Hawaii quarterback and Bishop Gorman graduate Micah Alejado stands out on every football field he steps on.
The first thing is his stature, with the left-handed quarterback standing at 5-foot-10.
But any hesitation about whether Alejado’s size is a deterrent to his play gets quickly put away. What high school teams in Nevada, and around the country, saw as Alejado tore up defenses at Gorman became the realization for the Mountain West Conference last season.
“I would sit here and tell you that I think he’s the best quarterback in the country,” said Hawaii running back Cam Barfield, a Bishop Gorman alum who played his senior year with the Gaels in 2021 with Alejado as the team’s starting quarterback.
“He might not look the size, but he has so much heart, so much fight. He’s so tough … just continuing to watch him grow from high school to now, it’s just amazing. He’s grown into a great leader and the leader of our team. I can’t wait to see him take us to new heights.”
Alejado was named the Mountain West Conference preseason offensive player of the year on Wednesday and the quarterback on the first-team preseason all-conference team on the first day of Mountain West media days at The Palms.
In his redshirt freshman season last year, Alejado led the conference with 24 touchdown passes and an average of 284.2 passing yards per game, which was eighth best in the country.
“It was a season of growth for me,” Alejado said on Wednesday. “Behind all the football stuff, it was a season of me being able to really test myself. Mentally, being able to handle everything that happened … and just understanding the weight that comes with it.”
‘It’s exciting’
Alejado’s stellar play helped Hawaii go 9-4 last year, the program’s most wins in a season since 2019, and win the Hawaii Bowl, the program’s first bowl victory since 2020.
There was no conference preseason poll, but Hawaii, with Alejado at quarterback, has big dreams of competing for a conference title. But the Hawaii native doesn’t appear to be letting the expectations and accolades get to his head.
“It’s exciting to get all this recognition, but at the end of the day, you got to realize nothing has been earned yet,” Alejado said. “No respect has been earned. You haven’t done anything in the 2026 season. All of our guys, we’re not worried about the outside noise, it’s more so understanding what our goals are at a team and putting our heads down and working.”
It didn’t take long for Alejado to earn his Hawaii teammates’ respect. In last year’s season-opener, Alejado battled through a second-half ankle injury, leading his team on a drive that led to a game-winning field goal in a 23-20 home win over Stanford.
“To be able to play though injury and be able to go through that and understand that he didn’t want to come out of the game, that he did everything he needed to do to stay on that field and go win – it just shows what type of person he is,” said Hawaii linebacker and 2023 Gorman graduate Elijah Palmer.
‘Set the stage’
Alejado dazzled during a COVID-shortened freshman season at Gorman during the spring of 2021. His Gorman career ended with a perfect 12-0 season in 2023 where the Gaels were coined national champions for the fourth time in program history.
“I played against Micah when we were younger, like 12U, 14U in middle school,” Palmer said. “Even playing against him is one of those things like, ‘Who is this lefty? He’s throwing the ball super hard. He’s getting the ball where it needs to be.’ … People see all the accolades and stuff, but the hard work behind the scenes. When he goes out on that field, he gets the job done.”
Alejado appeared in four games with Hawaii in 2024. He started the season finale against New Mexico and threw 469 yards and five touchdowns in a 38-30 win for the Rainbow Warriors.
“It set the stage for who he is,” Palmer said of Alejado’s New Mexico performance. “That was his introduction not just to the Mountain West, but to the nation as well.”
Alejado credited the way Bishop Gorman operates like a “college program” for making his transition to college easier.
“It’s getting you ready for the next level. What they’re asking from you is a lot, but when you get to college, you realize how much that program did for you,” Alejado said. “(Bishop Gorman), I’m truly grateful for forever. It holds a special place in my heart.”
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
