Receivers Notebook: Freshman Uiliata makes Hawaii football travel team, veteran Panoke breaks out + more

Tama Time is here.

Freshman Tama Uiliata is gaining some traction in the receiver room as he has worked himself into the rotation and is on Hawai’i football’s travel team when they open up Mountain West conference play against San Diego State at Snapdragon Stadium Saturday.

A 2023 graduate out of Waipahu, Uiliata was the story of year for the Marauders’ during his senior season in high school. He earned Offensive Player of the Year honors by multiple media outlets and helped Waipahu rally from a 24-7 deficit in the OIA championship game against ‘Aiea and a 35-13 deficit to Kapa’a in the opening round of the state tournament as the Marauders reached the Division I state final.

Uiliata greyshirted last fall before joining the Rainbow Warriors for spring practice in February. He is ready to make an impact and eager to represent his family and community.

Tama Uiliata (left) poses for a photo after practice with fellow local receivers Carlito “Babu” Capanang Jr. (left) out of Aiea and Blaze Kamoku (center) out of Kamehameha-Kapalama. | Michael Lasquero/HSRN

“It’s just one more step to my goal,” said the 5-foot-11, 190-pound receiver. “It feels good. A lot of emotions seeing that the coaches believe in me and just shows that we’re all here putting in that work and just getting better. I’m proud that they see that, my work ethic.”

The road wasn’t always clear however. A calf infection while Uiliata was in eighth grade nearly derailed his football career completely and a hamstring injury kept him out of the first week of spring camp.

Uiliata said keeping the end goal in mind has always pushed him forward over the hurdles on his journey.

Tama Uiliata watches from the sidelines during the Rainbow Warriors’ season-opener against Delaware State. | Michael Lasquero/HSRN

“In what you want in life, you’ll always going to have set backs, but just knowing your goal, being just goal driven will push you. Just doing the things you want to do for your future, for your family.”

After playing playing positions other than receiver at Waipahu such as quarterback, safety, cornerback and returner, Uiliata is settling in as a slotback for the Hawai’i offense.

Receivers coach Jared Ursua has been impressed with Uiliata’s development.

“He understands how to play the game,” Ursua said of Uiliata. “Obviously he was used just at every position while he was at Waipahu, so settling in at receiver took a little bit (of time), but he’s caught some steam and the two bye weeks for him have been tremendous.”

Tama Uiliata makes a catch in the end zone against Leilehua in 2022 as a member of the Waipahu Marauders. | Michael Lasquero for ScoringLive

Slot receivers run a lot of option routes where they need to adjust on the fly and tend to get majority of the targets in the run-and-shoot offense, so Uiliata will be backing up the likes of inside threats Pofele Ashlock, Nick Cenacle and Koali Nishigaya.

“It’s been great for him to kind of learn some of the nuisances and be around Pofele, Nick and Koali and understand some of that stuff, and then his playmaker just takes over,” Ursua said of Uiliata.

“That kid got a lot of special and we’re excited for that one.”

Tightening the receiver rotation?

From snap counts, to target share, to rotations, the number of receivers that see action for Hawai’i has been a discussion point for fans based on their experience watching previous run-and-shoot teams in the past.

In their 36-7 win over Northern Iowa, the rotation was a bit tighter with Nishigaya sitting after suffering a concussion against Sam Houston.

Ursua said injuries “kind of forced” the Rainbow Warriors to use a smaller rotation, but utilizing depth with football being more high-paced today is still important.

“When you play that speed of football, we’re playing probably about 20 more snaps than the traditional run-and-shoot teams. When you look at what snap counts were of the 2007 team or SMU when (June Jones was) there, they were playing only 55 to 65 snaps (from scrimmage. In today’s game), we’re getting up north of 80 so we need those guys. We need that rotation because of the speed and tempo we’re playing with.”

Hawai’i wide receivers coach Jared Ursua coaches from the sidelines in a game against UCLA. | Michael Lasquero/HSRN

But when quarterback Brayden Schager and the offense gets in a groove like they did against the Panthers when Schager completed his first 12 passes and the Rainbow Warriors scored on their first three possessions, expect the same personnel to stay on the field.

“When you’re flowing, you’re going,” Ursua said.

“If we’re executing the ball and continuing to go, there is no subbing. There’s none of that and what that causes is you’re going to play more snaps and you got to have depth because at the end of the year, you’re going to play 150 more snaps.”

Senior receiver Jonah Panoke lines out wide in a non-conference game against UCLA. | Michael Lasquero/HSRN

Veteran captain breaks out

The Rainbow Warriors’ latest win was also a big game for senior Jonah Panoke, with four receptions for 60 yards touchdown after going without a reception through the first two games of the season.

Panoke, a 2018 graduate out of Saint Louis, is one of the longest tenured player on the Hawai’i roster having played for three different head coaches while batting through numerous injuries in his collegiate career.

He set the tone on the first play from scrimmage when he made himself available as a target for a scrambling Schager by traveling from three yards beyond the nearest defender to five yards in front of the same defender.

Panoke was later rewarded with a 24-yard TD pass to cap the opening possession, his third of his career. As the lone receiver on the left side of the offense in a trips-right formation, Panoke used an outside release to beat the flat defender and the deep half safety against UNI’s Cover 6 defense.

On the Rainbow Warriors’ second TD against the Panthers, the senior receiver took an inside release as the wideout in a trips-left formation and drew the attention of two defenders, which opened up Ashlock for a wide-open score in the flat.

“Jonah does an excellent job, he’s an unsung hero,” Ursua said of Panoke. “We’re so happy to have him. He’s battled through some health things over the last three years that we’ve been together here. This fall camp he’s been excellent, catching the football. His catch-to-target ratio is probably the best in the group and that’s what he brings.”

In addition, Panoke’s value off the field is immeasurable as a leader and mentor to his teammates.

“You watch him on the sideline, he’s got an excellent attitude. He’s always cheering on his teammates. I think that only builds everyone else around him that looks up to him,” Ursua said.

Roommate Chemistry

With 19 receptions and three TDs between the two of them against UNI, Ashlock and Cenacle are proving to be quite the tandem as starting slot receivers.

Ashlock confessed to the media after Tuesday’s practice that the rising duo are actually roommates.

“Me and Cenacle live together so it’s a lot more chemistry,” Ashlock said. “We see each other on a daily basis. I know what he eats, when he wakes up.”

Nick Cenacle (left) and Pofele Ashlock celebrate after Ashlock caught a TD pass against Northern Iowa. | Michael Lasquero/HSRN

The close proximity to each other off the field also allows the pair to bounce ideas off each other in between games and practices.

“We go back home and talk about some plays that we just know (we could have done better) and some things that we can do to get each other open,” Ashlock said.

Ashlock has been a consistent presence catching TD passes in three consecutive games while Cenacle has grown into his role after seeing an increase in targets throughout the first four contests in 2024 and hauled in nine passes for 63 yards and two scores against UNI.

Cracking a joke at first before giving Cenacle praise, Ashlock said it wasn’t a surprise when his roommate had a big game the last time the Rainbow Warriors were on the field.

“I said ‘boy, who you trying to beat, me?’ But nah we knew he could do that so it wasn’t surprising. That’s things we already seen and I knew from him and the confidence of going out there and doing it and he got it. Hopefully he keeps going and continues to build off this game.”