HONOLULU — To its members, it’s more than a slogan.

Over the course of the last eight months, “The Braddahhood” went from hashtag, to catchphrase, to mantra, to life.

That ubiquitous word, which emerged on social media in January during the strife-filled week between Todd Graham’s departure and Timmy Chang’s hire, will be put to the test Saturday when the Hawaii football team meets Vanderbilt at the sold-out Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex to kick off the 2022 season.

Chang, the former UH quarterback, was well familiar with the concept of the “Brotherhood” as a Saint Louis School alumnus. He didn’t come up with the new twist – a handful of players and the UH athletic department came together on it before he came back from Colorado State – but upon his arrival he wholeheartedly embraced it, and encouraged his new staff to do the same.

So committed to the concept of Braddahhood was associate head coach and special teams coordinator Thomas Sheffield, a newcomer to Hawaii, that he tattooed it on a forearm.

One of the first things Chang did was match up local players with mainland players as their personal ‘braddah’ to better relate to the community. For example, wide receiver Jonah Panoke, who was prominent in the term taking off, was grouped with receivers Zion Bowens of Long Beach, Calif., Karsyn Pupunu of Lahaina and Alex Perry of Port Charlotte, Fla.

It gave rise to a “Sistahhood” for UH’s women’s sports, as well.

Perhaps no moment better encapsulated it than the recent awarding of a scholarship to walk-on Leonard Lee, a Kapolei High alumnus who was removed from the program for speaking out about Graham’s treatment of factions on the team. Chang invited him back in the spring and Lee earned a starting job in the secondary after fall camp.

Spectrum News spoke to Chang and several Rainbow Warrior players over the final days of preseason fall practices about what the “Braddahhood” meant to them.

Hawaii coach Timmy Chang went from "The Brotherhood" at Saint Louis School to the "Braddahhood" in his first year leading his collegiate alma mater. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Timmy Chang, UH football coach

"It’s about those guys. They created it, the athletic department created it. And they bought into it. It’s about them, it’s about this school, it’s about our state. It’s been exciting. It’s been awesome. The best thing about it is that it comes from them. Because it comes from them, it’s special, and it means something to them. And that’s what they live by."

Linebacker Penei Pavihi was around for various team mantras over his six-year Hawaii career, but believes in the "Braddahood" more than the rest.

Penei Pavihi, senior linebacker, team captain

"The Braddahhood, to me, on the field, it’s just trusting the man to the left and the right. Trusting each other, knowing that you’ll do your 1/11^th, you’ll do your job, and you’ll bring your positive energy to this team. You’ll contribute to the team, to the win. When stuff hits the fan, you can always count on each other to pick each other up.

"In the community, everyone can be part of the Braddahhood. Just getting the whole island involved, more involved than it was the last couple years. You could see it, you could see everybody start to have our backs. I feel like that’s what it means on and off the field.

"It shows more now. For example, my first year was ‘Live Aloha, Play Warrior.’ Then we went to ‘Phase 2,’ then ‘TTH’ (Tougher Than Hell),’ then ‘Braddahhood’ came. I feel like everything tries to get to the same message, but I feel like the Braddahhood, everyone’s more involved in this one. You can feel the energy coming from on and off the field from everyone on the team, the community, the staff and everybody."

Wide receiver Jonah Panoke helped grow the movement on social media during the January period between Todd Graham's resignation and Timmy Chang's hire to help keep teammates from leaving. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Jonah Panoke, senior wide receiver

"Coach Timmy has done a good job making sure everybody had a braddah to take care of, local boys taking home a mainland boy for the weekend. You know, it’s just good to reconnect with everybody, learning where everybody’s from. Just getting that bond back.

"Hawaii’s a unique place. That’s why instead of saying ‘brotherhood,’ it’s ‘Braddahhood.’ So, where we represent, it’s very unique. I didn’t think it was going to be that big, but it ended up taking off and I think it was a good thing for our team.

"I think when Coach Timmy first got here, the first two weeks, he took steps into making sure we all had that braddah. So I knew right away, ‘OK, he’s going to make sure this Braddahhood is actually a meaning, not just a word we throw out there."

Safety Leonard Lee went from being removed to the team under Todd Graham to being invited back as a walk-on under Timmy Chang, to earning a scholarship before the season opener against Vanderbilt. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Leonard Lee, senior safety

"It might have been Dedrick talking about it, and I think Big Mike (Vanterpool). The last few years, you felt that little separation and stuff. So Coach Chang really came here and that was like his first thing, or at least when I came back. Bringing everybody together. The ‘adopt the braddahs,’ the Braddahhood stuff. So, it’s been good. It’s big because now we’re all with each other, whether you’re from Philly or Cali, wherever, Florida, or local boys here in Hawaii, to get together, come together as one. The things we do off the field translates to on the field. The better chemistry we off the field, the better chemistry on the field. That’s proven. So, it’s big, it’s huge."

Center Eliki Tanuvasa was part of a corps of offensive lineman who largely stayed in the transition between coaches. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Eliki Tanuvasa, senior center, team captain

"From when I first got here, I mean, I feel like, I mean, on every team, the O-line is the tightest group of guys. You know, just because of the position we play, we’ve got to be, we’ve gotta be selfless. We’re not going to get touchdowns, tackles. We don’t get all the stats. All we do is get bad stats (laughs). So, for us, just buying into that family, just kind of showing what true ohana means, and what family orientation is about. And that’s just kind of why, to right the ship, I’ve always taken pride of our group to be the ones to want to stay home through all the ups and downs. We wanted to be the ones to keep everything the same.

"For us, it’s taking up the boat, taking it back to the shore. We’ve gotta be that pillar for everyone to look at us. No matter good or bad, you can always count on us. We want to be those kind of guys."

Running back Dedrick Parson said the movement was important for the program to be relatable to the UH fan base again. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Dedrick Parson, senior running back, team captain

"I think the biggest thing is the community buying into the 'Braddahhood,' the 'Sistahhood.' All the sports teams supporting each other. The whole community supporting all the sports teams. I think that was the biggest aspect of it. We already had a brotherhood in the locker room. But just expanding that brotherhood to the whole community was really important. That was the culture that was here before us. The community was really involved in our sports, in every single sport, and we started to lose that connection. But since Coach Chang came back, he implemented that into this culture, and that’s been big for us. The (team) meals, all sorts of things like that. The Braddahhood has been great to all of us. A lot of the guys gained wait, had big gains. Guys can eat now. A lot of the walk-on guys can also eat. It’s been big for us bringing everyone together and putting the community in it as well."

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii.