that same staffer.

But in February, Moore’s ire was directed at Wink Martindale.

Martindale, the team’s defensive coordinator, had two decades of NFL experience, including nearly 10 years working for the Baltimore Ravens – a team run by former U-M coach Jim Harbaugh’s brother John, and a pipeline for U-M coaches over the years.

Martindale, in his first year at U-M, helped Moore save the 2024 season with defensive masterclasses against Ohio State and then Alabama, seemingly setting the program up for success in Year 2.

Instead, the relationship between the two began to devolve even before spring ball.

“Sherrone wasn’t even speaking to his coaches over the last recent couple weeks, month,” a high-ranking university official who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect their relationships, told the Free Press shortly after Moore was fired.

The disconnect had one coach targeted, specifically, said the official: “Wink.”

The seed was seemingly planted when Moore overheard coaches discussing a potential recruit and quickly called a meeting.

According to a person with knowledge of the meeting, Moore began screaming at staffers that everybody needed to be on the same page, and that he didn’t want “people talking behind [his] back” about recruits.

Martindale piped up, saying, “Look, we’re trying to help you … get the right recruits.”

Moore responded: “You don’t know what the [expletive] you’re doing.”

Martindale, then 61, retorted, “Yeah … I’m just the old guy,” drawing an eruption from the 39-year-old Moore, who had been in charge of the U-M program for roughly 13 months following six years as an assistant coach in Ann Arbor.

“You don’t know how hard it is to be the head football coach and the pressure,” Moore allegedly said through tears, as he slammed down his papers and withdrew to his office.

It could almost be seen as a microcosm of Moore’s tenure with the Wolverines – fiery talk, followed by an unexpected collapse.

These days, Moore is unemployed, awaiting a probable cause hearing in January and wearing a GPS tether. It all stemmed from his firing Dec. 10 after the surfacing of ‘credible evidence’ of an illicit relationship with a staffer and a subsequent arrest for allegedly breaking into her apartment and threatening to kill himself, resulting in charges for third-degree felony home invasion, misdemeanor stalking and misdemeanor breaking and entering.

(The Free Press generally does not identify people described as domestic crime victims without their consent.)

Moore’s arrest was a loud announcement of his own problems at Michigan, but things were quietly falling apart within the program long before then.

More than half a dozen people with knowledge of the situation – including former staffers, high-ranking university officials, members of the athletic department, women Moore messaged online and parents of players – detailed to the Free Press how college football’s winningest program, led by a young coach seemingly on his way to stardom, unraveled in the blink of an eye.

‘A culture shift,” one called it.

‘Not what it seemed on the outside,’ another said.

‘A long time’ without fun

The breakdown of kinship among some Michigan football staff is far from secret these days.

Interim coach Biff Poggi admitted as much in his final media availability before the Wolverines depart for their Citrus Bowl date with Texas at the end of the month. The interim coach, who had two stints as associate head coach at U-M – one under Harbaugh and one under Moore – was asked about the relationships among the Wolverines’ staff on Monday, Dec. 22.

His telling response: ‘As far as being close … I wouldn’t say that, exactly.’

For the team – players and coaches alike – it had “been a long time” since they truly had fun, Poggi added. The loss of spark seemed to trickle down from Moore, even before his slide from the power seat in Michigan football.

Moore climbed the coaching ranks both in level – from Louisville to Central Michigan to U-M – and in responsibility – from tight ends, to offensive line, offensive coordinator and, finally, coach of Michigan football.

On paper, he checked all the boxes. In reality, he proved to be in over his head, nearly from the start.

Exacerbating that was his seemingly near-constant distraction by women both in and out of the program.

In less than two years, Moore took a program coming off its first national championship in a quarter-century and turned it into a punchline for comedians from the Empire State to the Mitten State – both ‘Saturday Night Live’ and stand-up comic Jordan Klepper, in Ann Arbor for a show, had jokes about Moore and the Wolverines teed up days after his dismissal.

[ MUST LISTEN: Make ‘Hail Yes!’ your go-to Wolverines podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]   

‘Jobs they were gifted’

Barely a year before then, Michigan football had all but forgotten how to lose.

That’s why it felt so strange inside team headquarters Sept. 8, 2024, as the Wolverines reconvened following a 31-12 home loss to Texas on Sept. 7 – Michigan’s first loss in 616 days.

In 2022, Michigan’s only loss had come in the College Football Playoff semifinal; nobody had to report to Schembechler Hall to try and rebound afterwards – the season was simply done. In 2023, Michigan went one game further, and completed an undefeated CFP championship season.

Following the title, coach Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers and carried away a wealth of coaching talent: Jesse Minter (defensive coordinator), Mike Elston (defensive line), Steve Clinkscale (defensive backs) and Ben Herbert (strength and conditioning). Jay Harbaugh, Jim’s son and the special teams coordinator, also left for the NFL to join former U-M defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald with the Seattle Seahawks.

It left a void in Ann Arbor and, because of the timing of Harbaugh’s departure in late January, the coaching options were few. 

But one coach – Moore – was propped up by his predecessor, who’d once named the Oklahoma alumnus an ‘honorary Michigan Man,’ and pushed forward by players to take over the program. Athletic director Warde Manuel had witnessed his 2023 run as interim coach, when Moore closed the regular season in place of a suspended Harbaugh with a run-heavy, emotional win over Penn State on the road, the program’s 1,000th win at Maryland and a thriller over Ohio State to clinch a third straight Big Ten title game berth.

Manuel briefly looked into other candidates, but never interviewed anyone else. A 2½-hour conversation with Moore was the only formal interview before he was hired.

When Moore took over in late January 2024, the Wolverines were already behind. While Michigan celebrated its first title since 1997, other teams had already filled out their staffs. Michigan tried to hire internally for as many roles as possible, hoping to keep a semblance of Harbaugh’s structure in place.

Kirk Campbell was promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator. Grant Newsome went from tight ends coach to offensive line. Steve Casula, formerly an analyst at U-M before leaving for UMass, was brought back to coach tight ends. J.B. Brown was promoted from analyst to special teams coordinator.

Moore, of course, went from coordinating the offensive attack (and the offensive line) to running the entire show.

How did the calendar change the approach? A person with intimate knowledge of the decision said that, had it happened on a normal timeline, the coach search would’ve been more extensive.

“It was a lot of guys who might’ve not been ready for the jobs they were really gifted,” another person who previously worked in the building, said on condition of anonymity for employment reasons. “Kirk Campbell as QB coach and last year as OC were like two completely different people. … Newsome will be a good coach some day, one of the brightest individuals I’ve been around, but was he ready to be O-line coach at Michigan?

“It created a culture of just less structure and less confidence. … Players felt that.”

According to this person, who was inside the program under Moore and a self-proclaimed ‘huge Michigan fan,’ there’s an “arrogance that goes along with Michigan” – an attitude that was at “an all-time high” for many of the coaches who’d been promoted.

It wasn’t just an arrogance, but a shift in the power dynamic, another former member of the program said.

Moore knew the players in a different way than Harbaugh, having served with multiple groups as a position coach. As one of the former staffers said, it was hard to shake that vision of him. Harbaugh, 61 at the time of his CFP win, was a father figure, while Moore was more like a brother or friend.

Without Harbaugh overseeing the entire operation, a culture that had been built in detail and discipline lost its edge. Instead, it became more lax and lacked the conviction needed to win big.

Nobody expected Moore to have the coaching pedigree of Harbaugh, who starred as QB at Michigan under Bo Schembechler in the 1980s, played in the NFL for more than a decade and coached the University of San Diego and Stanford to extended success before leading the San Francisco 49ers to three NFL playoff berths and a Super Bowl appearance.

But perhaps the gap was underestimated.

U-M’s losses piled up in Year 1 under Moore. U-M lost four of five games from October through early November – one more than the Wolverines had lost in the three previous seasons combined – before salvaging the season with three consecutive victories, including the Martindale-driven stunner over Ohio State in Columbus that appeared to have the program growing toward the future. Instead, things inside the building got worse.

‘It was really toxic’

By the end of 2025, many of Moore’s relationships inside Schembechler Hall had fractured, including arguably his most important, with his defensive coordinator

“Yeah, they did not like each other,” a person who witnessed their interactions told the Free Press.

The Free Press reached out to Martindale via text message to inquire about Moore’s tantrum and their working relationship. Martindale responded he’d “been advised by my agent & lawyer not to comment on anything involving Michigan football. I respect your profession and appreciate you reaching out.”

It wasn’t just Moore who had outbursts, though.

Tight ends coach Steve Casula – now the interim offensive coordinator following the departure of Chip Lindsey on Sunday after just one season for the same job with Missouri – came up in multiple independent conversations with people with inside knowledge of the Michigan program.

Moore can’t necessarily be held accountable for the actions of his assistants, but they do provide an entry into the program’s culture.

One former staffer said Casula “bullied the hell” out of some of the lower-level staffers on the team, telling them to “shut the [expletive] up … They’re nothing. … They should be fired.” Trying to make a suggestion to Casula, the staffer continued, was like stepping on glass, and his “verbal abuse” was a prime example of the toxicity in the building.

It was yet another example of the lack of balance between aggression and respect coaches and players are supposed to have. Football locker rooms are notoriously aggressive, but this was said to be more than that: No one set the tone at the top for how to conduct oneself in a truly professional manner.

Another person from inside the program who also brought up Casula said he was among the coaches making staff members do busy work – “do [expletive] just to do [expletive].” 

This former staffer said Casula, 38, garnered respect for his climb through the coaching ranks the hard way – from high schools while he was still a college student to Western Michigan to Colgate to Division II Davenport and Ferris State, to an analyst at U-M, a coordinator at UMass and then, finally, back to Ann Arbor – but it manifested in a ‘narcissistic’ way.

“It was like ‘I have power now and because I had to take the hard way, I’m going to make those guys do it too,’” one ex-staffer told the Free Press.

The Free Press reached out to Casula via text message and he also declined to comment: “Given ongoing investigations, I am unable to speak with you about anything involving our football program and/or athletic department,” he replied.

‘If you didn’t know, you’re an idiot’

By the USC game on Oct. 11, the 2025 season had reached a point where even parents of players were starting to sense a disconnect from the top of the program.

One father of a current player, who spoke with the Free Press on condition of anonymity to protect his son, cited group chats with other parents questioning the lack of detail, the sloppy nature of games and a feeling that hadn’t been around previously.

“Parents said similar things … the challenges in terms of ‘What are we doing?’ It was almost like there wasn’t a focus,” the parent said. “If there were distractions, that would make sense [why it feels as though] your eye’s not on the goal. … You’re focused on other things instead of moving toward people to a playoff spot, you weren’t focused on that.’ 

Only Moore knows just how much outside circumstances were taking away his focus from football, but the evidence of distractions are now apparent.

Even before Moore’s firing, he communicated regularly with women outside of his relationship with his wife (with whom he has three children over a 10-year marriage). Not only with his staffer, but on social media − OnlyFans model Mia Sorety confirmed her experience to the Free Press.

He was “friendly,” she said, and “trying to get to see me and know me” when he was on recruiting trips in Houston.

Houston, of course, is also where Michigan won the CFP title game in January 2024. Nearly two years later, there were rumors swirling online that Moore offered Sorety tickets to the game, something she called ‘far from the truth.”

Sorety did confirm Moore sent her messages shortly after he was released from jail, but maintained they never met in person.

Another woman messaged the Free Press with a screenshot of a direct message from Moore via Instagram in fall 2019. She was 23 at the time, she told the Free Press.

‘I remember thinking it was odd to have him respond [with a message] to a simple follow on IG,’ she said.

However, Moore’s biggest problem was his years-long affair with the staff member, which ultimately got him fired.

As the 2025 season went on, and rumors began to pick up about his alleged affair, Moore appeared to become increasingly paranoid and ‘stressed out,’ the Free Press was told following the firing. 

Another person who was in the building in 2024 even said whispers of the alleged misconduct traveled inside the building, but some of the coaches “turned a blind eye to it.”

Poggi denied this vehemently this week, saying he and the entire staff were entirely “shocked” when the news came out.

The staffer said that wasn’t the sentiment when they were around.

“Guys over there on that side of the building [where Moore’s office was] 100% knew about it,” the former insider said. “They can deny it all they want, but there’s too many things that happened. If you didn’t know, you’re an idiot – it was too obvious.”

For example: When Moore stormed out of his February 2025 staff meeting after the disagreement with Martindale, there was one person that followed him out of the meeting and into his office that day − the staffer with whom he allegedly had a relationship.

“It’s a really weird dynamic, one of those things where everyone knew but no one wanted to say it,” another former staffer said. “She sat right in front of his office. Her desk was right in front of his office, like 2 feet in front of his.”

Moore’s reaction when the romantic relationship ended was the final example of what a current U-M employee told the Free Press they’d been hearing for some time: Things had spiraled out of control in the football building.

“Just so much tension and weird, erratic behavior and immaturity and stuff going on in Schembechler Hall,” the long-standing university employee said. “I don’t know if it was because of a guilty conscience … but clearly there was something going on.”

Now, U-M is on the search for a new coach – the program’s third coach in four years – as well as another offensive coordinator (the fifth in as many seasons) and possibly its fourth defensive coordinator in the past five.

Poggi was blunt on Monday when asked about what the program has become in recent years.

‘It has been five years of, let’s just call it what it is, a malfunctioning organization,’ he said. ‘There’s something every year. … The athletic director has made very clear that he doesn’t want any more of that.’

A former staffer acknowledged there were ‘problems’ under Harbaugh, too, before adding a familiar caveat: ‘Winning takes care of a lot of that.’

Now, the law firm of Jenner & Block is conducting an investigation into Moore’s relationship, looking at who knew what and when, as well as the athletic department’s culture. Interim Michigan president Domenico Grasso, meanwhile, said in a video last week the university will not hesitate to fire anybody, if the findings justify such an action.

‘If the university learns of information through this investigation or otherwise that warrants a termination of any employee, we will act swiftly, just as we did in the case of coach Moore,” Grasso said.

In the meantime, Michigan’s players are preparing for the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida, on Dec. 31.

Speaking on Friday, senior defensive back Zeke Berry was one of the first three players to meet with the media after Moore’s firing. Reporters brought up the NCAA investigations, arrests and the frequency with which undesirable headlines have engulfed the program.

“Something” Berry said, “does need to change.”

Make ‘Hail Yes!’ your go-to Wolverines podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify).

Jake Paul has identified his “biggest mistake’’ related to his heavyweight fight against Anthony Joshua.

No, it is not failing to get his gloves up before Joshua delivered the knockout blow and broke Paul’s jaw in two places in Round 6.

Rather, Paul said he should have trained at high altitude before the fight Dec. 19 in Miami that was livestreamed by Netflix.

“That was my biggest mistake,’’ he said during a podcast co-hosted by his brother, Logan, that was published Dec. 23.

In the first two rounds of the bout, Paul moved briskly around the ring, and Joshua struggled to land punches. But when Paul started to fatigue, Joshua caught up to him and the punches began to connect. Hard.

Joshua knocked Paul down two times in the fifth round and knocked him down two times in the sixth round. That included the knockout blow.

“Yeah, I was doing good,’’ Paul said before addressing what went wrong. “I just think my cardio, just the mental pressure of the big guy.’’

Paul said he felt good about his training camp and added, “But I just needed to have that extra level of cardio for this and that can only come from going to altitude.’’

The podcast was taped Saturday, Dec. 20, a few hours after Paul had surgery on his jaw, said his mother, Pam, who was on the podcast. Paul looked dazed during his appearance but talked in detail about the fight.

During training camp, Paul sparred with heavyweights. But during the fight, Paul and Joshua wore 10-ounce gloves – considerably smaller than the gloves worn during sparring.

“So I was feeling his power a lot more,’’ Paul said of Joshua. “…. I learned a lot, and I see where I could have done better. I’m a little disappointed, but I also know how good he is.’’

Toward the end of his app;earance, Paul also reiterated his intent to continue boxing but provided no timeable for his return.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame seems long overdue for New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
Second-year Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams has helped his team pull out numerous last-minute wins in 2025.
Mike Tomlin rebounded from shouts to be fired to lead the Steelers to yet another winning season.

‘Tis the season to be sentimental. Having resisted the temptation of devising an NFL naughty-or-nice list, it’s all about spreading cheer here. At least this time.

Thus, some special holiday greetings to …

Coach Prime: Major props to Deion Sanders for being so transparent about winning his battle against bladder cancer, which undoubtedly inspired others to assess personal health symptoms and get checked out. Then there was Shedeur. Insinuations that the father-coach was somehow a negative in the draft assessment of his son were over the top. And now that we’ve seen the quarterback in action, it’s even more of a shame that he paid for it with a draft-day tumble.

Warrick Dunn: Nearly three decades since launching his “Homes for the Holidays” project, the former running back dynamo is still assisting single mothers in buying — and furnishing — their first homes. Dunn, whose mission is rooted in paying homage to his late mother, recently delivered his 250th home to a single mother in Atlanta.

Robert Kraft: Once again, the Patriots owner is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the contributor’s category. The honor is long overdue for a man who not only has so much Super Bowl hardware but has been such a major powerbroker in the league when it comes to striking media contracts and labor pacts. If Al Davis, Eddie DeBartolo, Jerry Jones and Pat Bowlen are among owners with busts in Canton, Kraft surely ranks, too.

Mike Tomlin: Keep watching. That response from the Steelers coach a few weeks ago, when fans in the stands shouted for him to be fired during a despicable home loss against Buffalo — which also prompted Steelers legends Ben Roethlisberger and James Harrison to question his effectiveness — will probably wind up as a slogan on a T-shirt. Since that setback, the Steelers have won three in a row and Tomlin made it 19-for-19 in years he has coached the team without suffering a losing season. And what a gift Tomlin has in Aaron Rodgers, who might be just the heady QB the Steelers need to end the playoff W drought.

Lem Barney: What’s Going On? You might not realize that Detroit’s Hall of Fame cornerback’s voice can be heard on the intro chatter for Marvin Gaye’s signature Motown hit. Have never forgotten the zeal he had, too, decades later in recalling his connection to the musical legend. And Barney’s voice became a classic in another sense as he has been traditionally tapped to deliver prayers before Hall of Fame ceremonies.

Patrick Mahomes: As if the Chiefs missing the playoffs for the first time since he became the starting quarterback wasn’t enough, the three-time Super Bowl MVP is off to an offseason to be dominated by rehab as he aims to rebound from a torn ACL. Tough break. It might be the end of an era, but at least KC can try starting a new one with a supreme building block: an ultra-determined quintessential leader.

Micah Parsons: It’s too bad that after being dealt by the Cowboys after so much offseason drama, the premier defensive end had his mission to lead the Packers to a Super Bowl derailed by a torn ACL. Stuff happens. But at least Parsons got his bag — a 4-year, $186 million deal that makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history — before going down with the major knee injury.

Brock Purdy: Last year, the 49ers QB gifted new trucks to his offensive linemen for Christmas. Smart. Kind of a know-where-bread-is-buttered move. This year, the 49ers QB embodied a quintessential Oprah moment as he teamed with Toyota to present nine trucks as gifts to families in need. What a cool gesture.

Drew Pearson: It has been 50 years since the Cowboys’ Hall of Fame receiver hauled in the “Hail Mary” from Roger Staubach and there are people in Minnesota and former Vikings players who still contend it wasn’t a legal catch. Pushed off? Maybe in today’s NFL, there would have been some hi-def camera angle providing conclusive evidence. Or not. Regardless, it still counts and Pearson goes down as one of the classiest men I have ever covered — albeit thankfully while not trying to defend a “Hail Mary” heave.

Bills Mafia: With Mahomes and the Chiefs out of the way, is this the year that Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills get over the hump and into the Super Bowl? I know my peeps in Buffalo are praying on it. In any event, with new digs coming next year, it’s been quite a dramatic, table-slamming final season at Highmark Stadium.

Dak Prescott and Solomon Thomas: Long before the Dallas Cowboys suffered the heartbreaking loss of Marshawn Kneeland to death by suicide, Prescott and Thomas committed much energy and resources toward mental health awareness and suicide prevention, having lost siblings to suicide. No doubt, when tragedy struck the Cowboys, the internal leadership from the veteran players was beneficial.

Caleb Williams: The presence complementing the growth of the second-year Bears quarterback has been fun to watch as they keep pulling out last-minute wins. That he’s flourished under new coach Ben Johnson proves that, well, Williams certainly wasn’t the problem while some seemed ready to call him a bust after being drafted No. 1 overall. And now he’s 2-2 against the dreaded Packers. Williams showed something, too, in passing out food to needy families the day after that dramatic win over Green Bay — and while wearing a Cheesehead at that.

Cameron Dicker: Love the spirit of “Dicker the Kicker,” who earned his first Pro Bowl honor this week as the steady leg for the L.A. Chargers. Yet not only is the high-energy Dicker money with his leg — he has the highest field goal success rate in NFL history (94.7%, minimum 100 attempts) and is 36-of-38 this season — he has made a mark for community service, too. And hey, the dude’s campaign video in 2023 didn’t land him in the Pro Bowl that year, but it is indeed a classic that went viral.

Darrell Green: The Commanders Hall of Fame cornerback, through his family foundation, continues to be a blessing for dozens of needy children in the Washington, D.C. area with his annual Christmas dinner and gift giveaway. He’s done this for roughly 30 years. If you know Green and his purpose as a community servant, that’s hardly a surprise. Kudos, brother.

Merry-Happy-Joy to all.

Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on X @JarrettBell.

It’s Christmas Eve! We’re less than 24 hours away from a terrific slate of NBA games.

The NBA is known for bringing holiday cheer with tremendous matchups on Christmas Day. This year is no different, with young stars like Victor Wembanyama and Cooper Flagg playing in Thursday’s contests, as well as superstars like Stephen Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and many more.

Here’s everything to know for the NBA on Christmas Day 2025.

How to watch the NBA on Christmas 2025

Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks

Time: Noon ET
Where: Madison Square Garden (New York)
TV: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2
Stream: Disney+, Fubo

San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder

Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Where: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City)
TV: ABC, ESPN
Stream: Fubo

Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors

Time: 5 p.m. ET
Where: Chase Center (San Francisco)
TV: ABC, ESPN
Stream: Fubo

Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers

Time: 8 p.m. ET
Where: Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles)
TV: ABC, ESPN
Stream: Fubo

Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets

Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
Where: Ball Arena (Denver)
TV: ABC, ESPN
Stream: Fubo

Stream the NBA on Christmas Day with a Fubo subscription

It will be a full circle moment for the two coaches in the 2025 Hawai’i Bowl.

Hawai’i and California will square off at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu on Wednesday, Dec. 24. It’s not only a familiar place for the Rainbow Warriors – playing in their home stadium – but for the coach of the Golden Bears.

Interim Cal coach Nick Rolovich used to call it home as a former Hawai’i quarterback. What’s even crazier is another quarterback on the roster was Timmy Chang, now the coach of the Rainbow Warriors. They have gone from former teammates to now coaching against each other in a special moment for both sides.

‘You probably couldn’t have written this a few years back,’ Rolovich said on Monday, Dec. 22.

How long were Nick Rolovich and Timmy Chang teammates?

Rolovich and Chang were teammates at Hawai’i for two seasons, 2000 and 2001. Chang was a freshman in 2000 and Rolovich was a junior after transferring from City College of San Francisco.

Both quarterbacks played in 2000 before Rolovich became the starter in 2001. After Rolovich left, Chang became the starting quarterback from 2002-04.

Nick Rolovich Hawai’i stats

After playing in just four games in 2000, Rolovich took over the starting duties in the middle of the 2001 season. He played in 10 games threw for 3,361 yards with 34 touchdowns and nine interceptions, leading Hawai’i to a 9-3 record that included ranked wins over Fresno State and Brigham Young.

In 14 career games, Rolovich had 4,176 passing yards with 40 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Timmy Chang Hawai’i stats

Chang was the primary starter in 2000, playing in 10 games but appeared in just three contests in 2001 as Rolovich took over.

Chang became the starter in 2002 after Rolovich departed. He went on to have a magical career for the Rainbow Warriors, throwing for more than 4,000 yards and at least 25 touchdowns in each season from 2002-04. He led Hawai’i to a 10-win season in 2022, nine in 2003 and eight in 2004 with three consecutive trips to the Hawai’i Bowl. He led his team to bowl victories in 2003 and 2004 and he was named Hawai’i Bowl Most Valuable Player in both games.

He finished his playing career setting the NCAA record for career passing yards (17,072), touchdowns (117) and completions (1,388). All of those records have been broken, but he still holds the all-time mark for total plays (2,587), passes attempted (2,436) and interceptions (80).

What Nick Rolovich, Timmy Chang said about coaching against each other

The Hawai’i Bowl is already special for Rolovich, as he’s a former Rainbow Warriors coach. But going against a former teammate has given it a deeper meaning.

‘On Wednesday, we will play in the same spot on this island where I first remember throwing with Timmy when he came in as a freshman. The old Cooke Field, the old turf, right in front of the offices, with all the boys in the summertime,’ Rolovich said. ‘I think that makes it even more special that the game’s not only played in Hawai’i, but played kind of right there in that spot.’

Rolovich gave praise to Chang for getting Hawai’i back in a bowl game for the first time in his four-year tenure.

‘I don’t think at that time we thought about coaching against each other,’ he added. ‘I don’t think we could have written that. But when this game grabs you and infects you and gives you that disease, it’s hard to break away, even if you want to. And I think Timmy’s had a grind. I’ve had a grind to get to this point, and it’s just it’s hard to believe that it’s happening. But it is very special for at least me and him and all the boys that played at UH together.’

Chang returned the praised to Rolovich as there were ‘so many things that I learned’ from his teammate. They had a close bond during their playing careers.

‘We went from being roommates on the road and being friends, to now where we are today in our careers. I mean, it’s truly humbling to be in this bowl game. It’s just kids at 18 to 20, 21, years old who came together and now look at us here,’ Chang said. ‘Thank you for the Hawai’i Bowl for bringing us together and being able to share the field like this.’

Cal and Hawai’i will kick off from Honolulu at 8 p.m. ET (3 p.m. HT).

The Hawaii Bowl wasn’t created until shortly after the dawn of the 21st century, but for most of its existence it has occupied this special time slot on the holiday schedule.

This year, for the first time since 2019, the home-town Rainbow Warriors will be part of the festivities. Hawaii’s opponent will be California, whom the Warriors last faced in 2016 in Sydney, Australia. Among the numerous subplots to this contest, Hawaii will look to open and close its season with a sweep of the Bay Area branch of the ACC.

Here’s what you need to know about the game.

Hawaii Bowl: California vs. Hawaii

Time/TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN in Honolulu.

Why watch: There are worse ways to spend Christmas Eve, and bowl organizers are glad to have the Rainbow Warriors back in this event for essentially an extra home game. They’re also glad to welcome back interim Golden Bears’ coach Nick Rolovich, a Hawaii alum and former teammate of Warriors coach Timmy Chang. Anything short of an all-out aerial showcase will be a disappointment given the passing history of the coaches. California freshman QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele does get help on the ground from RB Kendrick Raphael, but WR Jacob De Jesus provides the constant home-run threat. The Warriors’ triggerman is QB Micah Alejado, whose arsenal includes WRs Jackson Harris and Pofele Ashlock. We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention Hawaii PK Kansei Matsuzawa, a.k.a. the Tokyo Toe, the self-taught kicker who became an overnight sensation when he hit a winning field goal to beat Stanford way back in August.

Why it could disappoint: The Golden Bears will undoubtedly have a physical edge, but the Warriors have only lost once on their home island this season. Hopefully you’ll be entertained while wrapping those last few presents.

Jake Paul insists he’ll box again despite suffering a broken jaw when he got knocked out by Anthony Joshua. How fast he returns to the ring could hinge on potential complications after recent jaw surgery, according to medical experts.

It does not take a medical expert to envision the potential challenge for the 28-year-old Paul.

People recovering from jaw surgery are supposed to avoid strenuous exercise, heavy lifting and hard, crunchy or chewy food. But Paul does not fit the profile of the average patient.

The same day he had surgery at the University of Miami hospital, he attended a party at a Miami mansion, according to photos and video published by TMZ.

He said during an interview with his brother, Logan, he might go snowboarding during his time off.

And, of course, he set aside concerns over his health in fighting Joshua, the former world heavyweight champion who broke Paul’s jaw in two places with a knockout punch.

Now Paul faces doctor’s orders.

“So this will require a lot of compliance from his standpoint,’’ Daria Hamrah, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon based in McLean, Virginia, told USA TODAY Sports.

Hamrah — who said he has done thousands of jaw surgeries — is not involved in Paul’s care. But he said he looked at the X-rays posted on social media by Paul, who disclosed he had two titanium plates and screws inserted on either side of his jaw.

“If he’s not compliant, (if) he starts clenching or biting on something that he shouldn’t, those plates and screws, they will break,’’ Hamrah said. “I would make sure I make it clear to him that at no point he should be chewing at anything harder than smoothies.’’ 

The worst-case scenario for Paul, Hamrah said, is the need for another surgery and losing a segment of his jaw that would have to be reconstructed. Not to mention delays in getting back into the boxing ring.

The complication rate for people recovering from jaw surgery could be as high as 20%, according to Omar Abubaker, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry and the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center.

Infection is the enemy

“The mouth is a sewer,’’ said Edward Ellis, Chair and Professor of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

He was not referring to the dirty words Paul uses at press conferences.

Instead, Ellis was referring to the high presence of bacteria in the mouth. “Fortunately,’’ Ellis said, “we also have a very good blood supply in and around the oral cavity, so that kind of helps with that.’’

Nonetheless, about 10 percent of patients have post-operative infection, according to Ellis, who said “so certainly there is a significant risk.’’

Treating the infection often requires the wound be reopened, and complications can involve “the hardware’’ — in Paul’s case, the two titanium plates and screws on either side of his mouth.

“If that happened in the first six weeks or so, one would need to remove the hardware and the dead bone and do a bone graft six to eight weeks later after sufficient healing had occurred to overcome the action,’’ Ellis said, adding “the jaw would not be as strong as a normal jaw for many months.’’

And, in Paul’s case, potentially slow his return to the boxing ring.

Surgeon questions Jake Paul’s procedure

Hamrah, the surgeon from Virginia, said more serious consequences could arise as a result of doctors having used miniplates and mini screws instead of a larger plate. That increases the importance of not biting or clenching something he shouldn’t, according to Hamrah.

“Those plates and screws, they will break … they’re fairly flimsy,’’ he said.

Hamrah said he usually puts a heavier plate on the right side of the jaw to make sure there is no mobility of the two segments of the bone.

“So given the fact that he had a tiny plate (inserted), that would make me as a surgeon a little bit more nervous,’’ he said.

Hamrah speculated that Paul might have opted for miniplates and mini screws because a larger plate would have required an incision on his neck and led to, a possible scar and longer recovery.

Ellis, the Chair in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said he thinks what was done with Paul’s procedure was ‘acceptable.’ He said the larger plates are much more difficult to apply than the miniplates.

“Different surgeons have different methods of treating these injuries, but the one that was done on this patient was an acceptable treatment,’’ Ellis said.

While the early stages of recovery are critical as the jaw bone fuses, the potential complications don’t suddenly disappear, according to Abubaker at Virginia Commonweath University.

‘We do a good job, but…’

‘Even in the long term, to be honest with you, the bone is not 100%, like, ‘Oh, that (fracture) never happened,’ ‘ Abubaker told USA TODAY Sports. ‘It takes a long, long time for that, that you could take an X-ray and say, ‘Oh my God, where is the broken bone? What happened?’

‘It takes months for the bone to be that solid, normally fused completely, and it doesn’t even show on the X-ray. Sometimes one of the screws come loose and we’re going to have to go and take it out. I mean, we do a good job, but unfortunately, not as perfect as the Lord put it together.’