Three players to watch as Hawai’i hosts San Jose State

HONOLULU – Stakes are high.

Hawai’i football’s slow start to the 2026 campaign has allowed pessimism to permeate the fanbase, but there are still eight games left for the Rainbow Warriors to right the ship and earn their way into a bowl game for the second straight year.

That climb out of a 1-3 hole starts on Saturday for Timmy Chang’s squad as they host former backup QB Luke Weaver and the 2-2 San Jose State Spartans inside Clarence T.C. Ching Complex.

SJSU has presented plenty of problems over the past half decade for Hawai’i, retaining possession of the Dick Tomey Legacy trophy for the last five meetings. Timmy Chang is 0-3 against the Spartans and has seen his team’s defense allow points to SJSU in all 12 quarters that the teams have played against each other.

The Rainbow Warriors will need to figure out a counter to the kryptonite that the Spartans have been in recent years if they want to get back on track in 2026. Down WR Pofele Ashlock once again, Hawai’i will continue searching for another dynamic weapon to awaken the offense in the islands.

The defense will also be down another starter as DL Luther McCoy misses his first game of the season after suffering an injury in the first quarter at Wyoming last week.

So, who needs to make the plays for Hawai’i at home if they want to win against San Jose State for the first time since 2019? Here are three guesses on guys who could have a big impact on Saturday for the Rainbow Warriors.

TE Devon Tauaefa

One of the major problems for Hawai’i’s offense has been a lack of bigger targets for QB Micah Alejado to throw to as the outside receiving options have failed to separate and teams have keyed in more on the multitude of slot receivers employed by the UH offense.

Enter 6-foot-5, 230-pound senior tight end Devon Tauaefa. The Saint Louis School alum snagged his first touchdown of the campaign last weekend at Wyoming and has been involved in the passing attack in three of the four games for the Rainbow Warriors this season.

The score was his first since 2023, coming in an exciting 27-24 win over Colorado State to close out the season. As HSRN’s Michael Lasquero pointed out, Hawai’i has won all three games in Tauaefa’s career where he’s recorded three or more receptions.

He won’t be the most targeted Rainbow Warrior on Saturday, but Tauaefa should be heavily involved in the offensive gameplan as UH tries to improve results, especially in the redzone. In UH’s shootout against SJSU last year, the big-bodied tight end had a career-high 40 yards receiving on two catches, including a 34-yard rumble on a trick play pass to set up points for the Rainbow Warriors.

LB Jamih Otis

Otis left injured after just 10 plays against Wyoming, but the senior linebacker was nowhere to be found on the availability report ahead of Saturday’s matchup with SJSU. That’s a good sign for the Rainbow Warrior defense, who leans on Otis from both a playing and communication standpoint.

An All-Mountain West honorable mention last year, Otis has been the team’s third-best defender this season, according to PFF, and has been the best coverage linebacker on the team (min. 50 snaps) through four games of action despite coming off of a major knee injury. He also is second on the squad with 30.0 tackles (15 solo) despite missing the majority of Week 4 at Wyoming.

If he’s a full-go on Saturday, it adds a key piece back to the UH defense that will be tasked with slowing down Luke Weaver, a potent passing attack and a surprisingly solid rushing game for the Spartans. Turnovers could be paramount to Hawai’i potentially putting the losing streak to SJSU to rest and Otis has been involved in two of the three takeaways by the defense this season with an interception and a fumble recovery.

DL Ozzy Pollard

The son of former NBA player Scot Pollard, sophomore DL Ozzy Pollard has done an impressive job doing the dirty work in the trenches for the Rainbow Warriors in his first year of Division I football.

A transfer from Marian University (NAIA), Pollard has graded out as the one of UH’s best defensive linemen through four games this season. At 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, Pollard eats up space in the middle of the trenches and has been productive in the pass rush with five pressures – tied for the most among all Rainbow Warrior defenders according to PFF.

With veteran DL Luther McCoy ruled out before the game, Pollard (and the rest of the defensive line group) only see their roles growing bigger to pick up the slack. It’ll be important for the Rainbow Warriors to control the trenches and make life uncomfortable for the SJSU offense and Pollard provides a run stopper and pass rusher in one single player.

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