Vince Passas knows a good quarterback when he sees one, so when he saw Micah Alejado throw for the first time, he knew he was witnessing something special.

Alejado used to tag along with his brother, Noah, a former Saint Louis receiver, to workouts Passas would put together at Saint Louis.

Alejado was an elementary schooler at the time. Since then, he’s blossomed into a star quarterback for Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, where he’s heading into his fourth straight season of starting behind center for the nationally-ranked Gaels.

On Sunday, Alejado publicly committed to play college football at the University of Hawaii, where he’ll play for head coach Timmy Chang — another former Passas pupil.

“When we heard he was coming to Saint Louis, we were really excited about him coming in and coming through and being a part of our brotherhood,” Passas told KHON2 of Alejado, who is originally from Ewa Beach but moved to Las Vegas prior to high school. “Sometimes the lord has a different path for you, different journey so he made the most of it, the best of it and I’m really happy for him and his family, and especially Timmy and his program.”

Passas most often compares Alejado to Tua Tagovailoa, a former student of Passas who went on to become a Heisman finalist and No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Although Alejado and Tagovailoa are both southpaws, Passas didn’t mention the handedness of either when listing the similarities between the two.  

“He was like the next Tua coming through, one of those guys that kind of just stood out and was really accurate,” Passas says of Alejado. “When you watch him throw the ball, it very rarely hits the turf and just the way they carried themselves, they’re all competitors and wanted to be the ones that everyone was chasing.

“He comes from that Tua Tagovailoa mold. They work really hard, he’s accurate. I haven’t seen another quarterback as accurate as him and how Tua is. They kind of resemble just the way they carry themselves, the way they work and it and just being a complete winner at what they do and just trying to get better every day.”

To former Hawaii linebacker and current Bishop Gorman quarterback coach Chad Kapanui, Alejado checks many boxes.

“They’re getting a good leader that is very smart and intelligent. Very high IQ of the game. One of the smartest quarterbacks I’ve ever coached,” Kapanui says. “The one thing about him, he’s very competitive. He just has that competitive attitude on the field, off the field, doesn’t matter what he’s doing. He’s always trying to win the game or try to win at something. So you’re going to have a guy that’s ready to go.

“I think Hawaii got a big steal on this for sure.”

Or, as 247Sports national analyst Greg Biggins puts it, ‘This guy is legit.’

As a former teammate of Chang’s, Kapanui witnessed a team operate with the run and shoot as its base offense and believes Alejado is an ideal fit.

“I think his strength is throwing the ball and he’s very accurate. Going into this run and shoot offense that they’re running and again, I think he’s going to fit in perfect for him,” Kapanui said. “I think it just shows all his strengths that what he can do on the field and I think the community will love him for what he does. I think Hawaii needs that excitement back by throwing that ball and just scoring.” 

Come 2024, Passas’ journey as a quarterback coach will come full circle once again as Chang, one of his former pupils, coaches another one of his understudies in Alejado.

“I’m blessed to be just a part of their journeys. From Timmy, to Micah, to all the guys that come through,” said Passas, who continues to train quarterbacks in Las Vegas. “I’m just really honored and thank the good lord for having me be a part of their journey and seeing these guys is pretty amazing.”