ASSOCIATED PRESS Notre Dame safety Alohi Gilman credits growing up in Laie with giving him the confidence to play on the national stage. The needle has finally moved. For so long, the process was a fight for football players growing up in the islands. A fight to get your name out there, a battle to gain national exposure, a grind to show you deserve a college opportunity. For the select few who make it to Division I football, the battle had just begun. Kids from Hawaii

Kahuku's Hirkley Latu, Keala Santiago and Bradlee Anae all signed their letters of intent in high school in 2016. Latu is in the process of transferring from BYU while Santiago is at Utah with Anae, who is now a fourth-year senior and a first-team, All-Pac-12 defensive lineman. Photo by Nick Abramo/Star-Advertiser. The Hawaii Grown Report returns for another year at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser starting in Wednesday’s newspaper with a profile on Utah senior Bradlee Anae, a fi

DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARADVERTISER.COM Punahou safety Alaka‘i Gilman wore a heavy chain around his neck as part of his weight-lifting regimen. Deep down in his soul, there’s nothing Alaka‘i Gilman loves to do more than compete. It began roughly a decade ago, battling on the turf of legendary Laie North Stake Park, more commonly known as Laie Park. A row of competitors, in the trenches, lined up to do battle. Back then, he and his teammates were a bunch of 8-year-olds who loved

Punahou's Alaka'i Gilman hits the weight room as hard as he hits the classroom. Photo by Dennis Oda/Star-Advertiser. Growing up in Laie means Laie Park is a part of life for football players who often end up at Kahuku. Occasionally, they end up elsewhere. Alaka‘i Gilman grew up playing at Laie Park and wound up becoming a standout safety for No. 3 Punahou. He committed to Washington State during the offseason, but his heart will always be at this modest, clean football field

Alohi Gilman and Bradlee Anae are again making Red Raider history! This time, however, their names are appearing in several Preseason All-America teams as chosen by several media outlets. Bradlee was named to the 2nd team on three of the All-America teams. The three outlets are Sports Illustrated, USA Today, and Athlon, respectively. Alohi Gilman was blessed to be named on five All-America teams. Four of the five outlets named Alohi to their 2nd team. Those four are the Assoc

The first tweet came from Notre Dame graduate assistant Keli’i Moanauli Kekuewa. Kekuewa, who assists Irish defensive line coach Mike Elston, shared a photo of the Notre Dame football team with a sign that read “Ku Kia’i Mauna.” The phrase has become the rallying cry for protesters in Hawaii hoping to protect Mauna Kea, a mountain on the Hawaii Island that Native Hawaiians hold sacred. Years of legal battles and protests have prevented the construction of the Thirty Meter

Bump into him on the academic side of campus — outside Hesburgh Library, inside South Dining Hall, across the quad as he hustles to another class as an economics major — and it’s hard to imagine Notre Dame senior free safety Alohi Gilman a football player. With a backpack over his shoulder and a mild manner, the Hawaii native just doesn’t look the part. Bump into Gilman on the athletic side of campus — inside the team’s new indoor practice facility, on the LaBar Practice Fiel

"Just put me on the field." Alohi Gilman said those words following the Notre Dame football banquet on December 15th, 2017 where he earned Scout Team Player of the Year as he sat out the season due to his transfer from Navy. Well, the Hawaii native got on the field in 2018 and racked up 94 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, two interceptions, five passes defended and one forced fumble. The stats only told half the story as Gilman became a vocal leader for Notre Dame last fa

Almost forgot about Mika! #BradleeAnae #AlohiGilman #KekaulaKaniho #BreidenFehoko #TipaGaleai #MoroniLauluPututau #NoahTogiai

(Photo: Matt Cashore, 247Sports) Aloha Gilman is the first Red Raider to be named on two prestigious college football post-season award watch lists. Just yesterday he was named to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list while the Bronko Nagurski Trophy released their list today and he was among those to watch. The Jim Thorpe Award is given to the nations best defensive back and has been done so since 1986. The Oklahoma Sport Hall of Fame selects the winner of this award. 1993 was the

Irish junior safety Alohi Gilman takes down an opponent during Notre Dame’s 42-13 win over Florida State on Nov. 10 at Notre Dame Stadium. Photo by Anaa Mason / The Observer I’m from] a very small town, in the country of Oahu … the country for us is the mountains and not the big cities,” Gilman said. “I was pretty much raised with sports … my family was a big sports family, my sister played rugby in college and my other sister played water polo, and I’m next. I got a younger

(Photo: Matt Cashore, 247Sports) On a sunny afternoon in Jacksonville on the EverBank Stadium surface where Notre Dame’s 2016 season continued to spiral into the Atlantic Ocean, Brian Kelly learned something very valuable that would come into play – frequently – two years later. A young kid by the name of Alohi Gilman – a freshman safety for the Naval Academy – played an integral role in the Midshipmen’s 28-27 victory over the Irish, launching a November tailspin that would u

Photo by Rick Kimball/ISD Notre Dame safety Alohi Gilman sat out last year while the Irish were in contention for the College Football Playoff, but the Hawaii native admits this year’s team is different and it starts with a cohesiveness within the team. “We all understand we are holding each other to that standard,” stated Gilman. “We know what it takes, and it’s tough. We have great leadership from the seniors. They continue to push us each week to be hungry and to keep us h

Notre Dame safety Alohi Gilman (11) reacts to a play against Michigan in the first half of their game in South Bend, Ind., Sept. 1, 2018. (Paul Sancya / AP) There is no more important element to success than belief in one’s self. Alohi Gilman bet on himself in a big way back in June, 2017 when he announced he was transferring from Navy to Notre Dame. Many pundits scoffed at the hubris of the decision. Gilman may have enjoyed an outstanding freshman season for Navy, but what m

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — When Lee Leslie landed the head coaching position at Kahuku High School before the 2014 season, he made Laie Park one of his first immersion points into that small community on the north shore of Oahu. The visit was less about understanding his roster than grasping its culture. Alohi Gilman would prove a big part of both. The park is short on aesthetics but long on soul, the old home base for Notre Dame icon Manti Te’o. It’s where former Irish receiver Ro