5 players to watch for in Hawai’i’s season opener against Delaware State

HONOLULU – The wait is (almost) over. 

After a long offseason waiting for the Rainbow Warriors to return to the gridiron, Hawai’i will take the field this Saturday against FCS program Delaware State in one of four total Week 0 matchups across college football. Timmy Chang enters year three as the head man in charge of his alma mater with eyes on another step forward after adding some veteran voices to the coaching staff. 

As Hawai’i prepares for the kickoff to the 2024 season against Delaware State, here are five players to watch in the Rainbow Warriors’ Week 0 matchup. 

QB Brayden Schager 

Entering his second consecutive season as the full-time, Day 1 starter for Hawai’i at the QB spot, Schager was named to multiple award watchlists throughout the preseason, including for the Maxwell Award which is given to the best college football player in the United States. The signal caller from Dallas, Texas led the entire Mountain West Conference in total passing yards and touchdowns while guiding the conference’s number two offense (277.7 YPG) in 2023. 

The senior should have a chance to put up some video game numbers on Saturday night against the Hornets. Delaware State struggled to pressure the quarterback last season, totaling 14 sacks across 11 games, and didn’t turn the other team over much (3 INT, 4 fumbles recovered) during a 1-10 season. 

In a game that has Hawai’i favored by nearly 40 points, seen travel issues for a rebuilding Delaware State program traveling over 4,000 miles and returning continuity for an already potent UH offense, look for the gunslinger to uncork a few of his patented “Schager Bombs” in a potential lopsided win for the home team. 

OL Kuao Peihopa 

One of the more intriguing storylines from the Rainbow Warriors’ fall training camp, Peihopa made the switch from one side of the ball to the other during offseason as the interior defensive lineman became an offensive line weapon for Chang to use. While he has seen time on the interior throughout camp, the junior was slated as one of the starting tackles for Hawai’i’s offense in the team’s initial Week 0 depth chart. 

One of three defensive players to start all 13 contests in 2023 for the University of Hawai’i, Peihopa brings a nasty streak to the offensive line. That is a good thing after the Rainbow Warriors had one of the worst rushing attacks in college football in 2023 and entered 2024 with questions in the trenches. 

Peihopa hopes to provide an answer to some of those questions in his first year on the offensive side of the ball since high school. With an FCS opponent that gave up 245 YPG on the ground and struggled rushing the passer awaiting on Saturday, the junior has a chance to show what he can do with the front five quickly. 

WR/KR Tylan Hines 

Speaking of position changes, the dynamic redshirt sophomore made the switch from running back to wide receiver in the offseason for Hawai’i. After injuries forced the 5-foot-6 speedster to redshirt last year following a promising freshman season, Hines is looking to return to the form that had Chang calling him a “dark horse” for the conference offensive player of the year award in ‘23.

His switch to wide receiver isn’t the only change that Hines will bring to the Rainbow Warriors in 2024. The wideout has been fielding kicks – both in the kickoff and punt game – during practices for Hawai’i, adding a weapon for special teams coordinator Thomas Sheffield to use. 

Hawai’i cycled through multiple returners and failed to get many dynamic returns last season as DB Cam Stone led the Rainbow Warriors with 345 return yards between 17 total chances (16 kick returns, 1 punt return). With Hines back in the fold and healthy, look out for the former all-Mountain West selection to break out a few returns that will get fans out of their seats. 

LB Logan Taylor 

The spiritual leader of the Hawai’i defense, Tayor missed the majority of last year after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the third game of the season. Back healthy, the senior linebacker’s voice could be heard cutting through the rest during fall camp while his smile could be seen from neighbor islands. 

The addition to the spine of the Rainbow Warrior defense is a welcome one: Taylor led UH in the ‘22 season with 85 tackles (49 solo) despite being a starter in only six games of the 13 total he appeared in. He racked up 21 tackles (18 solo) in his first three games last year before the injury. 

The heat-seeking backer can make an impact early and often against a Delaware State squad that likes to run the ball. With UCLA coming to Honolulu in the following week, the Hornets provide an excellent test run for the veteran to get back up to full speed as a team in the second year of program building.  

DT Ezra Evaimalo

One of last year’s leaders on the Hawai’i defensive line, Evaimalo has received rave reviews from the coaching staff throughout camp. The senior out of KS-Kapālama led UH with 3.5 sacks last season and looks to build on that total with added reinforcements to the line and Dennis Thurman’s defense aiding the charge. 

“That kid has a punch that reminds me of certain guys that I was able to play with back in the day,” UH associate head coach Chris Brown said of Evaimalo. “He has a motor, he has the drive, he’s put on about 10 pounds of muscle, he looks fantastic, he’s stepping up as a leader … being an ex-linebacker, you want to play in back of a guy like that.” 

Slightly undersized compared to other defensive tackles at 6-foot-2 and 260 pounds, the senior makes up for it with strength and technique. Evaimalo finished the 2023 season as the Mountain West’s 2nd-best graded interior defensive lineman according to Pro Football Focus with an 80.7 grade. Look for him to continue his steady rise to stardom with a Week 0 opponent that allowed 31 sacks and 82 tackles for loss last year.