Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 27-37@ Stanford | 5 | 72 | 14.4 | 0 | 32 | |
| Wk 1 | L 6-21vs UNLV | 1 | 26 | 26.0 | 0 | 26 | |
| Wk 2 | W 29-19vs New Mexico State | 9 | 82 | 9.1 | 0 | 22 | Season-high 82 yds |
| Total | 15 | 180 | 16.5 | 0 | 32 |
#6
Kainoa Carvalho
Freshman wide receiver for Hawai'i. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
5′6″ · 165 lb · Laie, HI
Returning to Hawai'i for 2026
The numbers
180
receiving yards · 2026
15 catches · 12 per catch
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 9 rec, 82 yds, vs New Mexico State
His career numbers, season by seasonKainoa Carvalho
Moves the chains on third down. The receipt: 82 rec yds, 9 receptions against New Mexico State — Week 2, 2026.
180 REC YDS · 15 REC · 0 REC TD
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- game log
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
Hawai'i
NFL
NFL Draft
—
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2026Hawai'i1-2HC: Timmy Chang · Pass-heavy
Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort
Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles
Elite: explosive rate (83rd percentile). Concern: epa / target (25th percentile).
Real play-by-play efficiency
Box-score rates (6)
Season trend
EPA / target— first qualifying season
Explosive rate— first qualifying season
Catch rate— first qualifying season
TD rate— first qualifying season
Yards / catch— first qualifying season
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 5.0 | 54.0 | 17.6 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 5.0 | 72.0 | 14.4 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 5.0 | 60.0 | 16.5 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Timmy Chang
Pass share
63.7%
142 pass / 81 run
Plays / game
74.3
3 games
Team sack rate
5.2%
155 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-heavy.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Hawai'i | 15 | 180 | 12.0 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 15 | 180 | 12.0 | 0 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 29–19
9 rec · 82 yds
With M. Alejado — 346 yds · 0 TD · 0 INT · -4 rush yds (3 car) · G. Heil — 45 AVG · 5 IN 20 · 63 LONG
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 1 · UNLV · 3&9 · Q1 · EPA +3.65(01:23) Shotgun #12 M.Alejado pass complete short middle to #6 K.Carvalho caught at Hawaii42, for 26 yards to the UNLV40 (#7 J.Pope; #10 T.Fulton), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · New Mexico State · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +1.93(06:43) No Huddle-Shotgun #12 M.Alejado pass complete short right to #6 K.Carvalho caught at Hawaii30, for 22 yards to the Hawaii45 (#6 T.Gethers), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Stanford · 3&6 · Q1 · EPA +1.58(03:48) Shotgun #12 M.Alejado pass complete short middle to #6 K.Carvalho caught at HAW29, for 10 yards to the HAW33 fumbled by #6 K.Carvalho at HAW29 forced by #24 L.McAllister III recovered by HAW #6 K.Carvalho at HAW33 (#24 L.McAllister III), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · New Mexico State · 3&3 · Q1 · EPA +1.41(10:01) Shotgun #12 M.Alejado pass complete short right to #6 K.Carvalho caught at NMSU39, for 8 yards to the NMSU35 (#4 D.Peters), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Stanford · 3&1 · Q4 · EPA +1.33(05:12) No Huddle-Shotgun #12 M.Alejado pass complete short right to #6 K.Carvalho caught at STAN42, for 17 yards to the STAN26 (#5 J.Green; #35 M.Rose), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Stanford · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +1.04(10:19) Shotgun #12 M.Alejado pass complete short right to #6 K.Carvalho caught at STAN24, for 32 yards to the STAN06 (#5 J.Green), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · New Mexico State · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +1.02(00:52) No Huddle-Shotgun #12 M.Alejado pass complete deep middle to #6 K.Carvalho caught at NMSU27, for 22 yards to the NMSU27, End Of Play, 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · New Mexico State · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA -0.89(01:04) No Huddle-Shotgun #12 M.Alejado pass complete short right to #6 K.Carvalho caught at Hawaii40, for 1 yard to the Hawaii39 (#1 J.Charles)
- Week 2 · New Mexico State · 2&9 · Q2 · EPA +0.56(01:00) No Huddle-Shotgun #12 M.Alejado pass complete short right to #6 K.Carvalho caught at Hawaii45, for 7 yards to the Hawaii46, out of bounds at Hawaii46
- Week 2 · New Mexico State · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +0.40(12:13) Shotgun #12 M.Alejado pass complete short right to #6 K.Carvalho caught at Hawaii34, for 6 yards to the Hawaii42 (#0 L.Smith)
Game log
Game by game
Kainoa Carvalho's 2026 production
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
How he plays
Play style
Reliable target who converts on critical downs. Not flashy; consistently productive.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Hawai'i
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Wide receiver · Hawai'i
Returning around him
- 64% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
- Transfer portal: +7 net (16 in / 9 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Hawai'i · Last season: 9-4 · Talent rank #115 · 2026 recruiting class #124
DNA match
Player DNA
Possession Receiver
Reliable target who converts on critical downs. Not flashy; consistently productive.
WR
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Tyler Williams’s 2014 season.
Matches Tyler on
Total EPA (college ability)
Yards / reception
Height
Differs from Tyler on
Reception volume (higher)
Through 1 college season, his career arc tracks closest to Gavin Nelson’s path through Monmouth.
Gavin Nelson
98%match
#2
Julian Mason
97%
#3
Miequle Brock
95%
#4
Landon Ruggieri
94%
#5
Joey Stout
92%
Matches Gavin on
Yards per reception
As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to Brandon Lee's freshman season at Akron (2019).
Matches Brandon on
Reception volume
Height
Weight
Differs from Brandon on
Class year (lower)
Yards / reception (higher)
The receiver room · Hawai'i
- #5Pofele Ashlock827 receiving yards · 2025
- #8Tama Uiliata231 receiving yards · 2025
- #2Audric Harris99 receiving yards · 2025
- #18Blaze Kamoku88 receiving yards · 2025
- #6Kainoa Carvalho3 games · 2026
12 more on the roster · Hawai'i team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology