Second-year linebacker Ale Kaho isn't content. Though it's early and still the offseason, he knows that when it comes to being in the NFL, "What you did last year ain't gonna work." New guys are in the building. A roster spot is far from a guarantee. It's in these moments, when an opportunity is placed before him and he is asked to become a better version of himself, that Kaho turns to a particular place.
"Going into this year, finding ways to grow and get that extra edge for myself, I always go back to my culture," Kaho explained. "When I feel weak or I feel like I need to get back in that mode, I always resort back to my culture."
That culture isn't a large one in the United States. Kaho is Tongan American, a group that makes up somewhere between just .02% to .03% of the U.S. population. Yet that tight-knit, value-focused community has made a significant impact on the 26-year-old's life, from how he delivers a hit on Sunday to his approach to learning.
Kaho's father, Hopate Kaho, and mother, Lusiola Tu'amoheloa, met in the Tongan ward of the Mormon church in Reno, Nevada. Both Tongan and English were spoken in the house, and Kaho and his four younger siblings were exposed to the island's traditions and culture. Celebrations centered around pig roasts and kava ceremonies were fixtures of his childhood. As he got older, his relationship to his Polynesian identity evolved.
Kaho's name, for one, reflects this journey. His birth certificate reads "Brandon Alefosio Tu'amoheloa." "Brandon" is in honor of an uncle on his mom's side, and "Tu'amoheloa" is his mom's maiden name. Around middle school, he started using his dad's last name -- "Kaho" -- and he switched from Brandon to Ale in college.
"Me personally, I'm Tongan. I want a Tongan name. Alefosio is a Tongan name. My brother's name is Kahomovailahi Kaho. It sounds like a cultural name," he said. "That's kind of what I wanted for me, especially going into college."
More than just a switch on a roster, the name has been a source of strength and inspiration.
"My mom sent me the meaning of 'Alefosio', and it's something like 'eager for war,' and I love that," Kaho said. "Especially with the sport we play. You've got to have that certain type of mentality."
A warrior-like quality becomes apparent in looking at Kaho's path in college and the NFL. He was a three-time special teams player of the year while at Alabama. After transferring to UCLA and working his way back from injury, Kaho was named to the Comeback Player of the Year Award preseason watch list ahead of his senior season.
Kaho, an undrafted free agent for the Commanders in 2025, surprised many by making the 53-man roster last August. He earned it. by ranking second on the team in tackles against the Baltimore Ravens with seven stops in the preseason finale and recording 14 overall in the final two preseason games.
"Kaho was a consistent standout, both in practice and the preseason games, for his physicality and violence at the point of attack," Commanders writer Zach Selby wrote for Commanders.com after the roster was released.
So yes, "eager for war" feels particularly fitting for this hungry underdog. And that relentlessness isn't just restricted to football. Like many who emigrate from Polynesia to the United States, family on both Kaho's mom and dad's side moved here for better opportunities. Kaho is passionate about keeping that momentum going.
"I want to elevate. I want to grow, just for more opportunities, to set up my future family or my siblings," he said.
He sees that a certain responsibility is inherent in his role as oldest child. He is determined to set a good example and lift up his younger siblings. In the fall, he nudged his younger brother, Sione Kaho, a highly-recruited quarterback in the class of 2027, to consider choosing Stanford. Now, Sione, in addition to being mentored by Andrew Luck, will be under the tutelage of former Commanders coach and Polynesian quarterback legend in his own right Tavita Pritchard.
Currently, Ale Kaho's yonger brother, Vai, is trying to make it to the next level of football. Kaho sees himself as a resource for Vai in this process, offering him a place to stay and people to work out with.
"I'm like, 'Everything you need for your life right now, it's over here. I'm your big bro, I've been there. I'm only two years older than you, but I have some wisdom,'" he said. "I'm just trying to help him out."
While Kaho is a guide, he is also distinctly aware of how it behooves him to be a sponge and to learn. At the core of that mindset is humility, a value with the utmost importance in Tongan culture.
"Knowing that I don't know it all and I don't have it all so asking a question, introducing myself to somebody, I'm working on those things," he said. "As I get older, I understand how much it can help. Push your ego to the side for the betterment of yourself. Ask that question, go talk to that vet."
Being with the Commanders has provided opportunities to get wisdom from veterans that a young Kaho could have only dreamed of. The fact that Marcus Mariota is Kaho's locker neighbor is still a wild reality for the linebacker to wrap his head around.
"It took me a long time to sit there and talk to Marcus how I wanted to talk to Marcus," Kaho said. "I sh*t you not, in middle school when I was using my mom or dad's phone before I had a phone, I would always watch Marcus Mariota videos, his interviews, his highlights obviously. I was more intrigued with him as a person. In the Poly culture, we look at him: 'Damn.' There's only so many of us who get to that level and reach that."
In the linebacker room specifically, he is grateful to work alongside a veteran who he shares so much in common with. Fellow Polynesian linebacker Frankie Luvu is a player that Kaho has been watching since Luvu's time at the Jets and Panthers. Back then, Kaho was playing special teams at Alabama, and Luvu, also an undrafted free agent, was making a name for himself in the NFL as a special teamer.
"I literally look up to Frankie. I tell him all the time. We work out, we lift, I'm right behind him. I don't care if people say I'm a follower. I don't care. I'm following him for a reason. I want to be just like him or better," Kaho said. "Him giving me the advice that he does, on and off the field, I'm so grateful for Frankie."
In navigating the day-to-day stresses and unknowns that come with being in the NFL, Kaho has a deep appreciation for a brotherhood that understands him and where he comes from on a certain level.
"It means everything. If there were no Polynesians [on the team], and it was just me out here, it would be different. Not in a bad way but when you have other people who grew up the same way as you, have damn near the same tattoos, that's huge," he said.
That feeling of being seen also comes from the top. A part-time Hawaii resident for over two decades, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has his Polynesia-inspired ways of showing love, and that has left an impression on Kaho.
"We have this little group chat with me, Tavita, Uce [Frankie Luvu], Big Uce [Marcus Mariota]. He'll send a text on Fridays: 'Happy aloha Friday' with the shaka emoji and an island emoji. It goes a long way for guys like us. That's the head coach. He loves the culture. And we play for him, and it makes you want to even go harder."
As he heads into Year 2, Kaho has gained respect from his coaches and teammates, and he's shown he can fight tooth and nail. Still, a lot of uncertainties lay ahead. No matter what, though, he has constants -- traits passed on, value shared -- that he knows can both ground and propel him, always.
"When life starts happening and you go through some stuff, you kind of have to bounce back to like, 'Ok who am I?' You've gotta ask yourself those questions," he said. "It comes with staying humble, family, loyalty, work ethic … The morals of my culture and the teaching of my parents, I think it's a combination of those."
