The driver of the Hawaii football team’s offense is worthy of a 5.0 rating.

Starting quarterback Brayden Schager is yes-sir polite, offers his appreciation for interviews and fans’ attendance at practices, and has praise for teammates on loop.

“Once you get on the field, you’ve got to be able to flip a switch,” said Schager, who encourages receivers and blockers before each play and exchanges banter with defenders. “You’ve got to be able to get in a different mode. You’ve got to be able to talk. … You’ve got to show them you belong out there. I think that’s what I’ve been trying to get better at. I think I’ve done a good job with that.”

Schager also has hit the “on” switch in grasping the intricacies of the Warriors’ run-and-shoot offense. During a bye week last October, head coach Timmy Chang introduced run-and-shoot concepts to the Warriors’ attack. During the offseason, Chang went all in with the four-wide scheme with a revised playbook.

After an offseason of studying the offense, including a tutorial from former UH quarterbacks coach Dan Morrison, and eight spring practices, Schager appeared at ease during a situational scrimmage on Monday. He synchronized his footwork and motion to an intended receiver’s route and maneuvered into the pocket when the defense increased the pressure.

“That’s something I struggled with time to time last year, trying to evade the pocket when I could have just stepped up,” Schager said. “Something I’m continuing to work on this offseason is stepping into the pocket when they give me holes and not running away to where I’m not protected.”

He said it was a strategy he learned from videos of Chang, who was a record-setting quarterback at Saint Louis School and UH. “I think he had a really good rhythm,” Schager said of Chang. “He did a really good job of stepping up in the pocket. Everything was just timing with him. When you see him throwing to Chad (Owens) on tape, it was all timing. It was getting the ball out on time and in rhythm.”

From videos of former UH quarterback Colt Brennan, a 2007 Heisman Trophy finalist, Schager marveled at the bond with receivers Davone Bess, Ryan Grice-Mullins, Jason Rivers and C.J. Hawthorne.

“Colt had some freak receivers who were all on time in everything they did,” Schager said. “He was able to spin it really well. And he had a good little side-arm release. That’s something I try to incorporate, throwing from different angles.”

The offense runs plays based on the defensive coverage. Once a target is identified, Schager said, “you’ve got to time your feet with the throw. The coverage dictates your feet. That’s what Coach Chang is always saying. It’s all about timing. This offense is timing. The only way you get better is with repetition.”

UH moved up the start of 15 spring practices from March, the usual period, to accommodate construction work on the Ching Complex and neighboring grass fields. Schager said the earlier start means more time for unsupervised player-run workouts to develop chemistry in the run-and-shoot.

“We’re going to have the whole offseason to work on this,” he said. “Throwing sessions in the offseason will be big.”