With just five weeks until the season opener against Stanford, members of the University of Hawai‘i football team took part in Mountain West Media Days on Tuesday at the Circa Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
The annual event marks the unofficial end of the offseason and the symbolic launch of a new campaign. The Rainbow Warriors were picked to finish seventh in the 12-team Mountain West Conference, according to the league’s preseason media poll released on Day 1 of the two-day gathering.
Wide receivers Pofele Ashlock and Nick Cenacle were both named to the All-Mountain West Preseason Team, giving UH multiple selections for the first time since 2021.
Ashlock, along with linebacker Jamih Otis, represented the team in Las Vegas and joined KHON2 and ESPN Honolulu’s Timmy Chang Show to talk about the team’s goals, including what it would mean to hoist the conference championship trophy that they walked by in the event’s reception lobby.
“I just think of the Rainbow Warriors holding it up,” said Otis, a junior linebacker. “Coach sets a standard, and we break on ‘Mountain West champs.’ That’s the vision. We want to be bold in our belief and let God do the rest. A lot of our guys were overlooked, but this is our home, and we’re ready to show why we belong.”
Ashlock echoed the belief that the team is on the cusp of something special.
“It’s always been a goal from the beginning,” said the junior slotback. “Being a successful team is what matters most, that’s what we want to bring home to the state of Hawai‘i. We’re almost there, and the work keeps getting harder because the intensity keeps going up. It’s almost time for Stanford. We’re ready.”
Mountain West Media Days continue Wednesday, when head coach Timmy Chang will speak during the event’s main session.
Hawai‘i opens training camp next Wednesday and kicks off the 2025 season on Aug. 23 against Stanford at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.