Gesser, Aiea defensive lineman Ing Aleaga and Campbell graduate Gerald Cook, projected as a defensive end or tight end, all signed national letters of intent with the Cougars yesterday.

Other Hawaii players who chose to go away to play their college football signed letters with national co-champion Nebraska, Utah, Arizona, Colorado and Brigham Young.

Price fielded several questions about the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Gesser, a two-time all-state player.

"I passed up five in-state quarterbacks to get Jason," said Price. "He'd better be really good for me to do that."

Price was asked whether Gesser had a chance of getting some playing time next season.

The Cougars' head coach left the door open with his response.

"If he can help us win, I don't think he wants to redshirt, and I won't redshirt him," he said.

Price said it depends upon how quickly 1997 backup Steve Birnbaum, recovering from a knee injury, and two other young quarterbacks now enrolled progress.

"We're going to keep Jason on red alert and not going to redshirt him."

Another reporter asked if it was possible that Gesser could even start at some point in 1998.

"We didn't recruit him with that in mind," said Price.

"Whoever comes in here will have to beat out Steve Birnbaum -- Steve won't be demoted because of his injury."

Gesser was one of 23 in the Cougars' recruiting class but the only quarterback.

Price tipped his hat to Hawaii's prep football during the teleconference.

"I think their football in Hawaii is tremendous. St. Louis High School produced six Division I prospects. We only got one of them but we got the one we wanted for sure. I respect Honolulu football as much as I do the state of Washington."

Besides Gesser, other members of the 12-time Oahu Prep Bowl champion Crusaders signing letters yesterday were slotback Craig Stutzmann (Hawaii), and defensive linemen Tony Tata (Nebraska), Ben Alualu (Arizona), and Sam Taulealea (Colorado), and La'anui Correa (UNLV).

Nebraska head coach Frank Stolich said Tata, the Star-Bulletin's defensive player of the year, is projected as a middle linebacker.

Arizona assistant coach Duane Akina, who spearheaded an unprecedented Wildcats recruiting effort in the islands, confirmed the signing of offensive lineman Rockne Freitas of Kamehameha, Kailua defensive lineman Keoni Fraser and Alualu.

He called Freitas "a dominant, physical player with a lot of position flexibility."

"He's a natural left-hander and that's very important because you don't have many left-handed guys who can get into a left-handed stance," said Akina.

Other Hawaii players going away are Kamehameha offensive lineman Hanalei Vincent (Brigham Young) and Leilehua defensive lineman Lauvale Sape (Utah).