Micah Alejado had less than two seconds to decide where he was going as New Mexico State blitzed on a critical third-and-13 play in the fourth quarter of the University of Hawai‘i football team's most recent contest.
Running in a straight line, slot receiver Tama Uiliata dove for Alejado's pass and moved the chains for a first down. As he got up, he briefly covered his face with his hands before moving on to the next play.
Three minutes later, the former Waipahu quarterback returned to his roots, throwing a 7-yard touchdown pass to Frank Abreu on a trick play, the dagger in a 29-19 victory for the Rainbow Warriors on Sept. 12.
As the 'Bows continue to await the return of star receiver Pofele Ashlock, Uiliata has emerged as one of Alejado's top targets in the meantime. Through three games, he's hauled in a team-high 18 receptions for 169 yards and a touchdown. Each time Uiliata makes a big play, such as the crucial catch against New Mexico State, he resorts to the same celebration.
"It's just peekaboo. I play peekaboo with my daughters," Uiliata recently explained to Aloha State Daily. His two daughters, Zaylani and Xaydria, are aged 1 and 2. "It's a celebration I kind of came up with just because I always love my daughters and just having that in the back of my head while I'm playing, that's who I play for, really."
An all-around star player for Waipahu, Uiliata racked up 28 touchdowns as a senior for the Marauders in 2022, lining up at quarterback, receiver and running back. As a defensive back, he had four interceptions, including one for a touchdown.
Overlooked by other FBS schools during the recruiting process, Hawai‘i was the only offer for the 5-foot-11 Uiliata. He grayshirted before arriving to campus, then redshirted the 2024 season. As a redshirt freshman in 2025, he caught 28 passes for 231 yards and also won the starting punt returner job, returning 12 punts for 77 yards.
The 2026 season has been Uiliata's breakout year thus far, earning one of two starting nods at slot receiver for the team's season opener at Stanford alongside Blaze Kamoku. Uiliata's first collegiate touchdown came in the fourth quarter of the opener, hauling in an 11-yard pass from Alejado.
In the 2026 season, Uiliata and Nebraska offensive lineman Preston Taumua are the only Waipahu High School graduates on FBS rosters, a fact Uiliata doesn't take lightly.
"I seen the good side and the bad side of Waipahu" Uiliata says. "So, kind of just showing the young generation that there's other ways to make it and just showing love to my city and showing love to the boys."
In considering Uiliata's versatility, particularly his highlight tape as a Waipahu quarterback, UH coaches understand they have a unique weapon. It's why assistant offensive line coach Winterhawk Leighton is wont to scheming up plays utilizing Uiliata, including the touchdown pass he threw to Abreu. Another instance was a two-point conversion at Stanford in which Uiliata reached the end zone on a reverse.
"He's a ballplayer," Leighton says of Uiliata. "You can put him in the backfield, at receiver, at quarterback. The guy's special, and there's not a lot of football players like Tama in college football. He can just be an athlete out there and affect a football game in multiple ways. He's one of a kind."
Following a bye week, the Rainbow Warriors are preparing for a Sept. 26 contest at rival Wyoming in the annual battle for the Paniolo Trophy. Come game time, the 'Bows will welcome as many peekaboos as Uiliata can accumulate.
"It's great," Uiliata said of fatherhood and raising his family with his high school sweetheart, Serenity. "At first it was kind of like pressure, feeling like you have so much on your shoulders just because you have to provide for not only yourself for two other kids, but these coaches helped me a lot. Just making everything simple and just coming back to the basics, staying where my feet are, not only on the field."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.
