Five Seniors Reflect on Their Rainbow Warrior Careers

Every player’s path to becoming a Rainbow Warrior is different. Some join straight out of high school, while some arrive in Manoa after pit stops at other schools. Some grew up watching University of Hawai'i football, while others came to Hawai’i from the mainland or beyond. But despite starting their UH journeys in different ways, 23 seniors will wrap up their careers together as the Rainbow Warriors take on New Mexico in the season finale Saturday.

UH will celebrate Lucas Borrow, Caleb “C-Bo” Brown, Spencer Curtis, Kamalu DeBlake, Nalu Emerson, Ben Falck, Jake Farrell, Luke Felix-Fualalo, Kimo Holt-Mossman, Noah Kema, Solomon Landrum, Steven McBride, Tamatoa Mokiao-Atimalala, Jonah Panoke, Meki Pei, Elijah Robinson, Anthony Sagapolutele, Brayden Schager, Justin Sinclair, Cam Stone, Maurice Ta‘ala, Logan Taylor, and Daniel “Sauce” Williams as they take the field for the final time in a Rainbow Warrior uniform.

We sat down with five of those seniors to discuss their UH journeys.

CAM STONE began his collegiate career at Wyoming, playing three seasons for the Cowboys. Stone, a two-time All-Mountain West honorable mention at Wyoming, hit the ground running once he arrived in Manoa. In his first season with the Rainbow Warriors, Stone started 10 games at cornerback in 2023, and was targeted just 31 times in nearly 400 snaps, the fifth fewest targets against a Mountain West corner (according to PFF) with at least 300 snaps played.

Perhaps the signature moment in Stone’s young UH career came late in the season. The 3-7 ‘Bows entered the Air Force game as heavy underdogs but would go on to stun the Falcons with a 27-13 victory. With just under a minute left in the fourth quarter, Air Force looked for a miracle comeback with a deep shot at the endzone. Stone brought in the heave for his first UH interception, sealing the upset victory for Hawai'i.

“That’s definitely one of my favorite moments. Not necessarily for the pick itself, but just coming out the way we did as a team when no one gave us a chance,” Stone said. “But everyone in that locker room believed we could do it, and we did. I think that was probably the favorite moment of my career.”

After a strong 2023 season, Stone was getting some NFL buzz. He was already viewed as the team’s best NFL prospect regardless of class that season. But Stone ultimately decided to return to UH for his final season of eligibility.

“It was a lot of thought and time that was put into that decision,” Stone said. “I just felt it was the right decision. I talked to a lot of people. I talked to God about it. I had some injuries last year and missed a few games, so I felt I owed it to myself to prove I could go through a healthy season.”

Stone’s decision indeed turned out to be the right one. Through 13 weeks of the 2024 season, Stone is the No. 3-ranked cornerback in the nation according to Pro Football Focus with a career-high 89.2 PFF grade. He’s also the No. 4 ranked cover corner, with a PFF grade of 89.7.

“It allowed me to hone in on some things I needed to work on, like tackling, coverage, just getting better and fixing those things that were a concern for me the year before,” Stone said about returning for his senior season.

Stone, along with his fellow seniors, will take the field one last time in a Rainbow Warrior uniform.

“It's been amazing,” Stone said. “I made brothers for life here. This team right here, we've done so much together, whether that be events or workouts, everything was in tune. We were all together. The bonding that takes place here, it's unmatched. You really get to know people, and 

I think it helps you in the long run. Brothers here for life.”

LOGAN TAYLOR arrived in Manoa after spending a year at El Camino College in 2019. Taylor had a quiet first two years, joining the roster as a reserve defensive back and special teams contributor in 2020, and missing most of 2021 with an injury.

“Man, those first few years, they were rough for me. But one of my favorite quotes is, ‘prosperity is a mercy. It's a great mercy. But adversity is a greater mercy, if it leads you to Christ,” Taylor said. “And in those rough years, that is when I hit my rock bottom. I was on the verge of not playing football anymore.”

The adversity he faced early in his UH career molded him into the defensive and spiritual leader he would become in 2022.

“Those two years were like my refining process, where I was in the fire, being forced into the man God called me to be,” Taylor said.

Taylor broke out in 2022. He appeared in all 13 games leading the team with 85 tackles on the season, with 49 solo tackles and four tackles for loss. In six starts at linebacker, Taylor recorded double-digit tackles each time out, including a 16-tackle game against Colorado State. He became the first UH player in 21 years to record six straight double-digit tackle games.

After his breakout 2022 season, Taylor was voted a team captain for the first time for the 2023 season.

“When I first came to Hawai'i, I had a list of goals. One of my goals was to become team captain. For me, being a team captain was one of the greatest privileges I will probably ever have. That’s something I take very seriously,” Taylor said. “That’s something I want to be able to pass down to my kids. That I strove, as hard as I could, to be a leader, an example, someone of influence. So that I could be a good influence to the guys next to me. To be voted captain, that’s one of the greatest things I’ve accomplished.”

Taylor, now officially a team leader, was poised for another big season in 2023. Over the first three games of the season, Taylor made 21 tackles, with 18 solo tackles. In the third game of the season, Taylor suffered another injury setback, tearing his ACL against Albany and ending a promising season.

“It was crazy because, you know, like, in my flesh it was frustrating. But more than anything, it was a blessing. It was an opportunity to see, if football was taken from me, who am I?” Taylor said. “In that whole (rehab) process, I was able to learn, I was able to get closer to God in my relationship. I was able to see the field, see the game from a different perspective. I was able to lead in a way that I never led before off the field, being a mentor, being someone that could uplift people.”

His rehab went more smoothly than expected, and Taylor returned for his final season in 2024. Through 13 weeks, Taylor hasn’t missed a game.

“I am grateful to be back playing with my brothers. Man, I would do this 10 more times if I could. It is just a blessing to be here. There’s literally nothing like this. It's bittersweet knowing this is my last rodeo, but I'm grateful. So grateful, man,” Taylor said. “These five years have been the greatest blessing of my life. I'm proud to be a UH Warrior. I'm proud to be a leader. I'm proud to be able to play on this field, I'm proud to have all these guys I can call my brothers, all these coaches that I can call my brothers. This is something that is beyond my wildest dreams. I am beyond grateful for this place. This is my home, you know, like I can't put into words how much I love this place, how much it changed me, how much it provided for me and my family, the relationships on the field, off the field, that I've come to know out here.”

Taylor’s contributions on and off the field have garnered him recognition as a candidate for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award. 

Stone and Taylor were both transfers from the mainland. Our next three seniors all grew up in Hawai'i around Rainbow Warrior football.

JONAH PANOKE grew up in Honolulu, during the golden age of UH football.

“Especially in the 2007 season, I would go to the games with my dad,” Panoke said. “I was also able to go to a couple of football camps, and Colt Brennan would be there, and all the guys would be there.”

Among the “guys” Panoke admired growing up were UH receivers Jason Rivers, Davone Bess, and Ryan Grice-Mullen.

“All those guys made me dream that one day I could be in that jersey too,” Panoke said.

Panoke achieved that dream, joining the Rainbow Warriors as a member of the 2018 recruiting class. His UH journey has had its bumps. After grayshirting in 2018 and redshirting in 2019, Panoke finally joined the rotation in 2020. That season was ultimately shortened due to COVID-19, but Panoke appeared in all nine games. 2021 was his first full-length season as part of the receiver rotation, but he missed the first four games after fracturing his scapula. It became a trend. He missed time in 2022 with a broken collarbone, then was limited in the 2023 offseason due to foot surgery.

“After the 2021 season, I wasn’t really sure if I even wanted to play football again,” Panoke said. “Coach (Timmy) Chang came in 2022 with (WR) coach (Jared) Ursua, and they kind of sparked the love of the game for me again.

Despite the injuries, and losing and then regaining his love of football, Panoke says he has gained a lot from his time at UH.

“I learned to just enjoy the process and to never take it for granted. If you put in the right time and the right energy, you won’t have any regrets,” Panoke said. “I wish that’s something I took away earlier in my career, but I’m just happy I figured it out at some point during my college career. I thought about how I can share my experience with the younger guys, because some of them, they have the same thoughts of, I have four years, I'll wait until next year. So my role this year was more of leadership and just sharing my experience, so these younger guys don't make the same mistake and have regrets, wishing they had more time, or wishing they used up their time properly. And so I was just grateful I got to come back this year and, you know, really enjoy the grind with the guys.”

With just one game left in his UH career, Panoke reflected fondly on his time.

“It means everything to me. I have three kids myself, and I could see the impact it has on their lives. They enjoy being around the team, coming to practice with me, and to the meetings,” Panoke said. “And when we go out into the community, with other kids and other schools, just seeing those kids look up to us, it makes me feel good. Hearing their stories, how one day they wanna be like us, it’s a good feeling. I’m happy that I was able to stay here in Hawai’i and play for the home team.”

Like Panoke, MEKI PEI grew up in Hawai'i with UH football. But it wasn’t the only team he had ties to. Pei’s father, the senior Meki Pei, played collegiate football for the Washington Huskies. Pei, hoping to follow his father’s footsteps, chose to walk on to the Washington football team. After spending two seasons in Seattle, Pei decided to return home to Hawai‘i.

“Even though I loved my time at (Washington), I just didn’t feel like that was the right place for me. I knew Hawai‘i was home for me, so ultimately I made the decision with my parents to come home and represent Hawai‘i. I think that was one of the best decisions I ever made when it came to football.”

Pei hit the ground running with the Rainbow Warriors, finishing top five on the team in tackles in each of his first two seasons.

“I was really comfortable. My position coach, he allowed me to play freely. It was definitely the people, the culture around here, it made it a lot easier for me to get back into it and just be myself, because it's what I grew up with,” Pei said. “We have a lot of local boys here on the team, and definitely just being home, having the comfort of knowing my parents will always be there for me and my grandparents and my sister and stuff like that.”

Pei’s biggest play as a Rainbow Warrior came in UH’s upset win over Air Force. Linebacker Jalen Smith hit Air Force quarterback Jensen Jones in the pocket, knocking the ball loose. After a few bounces, Pei picked up the loose ball and ran it 32 yards the other way for a score. Pei’s return touchdown was the first UH defensive touchdown of the 2023 season, and UH’s first fumble return touchdown in two years.

“It was just another football play to me. I was just glad I could be there to recover the fumble and score for my team. More importantly, it was just good to be out there having fun with my teammates, all my brothers,” Pei said.

Pei was expected to again be one of the stalwarts in the defensive backfield alongside Peter Manuma this year, but injuries knocked his season off the tracks early.

“I didn’t have the season I wanted last year, so I definitely wanted to make up for it. And then boom, the injury, then another injury, and you know, my flow was just not working. The other guys have been doing a great job, and it was frustrating for me to not be playing alongside them.”

Pei has worked his way back from his injuries and back into the rotation as of late. He has appeared in seven of the last eight games, including six straight appearances. Despite missing four games this season, Pei has made the most of his time on the field. He has 19 tackles on the season as he heads into his final game at UH.

“It’s been amazing,” Pei said about his time at UH. “It’s probably one of the best teams I've ever been on. To play with people from all over, you got boys from the mainland accepting our culture and us accepting theirs. It was just a great football experience for me. I'm very grateful to my family, to God, to this coaching staff for allowing me to just be here and play this game that I love.”

TAMATOA MOKIAO-ATIMALALA also grew up in Hawai‘i watching UH football. But for him, the connection runs even deeper.

“You know, my uncle played over here too. I watched him play, so it really means a lot for me to be here,” Mokiao-Atimalala said. “It feels full circle, being here as a little kid, to now playing here and graduating from here. I’m thankful for all the people before me who set the path for me.”

Mokiao-Atimalala found a role right away, appearing on special teams in all but one game as a true freshman in 2020.

“I knew that as a freshman you always have to work harder, being a young cat. I tried to just come in and learn from the older guys as much as I can, whether it's just bugging them, asking questions, texting them late at night, like what do I do on this play or that,” Mokiao-Atimalala said about playing as a true freshman.

The next season, Mokiao-Atimalala worked his way into the offensive rotation, appearing in nine games on both offense and special teams. In 2022, he played 12 games, and 11 more in 2023. As a constant presence in the Rainbow Warriors lineup, Mokiao-Atimalala has seen it all. But his favorite moment came in 2023.

“I think it has to be last year when we played Colorado State,” Mokiao-Atimalala said about his favorite moment in a UH uniform. “That game winning field goal, right when (Matthew Shipley) kicked the field goal, we saw it go right through. You could just see everybody's face just light up. Everybody smiling happily, storming the field. I think it's just that type of environment with my brothers, seeing everybody celebrating, it made me happy.”

Mokiao-Atimalala cherished that moment with his Rainbow Warrior brothers. This year, he got to share another moment with his real brother. When Hawai‘i took on UCLA earlier this year, Mokiao-Atimalala got to share the field with his brother, Bruins receiver Titus Mokiao-Atimalala.

“My mom and dad, I think the whole week, they were celebrating their two sons playing against each other at this level, doing it at the biggest stage,” Mokiao-Atimalala said. “I was so happy for my family, celebrating them and all the sacrifices and support that they made for me and my brother to be on this field together, sharing the field one last time, especially in my senior season. It couldn't have played out better than that.”

Mokiao-Atimalala said about his time at UH, “It's been surreal. I dreamed of playing here and actually got to play here. Now that it's coming to an end, I'm just glad that I got to do it. I'm thinking, so many people helped me along the way and it's my turn as the older guy to give back to the younger guys as well and to help them because I was once that young cat trying to learn, trying to get better every single day.”