June Jones reportedly declines offer to return as Hawaii coach

The June Jones reunion won't be happening after all for Hawaii, according to Brett McMurphy of Action Network.

Jones, 68, was reportedly close to coming back to Hawaii for a second stint before declining an offer from the university Friday. Jones was the head coach for Hawaii from 1999 to 2007, leading the team to a 76-41 record during his tenure and a trip to the 2008 Sugar Bowl.

In the 14 seasons since Jones left the program, Hawaii has cycled through four head coaches and managed to reach nine wins only twice. Hawaii had nine or more wins in six of Jones' nine seasons at the helm.

Jones opted out of his contract with Hawaii following the team's Sugar Bowl loss and spent seven seasons as the head coach at Southern Methodist where he compiled a 36-43 record. He stepped down early in the 2014 season and later had stints as the head coach of the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats and XFL's Houston Roughnecks.

Hawaii is on the hunt for a new coach after Todd Graham stepped down from the position earlier this month amid allegations that he verbally abused players on the team.