A decorated junior-college quarterback yesterday accepted a football scholarship from the University of Hawai'i.

"Yes, I'm going to be a Warrior," said Brent Rausch, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound freshman from College of the Desert. "I love it here. I love the people and the program."

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. He was rarely sacked.

"He's got great movement in the pocket," College of the Desert coach Dean Dowty said. "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."

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.

As an NCAA qualifier out of high school, Rausch only needs to earn enough transferrable credits. "My job as a JC coach is to help him succeed and move on," Dowty said. "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."

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.

Yesterday, he discussed schemes with new offensive coordinator Ron Lee. "I love the offense," Rausch said. "It seems like the right fit for me."

Dowty said 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."

Rausch said: "I trust myself to make the throws."

Rausch is experienced in taking snaps from under center or in the shotgun.

Despite a thin build, "he's a tough kid," Dowty said. "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."

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.

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

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.