By Fantasy College Blitz

Possibly the biggest hire of the off-season did not occur at a major program.

With June Jones leaving Hawaii for SMU, fantasy players may have seen their biggest-impact move for the 2008 season.

Jones, fresh off taking the Warriors to their first-ever major bowl game (Sugar Bowl), bolted the islands for a bigger paycheck and better facilities at the Metroplex school.

Immediately, the SMU Mustang program becomes an improved program, from the fantasy perspective. The school already has an established QB in Justin Willis and some talent in other skill positions. Under former head coach Phil Bennett, the Mustangs ran a spread offense…and should have little problem adjusting to Jones’ Run-And-Shoot. Willis’s mobility will give the Run-And-Shoot a lot more “Run” than Jones saw from his Hawaii QBs.

Probably the biggest reason Jones left Hawaii for SMU was the lack of decent facilities at his former employer.

Before the 2007 season, Heisman finalist QB Colt Brennan publicly blasted the Honolulu school for its poor facilities…..including down to the lack of soap in dressing room showers. Even with one of the strongest fan support bases in the Western Athletic Conference….Hawaii spent little in upgrading atheltic facilities.

At SMU, Jones will find a nearly-new Gerald Ford Stadium and good athletic facilites. Jones’s new digs are so nice, you can drop your food on the concourse ground and it would still be edible…that nice

Mockingbird Lane in north Dallas will look like Park Avenue to Jones. Or a fancy suite at a Waikiki resort.

However, the SMU program has never really recovered from the NCAA imposed “Death Penalty” from the 1980’s. SMU has not had a season over .500 since resuming its program after its suspension.

Although SMU lies in one of the most talent-rich prep areas in the nation….its high academic standards and low school profile in Texas could make it tougher to recruit for Jones, even compared to distant Hawaii.

Also, even with a number of wealthy boosters, there is not a lot of fan support for the program. I was personally on the campus for the UCF-SMU game in November…and there were maybe 2500 in attendance….and half of those UCF fans.

You know a football program is sinking when they put the kiddie playground inside the stadium…not outside.

SMU hopes Jones can re-energize the Mustangs. In his first year at Hawaii, Jones turned around a 0-12 team into a 9-4 bowl-winner in one season. Talent-wise, SMU will possess more in Jones’ first year than Hawaii possessed.

What will happen to Hawaii?

The Warriors still have good players, even though they lose QB Brennan, WR Jason Rivers….and also WR Davone Bess, a junior who has declared for the NFL Draft. Ryan Grice-Mullen, another top Warrior WR, could also join Bess in declaring for the draft. Backup QB Tyler Graunke has played a number of games over the past two seasons, and, there is talent returning at the other skill positions.

Since Jones will take most of his assistants with him to SMU, Hawaii’s continued success could depend on who they hire. Some names bandied about are former NFL coach Kevin Gilbride and Tennesee Titans ofensive coordinator Norm Chow, a former college assistant at USC and BYU.