In a back-to-the-future scenario, the University of Hawaii football team secured a 2025 commitment from slotback/returner Titan Lacaden of Saint Louis School.
As a fifth-grader in 2017, Lacaden made national news when he received a scholarship offer from then-UH head coach Nick Rolovich. On Saturday, exactly six years from that initial proposal, Lacaden accepted UH head coach Timmy Chang’s revised scholarship offer.
“I talked to Coach Timmy and (receivers) Coach (Jared) Ursua, and I told them I’m 100% in,” Lacaden said of his decision. “I like how Coach Timmy and Coach Ursua and the rest of the coaches are changing the culture. That’s what it’s all about: changing the culture and bringing back how Hawaii football used to be. … It’s a dream for local boys to be blessed with the opportunity to play D-1 football. It just so happened I’ve been blessed by the University of Hawaii. It makes it that much sweeter to play in front of my family and friends and represent the state.”
Lacaden was a quarterback when he played for a youth program in Kapolei in 2017. At Saint Louis, he has excelled as a slotback and returner. “I’m an athlete,” Lacaden said. “QB’s really not my specialty, but I enjoy playing on the offensive side of the ball. Slot is definitely my best choice.”
Saint Louis head coach Ron Lee said 5-foot-7, 165-pound Lacaden is comparable to receiver/returner Chad Owens. As an assistant coach at UH in 2000, Lee recruited Owens as a preferred walk-on.
“Titan is quicker than Chad Owens,” Lee said. “He’s unbelievable. At this point in time, he’s ahead of Chad Owens as a junior in high school. … He’s a great pickup (for UH). He’s fast. He can catch. He can return kicks. He can return punts. He can make plays.”
Lacaden said he adapted to the early attention. “It gets a lot of exposure on you,” he said. “But keeping my poise and knowing my values in life and keeping God as my guidance, it helps me stay humble.”
Lacaden said the plan is to earn a diploma at the end of Saint Louis’ 2024 fall semester, then enroll at UH in January 2025. “That’s the goal,” Lacaden said. “I’m happy to be staying home.”
