QB Brent Rausch commits to the Warriors

About committing to join the Warriors, 6'4", 190-pound freshman (College of the Desert) Brent Rausch said:
"Yes, I'm going to be a Warrior. I love it here. I love the people and the program." (HA)

HA Note: "Rausch will be a sophomore in the fall, and have three seasons of eligibility for UH. Last season, he threw for more than 2,600 yards, with 28 touchdown throws against five interceptions."

About how Brent was rarely sacked, College of the Desert coach Dean Dowty said:
"He's got great movement in the pocket. He'll just slide from side to side. It's amazing to see. He has a great feel for pressure. And he doesn't panic. That's what makes him so effective." (HA)

HA Note: "Rausch received offers from Youngstown State and Montana State. Dowty said Rausch would have been heavily recruited if it were widely known that he could transfer after one season."

About Rausch being able to transfer after one season, Dowty said:
"My job as a JC coach is to help him succeed and move on. Although I would love to have him back for another year, that would be selfish. He's a very good player, and he will succeed at the next level." (HA)

HA Note: "Rausch had hoped to enroll at UH this semester, going as far as buying a plane ticket. But when he learned he needed two more classes, he took the trip, anyway, visiting UH with his parents two weeks ago. This weekend, he is on an official visit."

About UH's offense, Rausch said:
"I love the offense. It seems like the right fit for me." (HA)

Dowty said that Rausch has a quick release and:
"he can make all of the throws. He can throw the sideline routes, and he can lay it over the top. I'll tell you this, he can throw on the move. He can swing to his left or to his right, and throw it. He's got a variety of tricks in his bag." (HA)

About his confidence in his ability, Rausch said:
"I trust myself to make the throws." (HA)

Dowty said that Rausch is thin, but:
"he's a tough kid. He'll get in there and compete. Hawai'i will be very happy with him. He was the sharpest passer I've seen of anybody last year, and I've seen some of the better (JC) quarterbacks last year." (HA)

HA Note: "Rausch was named his conference's Offensive Player of the Year. He was selected to the All-State Region 4 first team, and was voted Most Valuable Player of the Golden Empire Bowl."

About how he owns 2 dirt bikes, a lifted truck and a snowboard, Rausch said:
"I'm into a little bit of extreme sports. I try to stay away from it during the season to make (Dowty) happy." (HA)

About how they changed their offense after he had success passing, Rausch said:
"We started last season in the Power-I. But I made a couple of good throws, and Coach started to spread it out. By the end of the season we were running just 10 times a game." (HSB)

HSB Note: "COD went 9-2, and Rausch completed 60 percent of his passes for 2,632 yards and 28 touchdowns. He said he's 6-feet-4 and 190 pounds. Rausch chose Hawaii over Youngstown State and Montana State. He said he has escaped the attention of bigger schools because he played 8-man football at Desert Chapel High School in Palm Springs, Calif."

About how he was a high school basketball teammate of UH baseball catcher Landon Hernandez, Rausch said:
"Yeah, he's one of my good friends. I talked to him last week a couple of times, and he told me a little bit about what I might expect. He told me it's a great place and I would like it." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Rausch has three seasons of eligibility. He said he thinks he can fit into UH's run-and-shoot offense, but admits he "has some big shoes to fill" following Colt Brennan, and competing for playing time with fifth-year senior Tyler Graunke and other returnees will be a challenge."