The University of Hawaii will remain affiliated with the Mountain West Conference in football through 2032 per an agreement it signed Thursday along with the league’s six other remaining members.

Capping several days of high-stakes drama as the Mountain West and Pac-12 engaged in a tug of war over schools, the seven loyalists agreed to stay put with the expected benefit of well over $100 million in exit and poaching fees to be disseminated among its membership – though in amounts far from equal, with football-only member UH to receive the least share.

What You Need To Know

  • The University of Hawaii will remain with the Mountain West Conference in football through 2032, per a source, as it signed an agreement along with the MWC's six other remaining members on Thursday

  • UH initially held off signing as it explored Pac-12 membership, but an invitation was not forthcoming from the former Power Five conference

  • UH will remain a football-only member of the MWC with most of its other sports programs in the Big West, as has been the situation since 2012

  • UNLV and Air Force are to receive 24.5% each from the pool of MWC distribution money, while Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State and Nevada are to get 11.5% and Hawaii, an affiliate member, the least share at 5%

It was reported by national media outlets earlier Thursday that six of the seven MWC football programs – UNLV, Air Force, San Jose State, Wyoming, New Mexico and Nevada – had signed the agreement to remain in place, with UNLV and Air Force each expected to receive bonuses of upward of $25 million as the most desirable targets of rival conferences.

UH held out longer than the rest as it explored membership talks with the Pac-12 and the league's consulting firm Navigate, but those discussions were ultimately unfruitful, UH Athletic Director Craig Angelos told Hawaii media in a Zoom call Thursday afternoon.

"We've been anxiously engaged in talking to various people to see what our position is, see what kind of value we think we bring to the table," Angelos said. "We'd certainly entertain any interest people had in us."

He said he was told UH would not receive a Pac-12 invitation, in part due to exit and poaching fees that would total close to $30 million. At that point, Angelos said, he conferred with UH President David Lassner and Lassner signed the Memorandum of Understanding with the Mountain West. Lassner was in communication with state officials and the UH Board of Regents, Angelos said.

"We did not get to that point of deciding what direction was best for the university," Angelos said.

Angelos downplayed a report by Reddit College Football earlier in the week that he was also in membership discussions with Conference USA; Angelos was seen on the sideline of UH's game at Houston chatting with C-USA Commissioner Judy MacLeod. He also dismissed the idea of UH becoming a Division I independent school as an unfeasible outcome.

The Mountain West issued an official announcement at noon Hawaii time Thursday.

“Our immediate priority was solidifying the membership of the Mountain West," MWC Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement. "Now our focus turns to our collective future on behalf of our student-athletes. The agreements announced today mark a historic moment for the Mountain West and provide much-needed stability and clarity as the world of intercollegiate athletics continues to evolve rapidly. We are excited about our future and are executing our next steps in expanding the Mountain West. We will continue to prioritize the student-athlete experience and do all we can to support our institutions as they compete at the highest levels of intercollegiate athletics.”

The Mountain West gave Hawaii a lesser share of the Pac-12 payout compared to the other six members due in part to the Rainbow Warriors’ affiliate status. It announced distribution percentages as the following: Air Force and UNLV at 24.5%, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State and Wyoming at 11.5%, and Hawaii 5%.

If the combined payout to the Mountain West is $150 million – about $17 million from each departing member and about $60 million in contracted fees owed by the Pac-12 – UH would receive a one-time payment of $7.5 million.

Asked by Spectrum News how he felt about the 5% share, Angelos said, "Well, that's the difficult thing going forward. We understand we're an affiliate member, football only. ... In the revenue distribution plan, football is the majority of conference revenues, I think 85%. There seems to be different methodologies for calculating things, and that was the calculation in this particular situation. We certainly would've liked to see more, but we certainly accept our share and will be good members with the Mountain West going forward."

UH and the other MWC schools released simultaneous social media posts with the branding, "We Will Ascend Together."

When UH and the rest of the league will get money from the Pac-12's payout is unclear as the Pac-12 has filed a lawsuit against the Mountain West for what it deems to be excessive fees. Angelos said he didn't think it would arrive "anytime soon."

UH will remain a football-only member of the Mountain West for the time being, with most of the rest of its other sports in the Big West Conference as has been the case since 2012.

"There's been some discussion on that," Angelos said. "It's still early ... I think right now it's all about solidifying the eight teams going forward, and what that looks like. When things settle down, that can continue to be discussed." He said he wasn't sure if it was better for UH to be unified in one league for most or all of its sports including football, or a situation like one exists now. He noted the Big West requires an exit fee of $750,000.

Over the last few weeks, the depleted Pac-12 of Washington State and Oregon State was able to convince Mountain West schools Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Utah State to break off from the Mountain West for the lure of greater broadcast rights fees from a former Power Five conference. The programs will officially switch affiliation in 2026.

As of Thursday, the Mountain West and Pac-12 both stand at seven members, one short of what is required of an FBS conference.

UH will continue to pay travel subsidies to Mountain West football programs making a road trip to Hawaii; $150,000 for teams in the Pacific Time Zone and $175,000 for teams in the Mountain Time Zone. Angelos said it is as yet unclear if UH will have to pay subsidies to any new members of the MWC.

Note: This story has been updated with details from the Mountain West Conference's official news release, and with details of an interview with UH Athletic Director Craig Angelos.

Note: A previous version of the story listed the wrong share of payout money for Nevada, San Jose State, Wyoming and New Mexico, as issued by the Mountain West in its release. The conference updated its percentage for those schools to 11.5%.

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.