University of Hawaii–Now is the Time to Hire Ivin Jasper as Your Next Head Football Coach

November 1, 2015

Ivin Jasper is a 1994 graduate of the University of Hawai’i where he earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology/criminology. He was a three-year letterman for the Rainbow Warriors (1991-93) at quarterback and slot back, where he helped lead Hawai’i to a Western Athletic Conference title.

Jasper is in his 16th year at the Naval Academy, his 14th as the quarterbacks coach and his eighth as the offensive coordinator. He has been an integral part of a staff that has brought the Midshipmen back into the national spotlight with a 100-54 (.649) record over the last 12 years, that includes 11 bowl games, nine Commander-In-Chief’s Trophies and a 13-0 mark against Army.

Navy has posted winning records in 10 of the last 11 seasons. An efficient and effective triple-option offense is the primary reason for that sustained success as the Midshipmen have either led the nation or ranked in the top four 10 times since 2002.

Navy’s had two head coaches and employed 10 different starting quarterbacks during the most productive era in program history. Along the way, there has been one constant – Ivin Jasper, who has been responsible for teaching the quarterbacks how to direct the triple-option.

“Ivin is, without a doubt, the best option quarterback coach in the country. He’s a great teacher – both of the offense as a whole and the mechanics of running the option,” Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “We’ve had all sorts of different quarterbacks, but we’ve only had one quarterbacks coach. It’s the consistency factor that is so critical. Ivin just does a great job of teaching mechanics, of communicating what needs to be done.”

Jasper learned the intricacies of this particular option system while playing quarterback at the University of Hawaii when Paul Johnson was offensive coordinator. Both Jasper and Niumatalolo, who also played QB for the Rainbows, later worked under Johnson as assistants.

Navy has won at least nine games five times in the last 11 years. Before the current streak, Navy had won nine or more games just five times in the previous 77 seasons.

A big part of Navy’s success on offense has been Jasper’s ability to develop quarterbacks such as Craig Candeto, Aaron Polanco, Brian Hampton, Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, Jarod Bryant, Ricky Dobbs and Keenan Reynolds.

Additionally, his work has catapulted Navy to No. 1 in the nation in rushing in five of the last 12 seasons, including an NCAA-record four-straight years from 2005-08. Navy has never finished lower than sixth in the nation in rushing during Jasper’s tenure.

I enthusiastically encourage the decision makers at the University of Hawaii to hire Ivin Jasper as their next Head Football Coach.  God bless.

–Dr. Lou Cella, High-Performance Psychologist