RECRUITING: Palo Verde’s Garcia-Williams picks Hawaii

Norm Chow is preaching competitiveness among his players after being hired as Hawaii’s football coach in December.

That’s just the way Jerrol Garcia-Williams likes it.

“I think I’m just a hard worker. I’m not trying to have anything given to me,” Garcia-Williams said.

Garcia-Williams, a senior outside linebacker from Palo Verde High School, made an oral commitment late Sunday to Hawaii after his official visit with the Warriors.

“I like how Coach Chow is doing things,” Garcia-Williams said. “He wants to win. He wants to get the best players on the field.

“He’s just a coach who’s about hard work and competition.”

Garcia-Williams also had scholarship offers from UNLV and Southern Utah, and received interest from San Diego State.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 205-pounder was a first-team all-state pick and the Northwest League Defensive Most Valuable Player as a senior. He made a team-leading 84 tackles along with seven sacks and two interceptions to lift Palo Verde (11-1) to the Sunset Region final.

Garcia-Williams also caught seven passes for 148 yards and a touchdown in 2011 and was a standout blocker at tight end for the Panthers, but his college future is on defense.

Garcia-Williams is the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Jerrol Williams, and appears to have many of the same talents that his father had entering college at Purdue in the 1980s.

Garcia-Williams said he was recruited as a “linebacker in general,” and could compete for playing time on special teams as a freshman.

Signing day is Wednesday.