Mountain West Football Media Days: Hawaii WR Pofele Ashlock Q&A

He’s not just a kid from Texas anymore.

Hawaii junior wide receiver Pofele Ashlock has blossomed into a man over his three seasons with the Rainbow Warriors, growing as much off the field as he has on it.

The pass catcher from Trinity High School in Euless, Texas is no stranger to waiting his turn. His first season in Mānoa was spent as a redshirt while he adjusted to the college level, then he lit the world on fire during his redshirt freshman campaign. He continued to develop as a leader during a trying sophomore year that saw multiple injuries as he put up more numbers.

Coming into his fourth year with the program, Ashlock was tabbed as one of Hawaii’s two player representatives for the 2025 Old Trapper Mountain West Football Media Days at Circa Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Older, wiser and excited for a big year in an important juncture of head coach Timmy Chang’s tenure, Ashlock spoke with conference media about the upcoming season and his time with the Rainbow Warriors.

Hawaii Sports Radio Network’s Ku’ulei Agbayani caught up with the junior wide receiver on Day 1 of Mountain West Media Days to discuss a variety of topics including what it means to be representing the program at this level, his thoughts on UH being picked to finish seventh in the conference and much more.

(**Please note: This transcript has been edited for brevity.)

Ku’ulei Agbayani: “Describe what it means to you to represent the University of Hawaii at Media Days this year?”

Pofele Ashlock: “Yeah, man, a boy from Texas who didn’t grow up in Hawaii, but moved to Hawaii. Grew up and became a man in Hawaii and come to represent the 808, man, that’s everything.  That’s all I can sit there and say.

I want to be the best that I can be for the state of Hawaii, because that’s the job for me, you know what I mean?  Coming up there, showing me aloha, showing me respect, and being able to just be the person who I am, you know what I mean? Just to go out there and just be me. It’s amazing, man, and I really take so much pride into coming over here and representing.

Agbayani: “I love that. What was your initial reaction to seeing that Hawaii was picked to finish seventh in the conference and how motivating is that for you guys going into this season?”

Ashlock: “Still the same, man. Again, media I don’t really take too much apart, you know what I mean? Sometimes I feel like they don’t know what they be talking about, so I just be chilling, you know I mean? Not too high not too low.

Like we say, we poised, you know what I mean? We just take it and add it to the fuel of fire, just go out there and just remember they put us seventh, man. Now it’s time to go show everybody, we not. [We’re number] one. That’s what the mentality is, so I mean. That’s just for us to go out there and show y’all, so I mean whenever them postseason rankings come out – hey, there we go, man. There we go!”

Agbayani: “You had a breakout freshman season. Obviously, teams became aware of you. Last year they knew to kinda go in on you, so what have you kind of learned between your year one to year two and what can you take into this upcoming season?”

Ashlock: “Recovery.

Yeah, I’ll say that really is just the recovery part of it. I guess coming from my freshman year, had three years, haven’t been playing football and then finally come into them? Your body feel fresh, you know I mean? So I’m thinking that I’m on top of the world, I’m elastic man, and then I come out there my second year. I’m like, man, I’m a little banged up, a little bit. So going through these years, man, I just understand that recovery is really the name of the game – and availability.

Man, I missed the game at Washington State from concussions, you know, and that’s something you don’t want to be at while everybody else is out there battling for the state of Hawaii, man. You’re back at home, chillin’ in the bed … that’s really not what it is. Like you said, the target on the back, that comes with it. I mean being a being a weapon on offense.

The more weapons that comes, it goes away from me. That’s exactly what we’re bringing this year, man. We’ve got some weapons that we’re excited for y’all to see, man. Especially from the guys that came in: Jackson Harris, Brandon White, man, Nick Cenacle, who was just named first team with me, man. All of that man.  We’re excited to showcase it for y’all.  Micah Alejado, man, y’all already know.”

Agbayani: “I was gonna say, one major weapon is the guy that actually gets you the football. Talk to us a little bit about how that transition has been from Brayden [Schager] to Micah and some of the differences that you’ve noticed throughout the spring?”

Ashlock: “I mean, hey, one difference, he’s a lefty. So, that ball, that rotation spins a little different.

But, nah, it’s still the same thing.  I mean, both of them throw a really perfect ball, man, and I don’t think they could put it in any places any better.  They know exactly what they’re doing, especially for Micah, sitting behind Brayden as a quarterback. Man, you know him.  He’s a gunslinger. He likes to throw Schager bombs is what we said.

But Micah, I mean, I see that he has a different approach in his game.  Watching Brayden is just like, just take what they give you, man.  You know what I mean? Go down there and get a little five-yard and then let it Landon [Sims] run for a little five, man. Just playing the game, you know what I mean?  That’s just where it is. And I feel like Micah just did an amazing job just learning, sitting back, watching our team from the last year and then coming off the last games and erupting how he was supposed to play. Being a gamer, we always knew he was gonna be a gamer, you know what I mean?  And, man, like I said, hats off to him, how he approached everything. He’s really a weapon, he’s a special human being and I feel like y’all are gonna see it this year.

Agbayani: Has there been any noticeable changes or evolution to the offense with Coach [Anthony] Arceneaux now at the OC position?

Ashlock: “Nah, Arcy brings the philosophy. Like, he looks at it from a third-person view. Like, what would the defense do if we did it the same way?

He comes and throws all different type of motions at us. He throws all different things that we’ve never shown on tape before. And I feel like that’s a big thing that’s really good for us, you know what I mean? To keep the defense guessing.

Us being Run-N-Shoot, you know what I mean? All fully Run-N-Shoot, you know what I mean? Sometimes you’re like, oh, I know what this is. I know what this is. But we throw a couple wrinkles at them, it keeps them guessing. So, hey, it’s going to be amazing. I think that’s an amazing thing that Coach Arcy has been doing for offense.

Agbayani: “Couple more from me. Just some fun ones – overall thoughts on the partnership with Nike and the new drip?

Ashlock: “Oh yeah, Checks over Stripes, man. That’s all I can say. I’ve always been a Nike boy. Growing up in Texas, that’s all I wore at a Nike high school, so coming back into it, great gear, man.

I’m really excited, especially being a receiver. The gloves feel amazing, the cleats feel amazing. So I’m really excited.

Not only that, but Hawaii had great success in the Nike uniforms, you know I mean? Timmy Chang, Colt Brennan and the boys, man. They got to come out there and just throw down, so that’s something that we feel like that’s gonna happen within us. And not saying that it’s bound to happen but it’s all about the work ethic we put into and how much change is in store for us. That means change is coming, so that means work needs to be done and that’s exactly what we just keep doing. Keep working and know that change is coming.”

Agbayani: “All right, last one. Obviously we knew the CFP game came out last year. We didn’t have its stadium in it. How is it now to see your guys’ home stadium finally in the game?”

Ashlock: “I was just telling somebody man, they got the whole shebang in there.

They got the dorms, the parking garage. Man, they probably got aunty and uncle drinking Heineken up there, man. (chuckles)

It’s amazing. It’s really nice to see that they really spent that much time within our stadium and got to actually put that so it feels like they get the experience. Like if yo are a player, get to go out there on the game and see how it looks like. From a receiver point of view, a quarterback kind of view. Yeah, it’s amazing, man.

I think the game did really amazing with our team and I really loved it.”