CdM quarterback David Rasor commits to UC Davis

A major domino fell in the recruitment of local high school football standouts over the weekend, as rising senior David Rasor announced his commitment to UC Davis.

Rasor, a two-year starter at quarterback for Corona del Mar, is the latest in a growing line of Sea Kings to realize the dream of playing football at the next level.

As far as quarterbacks go, Rasor is the third Sea Kings signal-caller to earn the chance to take snaps at the Division 1 level in college while coming out of a CdM program run by head coach Dan O’Shea and associate head coach and offensive coordinator Kevin Hettig.

Chase Garbers (Cal), who led the CdM offense from 2014-16, and Ethan Garbers (UCLA), who helmed the Sea Kings from 2018-19 and won the CIF Southern Section Division 3 and Division 1-A state titles as a senior, have seen the field for Division 1 programs.

Rasor, who said he will be receiving a full-ride scholarship from UC Davis in a social media post Saturday, indicated that he wanted to make a decision on his future before the start of his senior season.

“I’ve always told them I want to go to a program that’s going to develop me the best and the most to give me the best shot of making it to the NFL,” Rasor said of what he told coaches during the recruiting process. “That’s my dream and that’s my goal, and I believe I can make it there.

“I believe that [UC Davis offensive coordinator] Cody Hawkins’ offense is an offense that is very similar to types in the NFL, and it is actually very similar to the type of offense that we run at CdM, so I’m excited to be able to step in that and have kind of a sense of what I’m doing already.”

Hawkins was a former collegiate quarterback himself at the University of Colorado.

The Daily Pilot Football Dream Team Offensive Player of the Year last season, Rasor said he reached out to Hawkins to let him know of his commitment on Saturday. He has not stopped smiling since.

“I was like, ‘Hey Coach, it’s time to go,’” Rasor recalled. “‘I’m committed. Let’s go. I’m ready to be an Aggie, and I’m ready to lead this class.’”

“I’ve already helped with recruiting. … I was beyond happy. I was smiling from ear to ear. Then right after that, I called [head] coach Dan Hawkins, and I told him, and he was excited, and he was going crazy.”

Rasor threw for 2,365 yards and 34 touchdowns and showcased his dual-threat ability by compiling 242 yards and eight touchdowns via the ground as a junior. The reigning Sunset League Offensive Back of the Year helped CdM reach the quarterfinals of the Division 2 playoffs.

Corona del Mar finished in third place in the Sunset League last season, and Rasor would like to improve upon that. Defending league champion Los Alamitos still has USC-bound quarterback Malachi Nelson in the fold.

“Our senior year, we want to win a CIF title, we want to win a state title, we want to have a successful season,” said Rasor, who also went through the Newport Beach Seahawks youth football program before arriving at CdM. “We want to do very well in league, and we want to win a lot of games and break a lot of records.”

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