The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa athletics program secured $5 million in funding for its Name, Image and Likeness program to recruit and retain student athletes.
The money comes from the Bank of Hawaiʻi, First Hawaiian Bank, Matson, Jack Tsui and Walter Dods — each of whom will contribute $200,000 annually for the next five years.
The donors said this is a way to adapt to the growing population of NIL programs across the country, adding that this is a move to keep local talent at home. Supporters believe UH needs to commit to growing their NIL funding so that student athletes can stop choosing between money versus staying in Hawaiʻi.
Timmy Chang, UH football's head coach, said Hawaiʻi athletes are in a unique position because they represent the entire state, but competitive NIL programs at other colleges can often make tough decisions for the young players.
“I tell my guys, and I'm sure all the coaches tell their players, about what it means to represent a state and a community the way that we do, because there is only one team and one school that gets to represent it like this,” Chang said. “I think this is where our community leaders are starting to see that this is the foundational building block of our team — Hawaiʻi's team — of us building something special for what's to come.”
The investment comes after a proposed bill, which requested $5 million from the state legislature to pay student athletes in the 2027-2028 school year, died. The measure received controversial feedback, as some residents and lawmakers were concerned about spending taxpayer money on student athletes, especially those from out of state, in a tight budget year.
Organizers stated that UH funded the athletes’ payments without the state’s help this year, which came out to roughly $3 million. UH officials stand by their belief that the program likely needs about $5 million each year to remain competitive with other schools across the country.
