How good could Hawaii be if they kept all their in state talent?

You mean with all of their great Defensive Back talent? And wr talent?

I would think they'd be much better than that 12-1 team. That squad played a SOFT schedule even for the WAC. Boise and Fresno were the only two schools they beat w/winning records that year.

Defensive players like Manti Te'o, Manase Hungalu, and Hercules Mata’afa would make a HUGE difference for them.

An all-Samoan team could do some heavy damage although they'd likely lack depth at the skill positions.

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Not very

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This

Hawaii HS football is baaaaaad

We just remember their good players because they often have different names and look a bit different than the typical player

But even if Hawaii landed every stud produced in Hawaii, they'd be mediocre

If we expand "in state" to include Samoa, Tonga and Aussie kickers/punters, you've got a squad.

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Wasn't Hawaii actually discussing shutting down its football program recently?

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It's been discussed. They've had serious financial issues

About like A&M, irrelevant

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The travel costs are unbearable and they don't belong to a P5 conference. They used to get teams like Notre Dame and Michigan State to travel there, but those days are long gone. Their attendance isn't as great as you'd expect and no P5 money. It's like a good MAC program with very high travel costs. Plus if you have P5 talent you have better opportunity to get better on the mainland.

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Hawaii could turn itself into a powerhouse with in-state recruiting and California/West Coast.

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those kids don't come unless they're in a P5 conference...