Freshman Ale Kaho reflects on long journey to Alabama
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SAN JOSE, Calif. — For the first time this season, Hopate Kaho will be in attendance when his son takes the field. This past year has been a whirlwind for the Kaho family as their oldest son, Ale, embarked on a winding road that led him from Reno, Nev., to Seattle and then ultimately to Tuscaloosa, Ala.
This wasn’t the way this story was supposed to unfold. But when Ale suits up for No. 1 Alabama during Monday night’s national championship game, no one inside the Kaho household will be complaining.
During his freshman season, Ale has appeared in all 14 of Alabama’s games, tallying 11 tackles while also recovering a fumble. That production shouldn’t be a surprise considering he was a Rivals 100 member and one of the most coveted linebackers in the nation. The twist comes in the fact that he’s played his games in crimson rather than purple.
Ale signed with Washington in December of 2017, seemingly ending what was a hotly-pursued recruiting process. At that time, the four-star linebacker was “100 percent all-in” for the Huskies and excited to play out his college career under head coach Chris Petersen.
That was until that an unforeseen snag made that dream less and less of a reality.
Ale spent roughly five weeks in Washington this summer but never suited up for the Huskies during practice. The holdup came as he needed an extra year of foreign language to meet the university’s admission requirements.
According to Hopate, Washington had not notified the Kahos that Ale’s eligibility would be a concern until after he made the trip to Washington. Not only was the freshman not allowed to practice with the team, he was also forced to live with relatives in the area instead of on campus.
After learning that Ale would have to sit out a season, the family asked Washington for a release. However, it wasn’t until early August that Washington complied. From there, Alabama once again was able to pursue contact with Ale, allowing him to change his course and join the Crimson Tide during the final week of its fall camp.
“It was very frustrating because we were told things that were going to happen that weren’t really happening,” Hopate told BamaInsider.com. “We were kind of strung along a little bit when we should have been told the truth of what is going on so we could figure out what we were going to do. The whole situation played out really crazy, but things happen for a reason.”
Culture shock
Alone and more than 2,000 miles away from home, Ale might as well have been in another country. At times, it seemed like he was. There was a new culture, new food, and a new accent. Some Alabama fans still haven’t mastered the pronunciation of his name, All-eh Kah-o.
Then there was the sweltering 90-degree heat, fitting for the fire he was about to be inserted into. Not only did Ale miss out on Alabama’s spring camp, he also didn’t benefit from the two-week summer workouts that often serve as an acclimation period for freshmen.
“When you get two weeks in the summer, you can come back and it ain’t too big to miss spring ball because you install in July,” Alabama inside linebackers coach Pete Golding explained. “Well, Kaho missed all of that. He got here right in the middle of camp and got thrown right in.
“How you install in camp is totally different than how you install in the fall when you’re game planning for somebody. I felt like with him, as soon as he got comfortable with our base install it was like, ‘forget all that, here this is what we’re doing.’ It was like, ‘Shit, I’ve got to start all this all over again?’”
These changes came months after Ale’s parents finalized a divorce, a process Hopate said was very taxing on his son. Noticeably distraught at times, Ale dropped a bit of weight and entered Alabama undersized at 6-foot-1, 218 pounds.
“I was going through a lot. I was struggling a lot. I actually really wanted to give up, I’m not going to lie,” Ale told BamaInsider.com. “My teammates took me in and helped me and made me feel a lot more comfortable.”
Fortunately for Ale, he had some help adjusting. The Nevada native naturally gravitated to fellow freshman linebacker Cameron Latu as well as some of the Crimson Tide’s other West Coast players such running back Najee Harris and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa who, like Ale, comes from Polynesian heritage.
Ale said he even remembers a couple times early on when he and Tagovailoa would hold jam sessions together on the ukulele.
“He’s Polynesian, so it’s a lot easier for us Polynesian kids to stick together,” Tagovailoa said. “We kind of know each other’s lingo, and it’s just comfortable being around your people.”
Fitting in
For the most part, Ale was prepared for the adversity he’d face at Alabama. He was unfazed by the Crimson Tide’s depth chart which included two five-star starters in Dylan Moses and Mack Wilson. If anything, playing behind those two was a plus.
“You learn from Mack and Dylan Moses,” Ale said. “You can’t get better than that, learning from the two best linebackers in the nation.”
It was Moses who took Ale under his wing early on during camp. The former prized recruit had his own eventful recruitment spurning home-state LSU for Alabama and knew the rigors of learning on the fly in a different environment.
“I know it’s really stressful coming into this type of program. It’s hard. Nothing here is easy. I tried to step in as a big-brother role and tried to help him with what he needed.
“I told him, ‘Do whatever you need to do to find a way on the field. If you are doing what you are supposed to do and making progress, showing the coaches you know the plays, they are going to find a way to get you on the field.'”
Following his teammate’s advice, Ale fully accepted a role on Alabama’s special teams. This season, the athletic linebacker has seen at least one snap on every one of Alabama’s special teams units, tallying seven of his 11 tackles on kick coverage.
“Kaho is 100 percent all about the team,” Golding said. “I think a lot of the time these kids when they come in and try to learn the defense, they know what they don’t know. They understand, and it’s told to them what they need to do to play. He’s been unbelievable about that. He’s a team player. He’s been bought into being a special team player for us and he’s learning the defense.”
Despite his early success, Ale admits there was a bit of uncertainty. The freshman was still a bit homesick, and while he had come to terms with his special teams role, he wondered if he could have been doing more had things gone differently.
“I’m not going to lie, I didn’t regret the decision to come here, but it was me thinking about it over and over again,” Ale said. “I kept on thinking, ‘Was this the right decision? Did I make the right decision?’ I don’t think I stopped thinking about that until like midseason when I felt a lot more comfortable.”
Star in the making
It’s fitting that the highlight of Ale’s freshman season involved a bit of chaos. Covering a punt against Mississippi State, the linebacker watched the Bulldogs’ Deddrick Thomas muff a return in the second quarter. Instinctively, Ale turned, pouncing on the loose ball at the Mississippi 27-yard line to set up Alabama’s third touchdown in a 24-0 victory. The play helped Ale earn special teams player of the week, and according to him has served as a spark to his success late this season. Since then, Ale has recorded at least one tackle in each of Alabama’s past four games.
“When I recovered that fumble, I started getting a lot of confidence,” Ale said. “I think that play helped me start to play a bigger role on special teams.”
That comfort has since erased any doubt Ale had of his decision to join Alabama. While he said he still has a long way to go to reach his goals, the freshman said he is more at peace with his surroundings as he looks to build on his freshman season.
“I’ve learned a lot since I’ve been in this program,” he said. “Mentally, I’ve been just trying to grow up on my own. I’m proud to be here.”
Alabama is certainly glad to have him as well. Golding used the word “explosive” when talking about Ale, stating, “athletically, he’s one of the best we’ve got.” Due to his late start, Alabama coaches feel the freshman has just scraped the surface of his potential and is poised for a breakout year next season.
“We’re really fortunate to have him as a part of our family,” said defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi, who played a major role in Ale’s recruitment. “He’s been a contributing part of our success, and we’re really excited about his future. He’s a great young man and a great player.”
Perfect ending
One of the few downfalls of Ale’s detour to the Deep South is that he’s had to play the majority of his games away from friends and family. That won’t be the case this week as he takes the field inside Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif for the national championship Monday night.
While the game’s west coast setting has made it difficult for some Crimson Tide fans, Hopate is thankful for it. The proud father will make the four-and-a-half hour trip to watch his son play first the first time since he joined Alabama five months ago.
“Oh man, it’s a blessing,” Hopate said. “To be honest, I probably wouldn’t be able to make it if it was anywhere else. It’s going to be nice to finally see him suit up again.”
Fittingly, the last time Hopate watched his son live was during Nevada’s Northern 4A championship game in 2017 as Ale and Reno fell 24-21 to Reed. Hopate said he’s hoping for a happier result Monday night as No. 1 Alabama takes on No. 2 Clemson.
“Oh absolutely, they’ve definitely got to win,” he said. “It’s the perfect ending.”