Central Florida football players bond during Hawaii vacation

The tattoo starts at the top of Samuel Jackson’s right shoulder and weaves its way down toward his elbow. It completely engulfs the arm of the 6-foot-6, 335-pound UCF offensive lineman with lines criss-crossing one another in perfect geometric patterns that tend to mesmerize.

It’s the ultimate souvenir — albeit a painful one — of the time he spent this summer in Hawaii with some of his teammates.

“It’s a traditional Samoan tattoo that has a lot of things that deal with what chiefs go through,” Jackson said of the tattoo. “I actually got it tattooed by what’s called a Sulu’ape. It’s not easy to get that title. He has to be given that title by a chief. So he’s (been) doing tattoos for about 20 years.”

When asked of the time it took to create such an intricate design, Jackson answered, “Fourteen hours total. I got it all done in about a three-day span.”

The redshirt sophomore spent approximately 10 days with teammate Greg McCrae on the island of Oahu as guests of McKenzie Milton, a Mililani High alum. Ever since the junior quarterback arrived on campus back in 2015, Milton’s been an ambassador for his home state of Hawaii.

In fact, Milton’s ties to Hawaii have helped pave the way for other players from the state to join him at UCF. Freshmen Dillon Gabriel (Mililani) and offensive lineman Lokahi Pauole (Kamehameha) arrived from Hawaii this year as part of the Knights’ 2019 recruiting class.

“We want to bring more Hawaii guys out here,” Pauole said. “The culture is similar to that of Hawaii and if we get more players from out there, our 808 brand out here, it’s going to be real fun.”

The Miltons have opened their home to UCF players, including McCrae and Jackson. Last year, Milton invited center Jordan Johnson to stay with him for a few days as well.

For Jackson and McCrae, the trip was an experience of a lifetime.

“I learned to surf,” McCrae said with a smile when describing the stay with Milton’s family. “He got me this board and we went out in the water. It was a workout, I tell you. I was a little nervous, but I was really excited to do it and try something new.

“That was really, really fun for me and I enjoyed the experience.”

While surfing was the highlight of the visit, McCrae said he also enjoyed taking in the atmosphere and the local cuisine, particularly the dish called loco moco.

“It was rice, meatloaf and egg. I’ve never thought of that combination of foods before,” the junior running back said of the popular meal.

For Jackson, being able to share the experience with his teammates made it special.

“Hawaii is just a beautiful place and to go out there to see where KZ, Dillon and Lokahi are from,” he said, using Milton’s “KZ” nickname. “You build that bond and you get a little closer. I wasn’t able to surf, so that’s why I got the tattoo.”

While there was some football talk among the teammates, most of the time the trip was just about relaxing and having fun.

For McCrae, the trip was just another example of how special Milton is and his impact on the program and his teammates.

“He’s a great person to be around. He’s another one of those guys that when he sees you, he tells you that he loves you. It was the way he was brought up. He’s motivation to me, every single day. I love seeing him around and being around him,” McCrae adds.

Gabriel and Pauole also were on hand to spend time with their new teammates and while they were impressed with Jackson’s tattoo, it was surprising to them.

“Personally, I would never go through that,” Gabriel said. “That’s pretty painful, but at the end the art looks really nice.”

Pauole added, “I like that he got it and I’m not the only one out here rocking it. He has some Polynesian ancestry, so I respect his decision to get the tattoo.”