Another football season kicked off in the fall of 2024, Micah Alejado's first at the collegiate level as a true freshman at the University of Hawai‘i. For as long as Alejado could remember, game days were an opportunity for him to shine at quarterback. Yet in Hawai‘i's season opener against Delaware State, senior Brayden Schager got the expected start and led the Rainbow Warriors to victory. Alejado didn't see the field.
The plan for Hawai‘i's coaching staff in 2024 was to have its seasoned senior in Schager hold on to the reigns. Meanwhile, Alejado could play up to four games and preserve a redshirt season. That meant Alejado would have to do something he hasn't done much of in his football career — he would have to wait his turn.
During his high school days at Bishop Gorman, a powerhouse in Las Vegas, Alejado was a four-year starter. After fending off a late push from UNLV, Hawai‘i successfully got Alejado to enroll early in the spring of 2024. Being the Rainbow Warriors' quarterback of the future was a hard reality for someone who was used to being the quarterback of the present. But as steps into the role on a full-time basis in 2025, Alejado is grateful for the time he got to sit and learn.
"When I grow up and get older, I'll look back at that time and think it was probably one of the greatest lessons of my life that I had to learn," Alejado recently told Aloha State Daily. "I was still growing and graduating early and leaving early. It was hard for me, for sure, not being able to finish out high school. But when I look back, I'm gonna value that a lot. It just taught me a lot as a person and helped me grow a lot as a person, spiritually and emotionally.
"It was tough because I've been in the spotlight, and sitting back last year and having last year go the way it went, it was tough for everybody for sure, but I trusted God's plan. That's just how I go on about my day. So, I'm just thankful for the lessons that I've learned from last year."
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Alejado trained under renowned quarterback coach Vince Passas. A native of ‘Ewa Beach, he also spent time training with fellow southpaw Tua Tagovailoa and his father, Galu, at ‘Ewa Beach Community Park.
"I've always wanted to be my own QB, but growing up, it was always Tua," Alejado said when asked if there's any players he modeled his game after. "The things he was doing in high school, and just being able to throw with him on the weekends and become close with their family, it just made me see how humble he is as a person, and see how he carried himself, that did inspire me a lot."
Alejado would spend time throwing to his brother, Noah, who also caught touchdown passes from Tagovailoa at the varsity level at Saint Louis. After making a name for himself on the youth circuit, the Alejados made the decision to move to Las Vegas. Instead of becoming the next great Saint Louis quarterback, it was up to Alejado to create his own legacy at Gorman.
"At first it was hard because I was young and I still wasn't matured yet and didn't know how to think about it and stuff, but I was enjoying it at the same time," Alejado said of making the move to Las Vegas as a middle schooler. "Some days would be hard, just being homesick, and Hawai‘i was all I knew. But then over time, I just got more acclimated to Vegas and fell in love with it. Went through high school, made all my new friends, met a lot of people. So, I love Vegas. It was fun, and that's my home, too."
At Bishop Gorman, Alejado went 39-2 as the starter, passing for 9,233 yards, 125 touchdowns and just four interceptions. In his senior year, the Gaels went 11-0 as Alejado didn't throw a single interception.
"I already knew he was different," said UH quarterbacks coach Chad Kapanui, who was also Alejado's quarterbacks coach at Gorman. "He carried himself like a real professional, especially at the high school level. He always wanted to watch film. He always had questions. At the same time, when we asked him questions, he already knew, and then he also asked the right questions to us, too.
"I guess you could say he's a hidden secret right now, but I think if you know Hawai‘i football, you know the quarterbacks throughout the years, and he's one of those guys that could build his own legacy here too at the same time. We're excited about him and we're hoping for a big year for him."
Because of his 5-foot-10 frame, Alejado didn't get the Power Four offers other players with his statistics may have garnered. Alejado appeared in four games in 2024, preserving his redshirt. After a knee injury to Schager, Alejado's lone start came in the team's season finale, a 38-30 win over New Mexico on Nov. 30. His numbers looked similar to his box scores at Bishop Gorman, completing 37 of his 57 passes for 469 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. The Rainbow Warriors finished 5-7, but Alejado's performance drew intrigue to followers of the program.
From that day forward, Alejado has been the unofficial face of the program, making appearances at local events and buying meals for teammates with NIL money. Even during spring practices, coaches on the offensive side of the ball made the claim that the team belongs to Alejado.
On Saturday, as the Rainbow Warriors kick off their 2025 season against Stanford at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, Alejado will become the first UH freshman to start a season opener at quarterback since Tyler Graunke in 2005. The game will also be televised nationally on CBS, a chance for country to get a closer look at the player that has piqued the interest of fans across the state.
"It's not necessarily pressure, because we have everybody on the team having the same mindset and having the same goals and having the same ambitions to go win on Saturday," Alejado said. "It's more so passion that's gonna go into it when Saturdays come, because growing up, this is what I dreamed of. Being able to be a college starting quarterback and go play some games is amazing, and I'm truly blessed. And we're ready to go show out on Saturdays for the state."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
