Stanford Football Names Captains for Matchup Against Hawaii

In just two day's time, the Stanford Cardinal will begin their 2025 campaign in Honolulu where a matchup against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors awaits. Coming off of their fourth straight 3-9 season, the Cardinal are looking to get over the hump and prove that they are ready to compete in a loaded ACC.

Ahead of their first game of the season, the Cardinal have revealed who would serve as the game captains and go out for the coin toss prior to kickoff. Tight end Sam Roush and defensive back Collin Wright were named season captains for the program, but each week, they will be joined by a couple players who are elected as game captains.

This week, EDGE rusher Tevarua Tafiti and linebacker Ese Dubre will also serve as game captains against Hawaii.

Tafiti's selection make a lot of sense. A native of Hawaii, Tafiti will return to where he grew up and play the first game of his senior campaign. With star pass rusher David Bailey transferring to Texas Tech this offseason, Tafiti will take on Bailey's old role and is expected to be the team's headlining pass rusher this season.

Tafiti will look to build off of a very strong campaign from a year ago. Finishing with 41 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception, Tafiti put together his best season as a junior and now has the chance to grow even more into one of the nation's top pass rushers.

Dubre, a fifth year graduate player, will look to take on a more expanded role that stems far beyond his prior role as a special teamer. Last season, Tristan Sinclair and Gaethan Bernadel led the linebacker unit but with both of them now gone, Dubre has the chance to take over one of the top spots.

While getting limited playing time on defense, Dubre's experience could come in handy for a team that has a lot of questions still to answer.

Last season, Dubre recorded eight total tackles and forced a fumble, bringing up his college totals to 13 tackles and two forced fumbles. But with a chance to earn substantial playing time in 2025, Dubre could find himself enjoying a breakout season if all goes according to plan.

The Cardinal and the Rainbow Warriors will kickoff at 4:30 p.m. (PT) with the action airing on CBS. The game is also available to stream on Paramount Plus and FUBO.