Taylor Graham is hoping to make a big impact at Hawaii this season. (UH Sports Media Relations)
Hawaii Rainbow Warrior fans have ESPN to thank for starting quarterback Taylor Graham. Actually, they can thank the scroll across the bottom of the screen.
“I had made the difficult decision to transfer from Ohio State,” said Graham, a 6-5, 235-pound junior, who is the son of former Buckeye and NFL quarterback Kent Graham. “But, I wanted to play, so I made that choice.
“I saw a trailer on ESPN saying that Norm Chow had been hired as head coach at Hawaii. So, I asked my dad if he thought I should call him (Chow) and he said that I should do it. I remember that it was Christmas Eve when I made the call. It took a couple of calls, but when we connected, it went great. Coach Chow had recruited me when he was at UCLA. It was a short conversation. I told him that I was interested in transferring and he said he would like that. I committed over the phone without ever having even been to Hawaii.”
Graham has not regretted the decision.
“I came here because of Coach Chow,” he said. “I don’t shy away from it being a long time since I’ve played. It would have been easy to be complacent, but I didn’t waste the time during the redshirt last year. I improved my game. And, when I was at Ohio State, I improved my game. I learned by watching the other quarterbacks, including Braxton Miller. Of course, I couldn’t apply that same 4.3 speed.”
Despite living several thousand miles away, the elder Graham still plays a significant role with his son.
“Sometimes it feels like I’m cheating,” said the Hawaii quarterback. “It’s almost not fair having him on my side. It’s always been that way. You know he was my coach one year in high school. I just try to be a sponge and soak in his knowledge and experience.
“He’s about 5,000 miles away, but still if after a practice something didn’t go well or I need an opinion about an on-field situation, I can just make the call. He knows exactly what I’m talking about. He always gives me sound advice.”
Like when he told his son to make that Christmas Eve call to Honolulu.
