Two years ago, quarterback Micah Alejado passed nine fall-semester classes at Bishop Gorman High School to qualify for early admission into UH.
That determination fuels Alejado’s goal of playing against Arizona. Alejado, who has never missed a football game because of an injury, suffered a sprained right ankle early in the second half of last week’s opener. He missed a play, re-entered, and took the Warriors’ final 32 snaps. Alejado brings a knowledge of the run-and-shoot and its variations, mobility (9.0 yards per non-sack run last week), speed (19.3 mph in the flying 10), and soft-landing passes. “Micah is a touch (passer),” slotback Pofele Ashlock said. “He’s going to make it an easier, catchable ball for the receivers.” Alejado and Ashlock — the “AA” battery of pitcher and catcher — have connected on 17 of 20 targets the past two games.
Last week, Ashlock told Alejado about a puka in Stanford’s secondary. Both received approval from head coach Timmy Chang, and a touchdown on a crossing pattern was created.
“It’s a big trust factor,” Ashlock said.
Alejado usually takes twice as many practice snaps as the backups combined. But with Alejado on the mend, Luke Weaver, a JUCO All-American last year, took all the first-unit reps in contact drills this week. Weaver is making the adjustment from Modesto’s spread attack (three receivers, a tight end and power back) to the Warriors’ four-wide sets. He also appreciates Division I’s technology, such as communication through a QB’s helmet and reviewing videos on tablets on the sideline.
“Being able to make in-game adjustments and just communicating are huge deals,” Weaver said. The receivers have applauded Weaver’s leading passes to set up post-catch yards. “Like Coach Chang says all the time, ‘Just touch it. Just give them a nice, catchable ball.’” Weaver said.
At home, the defense is still active.
“If you’re not doing anything, it should feel weird,” nickelback Elijah Palmer said. “There’s always stuff to do.”
A defensive player will pull a card from the deck, and if it’s, say, a 7, he’ll do seven pushups or sit-ups. A king equates to 10 reps. An entire deck adds up to 300 reps.
“Every time we get bored, you’ve got the deck here, and boom,” Palmer said.
The Warriors defended with a full deck last week. They rotated 10 players on the front, from D-tackle De’Jon Benton’s 47 snaps to Jamar Sekona, who was on a play count after recovering from a severe leg injury, lining up 15 times.
“Don’t count your plays, make your plays count,” D-line coach Jeff Reinebold told his players.
Safeties Peter Manuma, Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen and Matagi Thompson aligned in a one-high coverage, three-across zone or as flat defenders. In some schemes, Manuma was in the wings — so deep he did not appear on the TV screen — or as a run blitzer. Several times Manuma ran 7 yards to fill a run gap. To counter spread offenses, UH spaced coverages, diversified roles and kept playmakers on the field. Manuma was credited with playing 76 snaps (including three that did not count statistically because of penalties). Mendiola-Jensen and Thompson split reps. Cornerback Jaheim Wilson-Jones set up in press coverage, nudging a receiver coming off the line, and then retreated into a zone. Cornerback Virdel Edwards ran with wideouts, broke off to defend a tight end on pass routes, and hunted a scrambling quarterback.
The Warriors missed 13 tackles against Stanford — some because of a running back’s spin move or stiff arm, some on errant kill shots. But Palmer and linebackers Jamih Otis and Jalen Smith — all of whom logged 70 plays — were sure open-field tacklers. “It started from an early age in high school,” associate head coach Chris Brown said. “They’ve been tackling some big-time players for a long time.”
During preseason training, the Warriors have been working the angles. Punter Billy Gowers, a Prokick Australia alumnus who began playing American football eight months ago, worked extensively on placing the ball in the 9-yard width between the sideline and numbers. Against Stanford, two punts went out at the 15, another was returned 4 yards to the 15, and a fourth bounced 20 yards into the end zone.
On Stanford’s FG attempts, defensive tackles Lucas McCoy and Jordan Lynch — each with 80-inch wing spans — were positioned in the “kick plane.” McCoy pushed back a lineman, then used his raised left hand to block a kick.
For his first season as UA head coach in 2024, Brent Brennan hired former 91直播 player/coach Dino Babers to jump-start the offense. Brennan was a grad assistant when Babers was the Wildcats’ OC in 2000. Babers, who ceded play-calling duties after the third game, did not return for a second season.
Brennan turned to Seth Doege, who spent last season as Marshall’s OC. Doege installed a snap-and-go offense that averaged 34.5 points and 415 yards per game for the Thundering Herd. Marshall averaged 2.8 points per full possession.
The spread offense, which features run-pass option concepts and multiple personnel groups, fits quarterback Noah Fifita. At 5-foot-10, Fifita becomes a pistol QB, hiding behind a line that averages 6-51⁄3 and 300 pounds per blocker. Fifita accounted for 98.4% of the Wildcats’ pass attempts last year. He also averaged 6.13 yards per non-sack run. But Fifita will be without prolific receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who was reared in Waimanalo. Fifita and McMillan, Carolina’s first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, were Servite High teammates. McMillan was the target of 33.6% of Fifita’s passes last year.
The Wildcats added three transfer receivers — Kris Hutson (Washington State), who caught 10 passes against UH last year; Luke Wysong (New Mexico) and Javin Whatley (Chattanooga). Hutson has sprinted 100 meters in 10.59 seconds.
The Wildcats can attack with four-wide sets or use Sam Olson as a motion or line-attached tight end. Kedrick Reescano, a 4-star back who had 16 power-4 offers, is a one-cut runner who repels would-be tacklers with a stiff-arm jab.
Through the portal, the Wildcats added left tackle Ty Buchanan from Texas Tech, right tackle Tristan Bounds from Michigan, and former UH left tackle Ka‘ena Decambra, who now plays center and makes the line calls.
The defense gets new direction with defensive coorinator Danny Gonzales’ elevation from linebackers coach. Gonzales succeeds Duane Akina, a Punahou alumnus and former UH coach who was set to become the DBs coach. Instead Akina accepted a DB job with Texas.
Gonzales’ mentor is Rocky Long, an innovative defensive tactician. Long learned the basics of the 3-3-5 that originated with Joe Lee Dunn in the 1980s. Along the way, Long picked up concepts from the Canadian Football League, which plays on a wider field.
Gonzales, who was head coach at New Mexico when he pried Long to join his staff, adapted the scheme that employs athletic D-linemen, blitzing linebackers and three safeties that apply pressure and confusion. The Wildcats also retain some of the double-eagle schemes, such as odd fronts, that were part of the “Desert Swarm” of the 1980s.
Associate head coach Joe Salave’a was a member of the Swarm under former UH defensive coordinator Rich Ellerson. In either the 3-3-5 or double eagle, edge defender Tre Smith will bring the heat. Smith Is a former All-Mountain West selection who transferred from San Jose State last year. Smith had 7.5 backfield tackles, including 4.5 sacks, in 2024.
While nose tackle Tiaoalii Savea, who began his career at UCLA and transferred from Texas this year, is listed as the starter, Julian Savaiinaea will get ample reps. The 6-3 Saint Louis School grad weighed 245 pounds as a freshman in 2023. Through a nutrition program, he is up to 280 pounds. He honed his skills in drills against his brother, guard Jonah Savaiinaea, the Dolphins’ second-round pick this year.
“We’d go to a park and do one-on-ones,” the younger Savaiinaea told reporters. “Our dad would record, and we’d break each other down.”
Safeties Genesis Smith, Dalton Johnson (team-high 94 tackles in 2024) and Treydan Stukes help out in the box. Linebacker Riley Wilson, who began his career at UH, transferred from Montana during the offseason.
Following Gonzales’ promotion, Coastal Carolina defensive coordinator Craig Naivar was hired as special teams coordinator. Several of Naivar’s defensive players contributed on coverage units.
The Chanticleers and Brennan’s San Jose State team played in the 2023 91直播 Bowl. In 2023, Naivar’s lone season running SMU’s special teams, the Mustangs blocked four kicks. Michael Salgado-Medina, who averaged 43.3 yards as a freshman punter last year, also will be the point-scoring kicker this season. He performed the dual role at Mission Viejo High, where he was a 5-star kicker.
