STAR-BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2006 University of Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan broke NCAA single-season records for both touchdown passes and passer efficiency.

Colt could pass on UH and throw in the NFL

Will Colt bolt?

As Colt Brennan ponders his future, University of Hawaii football fans despair over their star quarterback's pending decision.

Brennan has until Jan. 15 to choose between making himself available for the NFL Draft and coming back for another year at UH. He said earlier this week he is leaning toward returning to Manoa. But if he is rated high enough by the NFL's advisory board, Brennan will go pro.

If he is leaving, the junior from Irvine, Calif., saved the best for last when Hawaii beat Arizona State 41-24 in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Sunday at Aloha Stadium. Following a slow first half after which Hawaii trailed 10-3, Brennan passed for five touchdowns. He completed 33 of 42 passes for a school and personal record 559 yards.

Brennan, who led Hawaii to an 11-3 record, broke NCAA single-season records for touchdown passes and passer-efficiency rating. He also led the nation in passing yards, completion percentage and touchdowns responsible for. The first UH player to receive more than one Heisman Trophy vote, Brennan finished sixth in the balloting for college football's biggest individual honor.

Brennan has just completed the best statistical season in college football history.

UH plays five or six time zones west of the East Coast and most mainland fans, reporters and scouts didn't get to see him play on TV because the games are too late.

If they had, they would probably appreciate Brennan's most impressive on-field attribute: the precision of his passes.

"He's the most accurate quarterback I've ever been around," UH quarterbacks coach Dan Morrison said. "He has a knack. It's a vision thing. It's a brain thing. It's an arm thing."

NFL Draft expert Mike Detillier believes in Brennan.

"He throws the ball well downfield, has a whip of an arm and he's very smart. He puts the ball where only the receiver can make the catch, and that's important in this league," Detillier said in a phone interview yesterday.

Detillier added that he thinks Brennan will get a first-round grade from the NFL, and that he would be picked in the middle of the first round.

"But if he comes back to college, it could be between him and (Arkansas running back) Darren McFadden for the Heisman Trophy and first overall pick in the draft," Detillier said. "It's a win-win for him. He has to decide if he wants to take the chance."

Off the field, Brennan has handled increasing attention from fans and media -- positive and negative -- with aplomb.

"He's a leader," Hawaii head coach June Jones said. "He has all the intangible things that you have to have."