SJSU’s Cordeiro has no regrets about transferring from hometown Hawaii program

Chevan Cordeiro still hears from some of his former University of Hawaii teammates – his brothers for life, he says. Some have been talking trash to him heading into Saturday’s game, the San Jose State quarterback’s first against his hometown team and the Spartans’ regular-season finale.

Cordeiro misses his teammates, he said, even if they know why he transferred. He was one of more than a dozen Hawaii players who transferred last year during the hellish reign of former coach Todd Graham.

“It was a great decision,” Cordeiro said this week. “Last year, it was hard waking up and going to practice. I didn’t have a smile on my face. Now I love showing up to practice, watching film with (offensive coordinator Kevin) McGiven and (head coach Brent) Brennan. Just spending time with the team in the locker room. It’s positive vibes around here.”

Cordeiro, a Honolulu native, will play against the team he played four seasons with until he transferred to San Jose State nearly a year ago, joining a mass exodus of Hawaii football players in response to then-head coach Graham’s alleged mistreatment of players.

The 23-year-old announced on social media that he would transfer to San Jose State last December, a few weeks before Graham’s resignation, to find his love of the game again.

“Of course in the beginning I was sad. Leaving my home, leaving my teammates,” Cordeiro said. “Of course it was going to be hard. But there are no regrets. I love it here. This team is my new family now.”

The reunion at CEFCU Stadium (12:30 p.m., Spectrum Sports) serves as a harsh reminder for the Hawaii program of all the talent they lost. Cordeiro, who had just earned team captain status as the starting quarterback job as a junior, was one of 17 Hawaii players to enter the transfer portal starting in August of 2021 until Graham’s resignation on Jan. 15.

In the few days after Cordeiro’s announcement, his teammates started to speak out. On a live, public platform called “Spaces” on Twitter, an alum-hosted event turned into a forum for current players who described an unhealthy locker room and team culture Graham and his staff fostered.

A gutted Hawaii team is a dismal 2-8 this year. Timmy Chang, the NCAA’s second-ranked all-time in NCAA career passing yards and the most successful quarterback to emerge from UH, took over for Graham as head coach a few days after Graham resigned.

“My teammates back in Hawaii, now they love football,” Cordeiro said. “I love football again. Everyone that transferred is having fun. That was the goal of transferring, trying to make a change. I’ve grown up as a person outside of football and inside football. It was a great decision.”

But it was his upbringing in Hawaii that sharpened Cordeiro’s quarterback teeth. Until his senior year, he played backup quarterback to current Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa at Saint Louis School, where Atlanta Falcons quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota and Chang played, too.

The Rainbow Warriors’ loss has been the Spartans’ gain. Cordeiro beat out Nick Nash for the starting quarterback job and helped transform Brennan’s offense into an air raid.

Equipped with a rifle arm and plenty of moxie, Cordeiro has formed palpable chemistry with receivers such as graduate senior Elijah Cooks, Justin Lockhart and Isaiah Hamilton.

His 267.7 average passing yards per game leads the entire Mountain West Conference by 57 yards (UNLV’s Doug Brumfield is second with 210 yards per game), as does his 18 total touchdown passes. And his three total interceptions are tied for the fewest with Nevada’s Nate Cox.

Cordeiro has grown into a must-watch quarterback on a team earning more of the national spotlight. With a spark from Cordeiro, the Spartans are bowl eligible for the second time during Brennan’s six-year tenure.

For Brennan, Cordeiro’s smarts, arm and accuracy just touch the surface of what makes the quarterback fit in with the Spartans.

“He’s an awesome human being and an awesome player,” he said. “It’s been great to see how the team has just embraced him and how he’s embraced the team. It’s been a really neat thing. That’s one of the reasons he’s here. He had gotten good feedback on what our brotherhood was and what it felt like. To be part of this family. He dove right into it.”

The Spartans’ 6-4 record doesn’t show their recent struggles. They’ve lost two straight, three of their last five games, and slipped out of conference title game contention after becoming bowl eligible on Oct. 29. While San Jose State’s defense has been a strength this season, opposing teams are eking out wins by keeping Cordeiro on the sideline. They know he’s got the arm to get the Spartans back into games with just a handful of completions.

A visit from his struggling former team could help get the Spartans back on track before bowl season.