When the University of Hawai‘i football team had an early start to spring practice on Feb. 3, redshirt freshman quarterback Micah Alejado entered as the presumptive starter.
In the team's 2024 season finale on Nov. 30, Alejado completed 37 of his 57 passes for 469 yards and five touchdowns in a win over New Mexico. Because Alejado played in only four games in his true freshman campaign, he preserved a redshirt and enters 2025 with four more seasons of eligibility.
That didn't stop a pair of quarterbacks from enrolling in January, as JJ Nielsen and Luke Weaver have both taken their share of reps at the position. In turn, Hawai‘i had to fend off other schools to sign both. Weaver's first scholarship offer was from Alabama A&M, but he also had offers from Louisiana Tech and UH, taking official visits to both FBS schools over the winter.
"Really, the thing that sold me was just the emphasis on brotherhood. On my visit, I got to hang out with Logan Taylor, and he was just really describing to me the brotherhood that's here, and all the coaches really said it's a family atmosphere, a really faith-based team, and that's the main thing that drove me, and obviously it's a great offense," Weaver told Aloha State Daily.
Weaver spent three years at Modesto Junior College in California, where he threw for 5,332 yards and 44 touchdowns as the starter, earning California Community College Athletic Association All-America honors in 2024. He had the second most passing yards in a season in Modesto history and also finished within the top five in efficiency.
When one observes Weaver, whether it's from watching his junior college film or watching him stay after Hawai‘i's practices to get in extra reps with his new teammates, it's clear he enjoys throwing the football all over the field. He believes UH's offense, led by new coordinator Anthony Arceneaux, suits his abilities.
"It's kind of tapping into a lot of stuff I did (at Modesto), and football is football, so there's a lot of concepts that are very similar. I'm trying to be like a sponge right now, just kind of absorb as much information, learning the footwork, learning the reads, all of that.
"I'm loving it so far. The football part started right away, so I could get into it, start knowing guys and stuff like that, been able to develop some good relationships already."
Prior to his official visit, Weaver had only been to Hawai‘i one other time, spending a week in Waikīkī upon graduating from East Union High School in his hometown of Manteca, Calif. He admits he never envisioned living in the islands until UH's coaching staff extended an offer to him last December.
"I mean, it's just beautiful. On a Saturday afternoon, I can just go to the beach and just watch the sunset," he said. "I mean, that's a blessing in itself."
While Weaver continues to vie for playing time, he also aims to compete with the previous version of himself and improve each day.
"Right now, I'm almost competing with myself. Just learning the offense," he said. "Take every day as competition, competing with myself, competing with the other quarterbacks. We're just making each other better. Iron sharpens iron."
After using a redshirt year prior to his two full seasons at Modesto, Weaver is currently listed as a redshirt junior with two years to play two seasons. But a recent ruling allowing additional eligibility to former junior college athletes could mean the clock resets for players like Weaver at a four-year school like UH.
"If I have extra years, I'll gladly take them," Weaver said, "but I have no idea how that (rule is) gonna apply in the future. I'm hoping (for more eligibility). I'd rather play ball as long as I can."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
