HONOLULU — As the Manoa rain dripped through the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Complex’s aluminum bleachers and down into an alcove where about 10 damp media members huddled with recording devices, Micah Alejado did not blink.
Alejado, with one collegiate start to his name, held court Sunday with the ease of a veteran as the redshirt freshman reviewed his team’s spring progress ahead of the fall 2025 season, wherein UH will attempt to register the first winning season of coach Timmy Chang’s four-year tenure.
“Seeing how far we've come from beginning of spring, and getting all the new guys in, the transfers, and seeing how well they've adapted the offense has been great,” Alejado said. “I think the connection today is strong on the team.”
[Note: See below for more photos of the Hawaii football Warrior Pau Hana event.]
So, evidently, is the Ewa Beach native’s command of the run-and-shoot offense. The offensive highlight of the day was Alejado’s deep ball on a rollout to Stanford transfer Jackson Harris, who made a full-extension catch in the end zone.
Said Harris, “I saw my boy Karsyn (Pupunu) coming across. He kind of got stuck on the defender. I was actually supposed to go under him. But I just was like, ‘You know what? I'm just gonna run over the top.’ Look up. Micah airs it out, puts it in the back corner. Nobody can get it, but me so, you know, making plays.”
Harris, a third-year sophomore who missed last spring ball with the Cardinal due to a hamstring injury, is set to face his old team in the Aug. 23 season opener.
“It's time to nitpick and be ready come fall camp,” he said.
Alejado said the 6-foot-3 Harris and Kentucky transfer Brandon White have been instant-impact additions to a group that includes Pofele Ashlock, Nick Cenacle and Dekel Crowdus. The last two returned to UH after entering the portal during the December window.
“(Harris) has been making plays the whole spring. And it's going to show in August,” Alejado said. “I’d say it's the biggest steal out of the portal for us this year.”
A few hundred fans braved alternating heat and Manoa rain for the end-of-spring event, the last of 15 practices dubbed by UH the Warrior Pau Hana in lieu of a full spring game. There were food trucks and a beer garden.
Live tackles were prohibited, but the team got in a series of 11-on-11 situations and special teams drills under the watch of an officiating crew. UH’s offensive line, however, was limited with two starters out.
“We were very intentional,” Chang said.
Some keiki participated in contests in between, like slinging passes to a trio of UH receivers or trying to kick a ball through the uprights.
All four UH quarterbacks saw work as the program looks to move on from its four-year Brayden Schager era, but it is clear that Alejado is QB1.
“Luke Weaver coming in from Modesto (Junior College), I thought that was really good that he got here. He's learned. I thought he had a really good spring, really confident in that guy, in back of Micah,” Chang said. “Micah does a lot of great things continuously to get better with him and making good decisions. I think even with young JJ Nielsen, he's a freshman, but he understands our offense as well. And so it's a good quarterback room.”
A senior transfer, Mary Hardin-Baylor quarterback Caleb Freeman is the fourth signal-caller.
Establishing the run game was also an emphasis.
Even without full-on tackles, there was still some physicality and competitiveness. The defense forced double-digit turnovers, or close to it. Nickelback Elijah Palmer snared two picks — one in the red zone and one in the end zone.
Chang said he was encouraged by the opportunism.
“If we're turning over the ball on when we're (emphasizing) offense, during our offensive period, you know, that's one thing,” he said. “If the defense is taking the ball away during their defensive period, that's a good that's a really good thing.”
Palmer said the unit is brimming with confidence in the second year of defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman’s packages.
“Everybody's tired of the losing or just hearing ‘so close’ and stuff like that,” Palmer said. “I feel like everybody's building on what they need to build on, and getting the stuff done, even if it's the little stuff, the extra film, the extra work, guys shaving their body weight down, doing what they need to do to be better for themselves and the team.”
Much of the months ahead will involve getting bigger — “build your armor,” as Palmer said. UH is in the process of replacing its strength coach. In the meantime, associate head coach Chris Brown, whose weight room prowess is the stuff of legend, will head that up for the team.
“We're ready to hire our next guy coming in. But Chris Brown has a has a big impact on us getting to that point he understands what our culture needs to be,” Chang said. “And so that's what I love about him being right in there.”
Chang was saddened by the passing of longtime Hawaii football radio play-by-play caller Bobby Curran on Sunday. Curran called over 400 UH football games in a three-decade career on the air.
I'm gonna miss him,” Chang said. “I know our Hawaii programs, the Hawaii ohana family, we're gonna miss him. He's always called my games. I remember him and Robert (Kekaula) always being there. And it's sad. We lost one of our own today.”
Note: This story has been updated with photos.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.
