RECRUITING: Gorman’s Hong picks Columbia

It would’ve been easy for Danny Hong to give up the dream of playing college football after losing the starting quarterback position earlier this season at Bishop Gorman.

But the 6-foot-3-inch, 210-pound senior never wavered in his approach. He attended practice, gave his all and still was one of the team’s most supportive players.

Hong now will get the opportunity for some more football after announcing his commitment to Columbia on Thursday afternoon via Twitter.

“I think he’s going to be a great contributor to Columbia,” Gaels coach Kenny Sanchez said. “He’s a smart kid and picks up things really fast. They’re getting a quality person and competitor.”

Hong, who opened the season as Gorman’s starting quarterback, was replaced by sophomore Tate Martell late in the first half in the second game of the season against Servite (Calif.). Sanchez, a defensive coordinator last season, was impressed the way Hong handled it all.

“It would be hard on anybody,” Sanchez said. “But he responded really well to it and took it all in stride. He was a really good teammate by taking it that way. Senior leadership was key and he was a part of that.”

With the Gaels’ dominating local competition, Hong still got his share of playing time. He finished the season 46 of 58 passing for 668 yards and eight touchdowns and threw just two interceptions.

“He’s a great kid,” Sanchez said. “He’s a 4.0 (grade point average) student. He’s never been a discipline problem. He went through a tough year, getting replaced by Tate. He never complained about it and he was a great asset to the team.”