The Making of a Leader: Cade Uluave Prepares to Break Out | football

A moment of pure shock occurred for Cal linebacker Cade Uluave as he stood on the sideline and watched Bears defensive frontman Jackson Sirmon leave the field with a season-ending injury midway through the 2023 season.

“Suddenly I hear 'Cade!' Cade! “You’re up, you’re in,” Uluave recalled. “And I thought, ‘What? Are you serious? …Shoot! “Okay, let’s go.” ”

As an 18-year-old complete rookie without a single tackle on defense, Uluave put on his helmet and stormed onto the gridiron. Uluave was right in the mix, recording four tackles in his defensive debut against then-No. 15 Oregon State – a catalyst for the rise of his upcoming breakout campaign.

The next week, Uluave took charge again. The South Jordan, Utah, native, who had big shoes to fill after Sirmon's first-team All-Pac-12 nod, was confident and consistent, recording nine tackles in the return to his home state, with 14 to that point: Bears 34 loss -NO. 16Utah. Uluave's performance in Sirmon's absence was a significant improvement compared to his limited appearances less than two months ago and made him a starter for the six remaining games of the season.

“I remember being here in June and July just training. Then fall camp came in August and I’m barely there anymore,” Uluave said. “(It was) my first year, so I knew it would take some time to learn the defense, get settled in and still be able to be on the field a little bit on special teams, but not really on that Defense.”

From low expectations to winning Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in December, Uluave has been both a spark and an anchor for Cal's defense. In his eight games as a linebacker, he registered 66 tackles and 6.5 for a loss, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, two interceptions and a 51-yard touchdown to earn Cal's first bowl game appearance since To secure 2019 with an end. Pac-12 Glove of the Season.

Uluave attributes his unexpected rebellion to Sirmon's mentorship over the year. The pair analyzed film together and studied scouting reports as Sirmon went from being a player before Uluave to being the rookie's “personal coach.”

“I wouldn’t be here without him,” Uluave laughed. “I literally followed him. I was like a dog on a leash. I did whatever he did because I wanted to be like him.”

Now in its second season, Uluave has evolved from follower to leader. With a 180-degree differential last year, he has contributed 32 tackles and one interception as a starter in the first four games of the season, with Cal's defense looking disruptive and efficient so far.

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A year ago – almost to date – Uluave's parents, Kalisi and Kindra Uluave, were shocked and excited to see their son running onto the field for his first defensive tackle. But his successes since then have come as no surprise to her.

“He has excelled in sports since he was a very young boy. Whatever sport he played, he was naturally good at it,” recalls his mother Kindra. “They would call him the 'man-child' because he was the biggest, the fastest and the strongest and always had been.”

For Uluave, this natural athleticism was a genetic gift. His “go, go, go” nature was a trait passed down through generations of college athletes in his bloodline. His father played football at Southern Utah University, his grandfather played football at Utah State University, and his two great-uncles were also college athletes. Most recently, Uluave's cousin Semisi Uluave wore the blue and gold, playing the offensive line at Cal from 2015 through the 2018 season.

“Sports have always been important in my family,” said Uluave. “I think my parents got me into sports because I had a lot of energy.”

Uluave was an extremely energetic and curious child and tried all sorts of sports as a child. He poured his natural talent into anything competitive: football, track, baseball, basketball, and even a pickle-eating contest.

“At 15 he was a pickle champion!” his parents laughed.

But despite all these areas for his ambition, a pattern emerged. Uluave always found itself in foul trouble early – with the exception of the pickle pickling contest, of course. He just couldn't keep his elbows down.

“I’ve always loved the contact,” he said. “When I played soccer as a little kid, I was always punished for hitting someone with my shoulder.”

It was clear that Uluave needed an outlet for his competitive, physical game. But his parents made the firm decision to keep him away from combat sports until his teenage years.

“He played flag football when he was little, and I didn’t let him play tackle football until seventh grade. One reason for this was to make sure he wasn’t put under pressure too soon and too quickly,” said his father Kalisi. “When we took the opportunity to play football, I knew he would excel at it and that he would love it because he was a wild boy.”

Instead, a young Uluave followed the family wrestling tradition, where he was a force until he quit before high school. But when the time was right and Uluave was finally able to start playing soccer as a middle school student, he took off immediately.

“I wanted to be like my father. My dad played linebacker in college and he’s someone I really look up to,” Uluave said. “When I first put on the pads in seventh grade, I knew I wanted to play college football. And now we are here.”

While his beginnings in sports sailed smoothly on a wave of natural athleticism, high school football came to test Uluave.

He rose to the challenge.

Uluave chose to attend Mountain Ridge High School, a brand new school in his district that had split off from a larger institution. He didn't know anyone when he arrived, but immediately found an opportunity on the soccer field and started college as a freshman. But when it comes to team success, not quite.

“My first year we were 0-11. We didn’t win a single game,” Uluave said.

“And those games weren’t even close,” his father added.

Uluave admitted the season was daunting, but he pushed himself to stick with it. His team flipped the script the following season, establishing itself as a young program with five or six wins before COVID-19 canceled the season. As a result, Uluave received his first Division I offer from Utah State, and many more would follow in his junior year as Mountain Ridge catapulted itself into contention as one of the state's top teams.

When Cal came calling, it was the defensive system and coaching staff that sold Uluave. His trust and appreciation for Cal defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon's approach to the game gave the Bears a leg up on UCLA, and he made his commitment official just before his senior season.

Things were going well for the budding star. His initiative had transformed a winless team into a promising unit that offered great individual opportunities. But the constant narrative would be disrupted once again, this time by an injury. Four games into Uluave's senior season, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in a four-wheeler accident.

“We had been riding ATVs at my grandfather’s house since I was four or five years old. Then one day when we were going out, I just took a wrong turn and crashed,” recalls Uluave. “I passed out and the next thing I see my knee is basically pointing in the opposite direction.”

Despite his devastation, Uluave continued to believe that he would make a full recovery.

“He said to me, ‘Mom, I’m fine. It's all in your mindset. I will prevail. “I’m going to do it,” and he did it,” his mother said. “We didn’t hear him complain at all… and he worked hard the whole time. When he got hurt, he said, “This isn't going to stop me from playing college ball.” “I'm going to prove to people that's not the case,” and his actions showed that every day, how tough he was worked.”

Uluave must certainly have built up good karma to be so lucky. He was able to avoid a full knee reconstruction by playing the waiting game and hoping the injury would heal on its own. He began rehabilitation the following January. In March he competed in track and field events.

“(The injury) opened his eyes and made him realize that he needs to pay attention to the gift he has to be able to perform and act within his physical capabilities,” his father said. “This injury has helped him develop a more determined determination to take care of this gift, this body, because there are a lot of kids who just wish they could do what he does physically, and of course that's in of nature, but is also a very determined effort over a long period of time to develop into the best athlete he can be.”

Despite the odds, Uluave took the opportunity to do what he loves most: prove people wrong.

“I was a competitive kid from day one,” Uluave said. “My mentality is, ‘I’m going to show you what I can do. I'll show you who I am.' … I kind of always had fire under me and I’m just ready to keep going no matter what.”

Uluave attributes this quality to his late grandfather, who grew up impoverished in Tonga and struggled daily to create a better situation for himself and his family in America. The linebacker says his grandfather's positive attitude inspires him daily during difficult times and pushes him to emulate his perspective in his own tough battles, all with his family by his side.

He enjoys the guidance and support of his family. Whether it's playing games, watching sports, or baking chocolate chip cookies together, there's nothing Uluave enjoys as much as spending time with family – so much so that he took multiple flights to get back from a soccer trip last summer to come back and meet his family on vacation just to spend 24 hours with them.

“My family has been my rock from day one. They have helped me through everything, through thick and thin,” Uluave said.

His appreciation for her is clearly noticeable. Since arriving at Cal, Uluave has done much more than just run the Bears' defense, improve his golf swing and learn to live on his own. He has developed an even deeper gratitude for his support system — from his family to his teammates like Jackson Sirmon, who have become like family.

“I saw him come to the realization that no one can create themselves. He is aware of the fact that he is not the only part of who he is right now – there are teammates, coaches, family members. His participation has allowed us to reconnect with many family members,” said his father. “And we’re just so grateful for that.”