In the University of Hawai‘i football team's season opener at Stanford on Aug. 29, DeVon Rice utilized his unique combination of speed and vision for a pair of touchdowns.
Rice shared the backfield with his high school classmate and UH star quarterback Micah Alejado. The duo won an unofficial national championship with powerhouse Bishop Gorman in 2023. The standout performance in a Rainbow Warrior uniform was the original plan for Rice when he committed in the summer prior to his senior year of high school ball.
But plans change, and with less than a week before signing day, Rice flipped his commitment to Kansas State, leaving behind over a dozen prep teammates who followed through on their Hawai‘i pledges, which included Alejado.
Rice played just one game as a freshman in 2024, utilizing a redshirt. In 2025, he rushed for a pair of touchdowns in a Week 1 win against North Dakota but saw his playing time diminish gradually throughout the year. Following a 6-6 campaign, Wildcats head coach Chris Klieman resigned, bemoaning the current state of collegiate athletics. Rice then entered the NCAA transfer portal seeking a fresh start. There were no hard feelings on Hawai‘i's end about Rice's 2023 flip, and UH head coach Timmy Chang and staff were glad to welcome him back.
"Even though I made the decision not to come (initially), he never took it in a hard way or a bad way or nothing like that," Rice told Aloha State Daily of Chang. "He always wished me the best, and then when (Rice entered the portal), he hit me up just like nothing. It just reflects on the coaches, just their love, and you can see it around the whole team."
Since taking the job in 2022, Chang and his staff have placed an emphasis on developing relationships in the recruiting trail, investing countless amounts of time and energy in getting to know prospects and their families. Even if a player chooses to sign elsewhere initially, the door is always open to one day come to Mānoa, where current rules allow for an unlimited amount of transfers.
"Life's about choices, right? We tell the guys, we tell recruits, we understand you gotta follow your heart and you follow what you think is right," Chang said. "But we have a relationship, and we'll keep the relationship in the recruiting process. It's all about people. So, with DeVon, we just love that he's here."
Entering the season, the plan in the running backs room was to build a formidable 1-2 punch with Cam Barfield, yet another Gorman alum on the UH roster, and Rice. After suffering an ankle sprain early in the Stanford game, Barfield's workload shifted over to Rice, who had 11 carries for 35 yards, as well as four receptions for 25 yards. Rice's 29-yard touchdown was the capper of a 20-0 run by the Rainbow Warriors that gave the team their only lead with 4:06 remaining.
A pair of Stanford touchdowns less than 30 seconds apart from each other in the closing minutes dealt Hawai‘i a devastating season-opening loss, but with UNLV coming to town for Saturday's 4 p.m. home opener, the 'Bows have had no time to sulk.
The rivalry between the Rainbow Warriors and Rebels, also known as the Ninth Island Showdown, bestows a Golden Pineapple trophy to the winner. Given the stakes of the matchup, the trophy itself may be the least consequential prize. Hawai‘i and UNLV, viewed among the Mountain West favorites prior to the season, are set to open conference play against each other at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Both teams are also desperate for a win after opening their respective seasons with close nonconference losses. The Rebels lost 27-21 at home to Memphis last week, but have taken three straight off UH in the series.
"The sense of urgency in the game with an opponent like UNLV, (near) the top of the conference the last three years. This game is important," Chang says. "It was important last season toward the end. This just happens to be in the beginning of the season, and they're a great team. They coach really well, and it'll be a fun game and challenging game."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
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