The latest University of Hawai'i football commitment was named Sacramento's Metro Football Player of the Year.

He was one of the nation's most efficient high school quarterbacks, completing 72 percent of his passes and throwing for 40 touchdowns in 11 games.

And he has a cumulative grade-point average of 3.76.

Humbleness prevents Folsom (Calif.) High School's David Graves from blowing his own horn.

But if needed, of course, he is quite capable of doing that. He also is a saxophone player in one of the nation's top-ranked jazz bands.

"Hawai'i is getting a great player and a great person," said Troy Taylor, Graves' mentor.

Graves, who is 6 feet 1 and 191 pounds, said he chose the Warriors because of the four-wide offense, the coaching staff and "Hawai'i's music."

In particular, he was drawn to Jawaiian music, as well as traditional island songs.

"I love the music of the islands," said Graves, who has visited Hawai'i several times. "I love the bending guitars, and the real soothing voices."

Graves said Curtis Gaesser, director of Folsom's award-winning Jazz Band & Choir, was raised in Hawai'i.

"He grew up playing island music," Graves said. "His first instrument was the ukulele. He's a great teacher."

Graves also is an accomplished pianist and guitar player.

But Graves' best skill, according to Taylor, is picking apart defenses. Taylor is a former quarterbacks coach for California. He recently opened a year-round program that tutors quarterbacks.

"The thing that impresses me the most is how quickly he gets rid of the ball," Taylor said. "When you talk about a high-school-level quarterback, the most successful are the ones with quick releases and accuracy. He has the quickest release of any quarterback I've worked with in the high school or college level. He's very accurate. He has a strong arm. He's got all of the throws you need to make."

The past summer, the Folsom coaches called UH offensive coordinator Ron Lee for information about the Warriors' version of the four-wide offense. Folsom, which also runs a spread offense, has two UH-inspired plays: "Hawai'i" and "Hawai'i Switch."

"Folsom runs a complex passing game," Taylor said. "He learned to run the show, and he's very good at it. He's smart and competitive. I think he's a great fit for Hawai'i."

Folsom often went with an empty set, using five receivers and relying on both Graves' passing and scrambling. In 2008, Graves rushed for 696 yards and 11 touchdowns.

"He's a great quarterback, but some opponents said he was Folsom's best running back, too," Taylor said.

Graves indeed has multiple talents. He played quarterback from Pop Warner through his freshman season. To help out the team, he played wide receiver in 2006 and 2007. As a junior, he was named to the All-Metro team.

"He's a quarterback, and he waited for his turn," said his father, David Graves Sr.

What turned into a breakout senior season helped Graves earn early offers.

He initially made a verbal commitment to Nevada.

But after visiting Hawai'i the weekend before the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl, he changed his mind.

"It wasn't easy for him," David Sr. said. "I told him to do what was best for himself."

David Sr. said his son was impressed with Lee and UH quarterbacks coach Nick Rolovich. He said his son liked head coach Greg McMackin's "positive style."

Last week, Graves notified the Nevada coaches that he was de-committing.

"Nevada has great coaches and a great program," Graves said. "But I feel there are more opportunities for me in Hawai'i. I see Hawai'i as a better fit for me, probably a better life experience."