Eugene, Ore. » He came out of high school as an All-State football player, the state’s No. 1 recruit and a Hawaii Hall of Honor recipient who was headed to the University of Oregon.

One would surmise that that was the athletic resume for Marcus Mariota, the Ducks’ uber-popular quarterback.

Instead, it belongs to another athlete from the Class of 2011.

But while Koa Ka’ai’s athletic career hasn’t skyrocketed like that of Mariota’s, the former Kamehameha defensive lineman has something the Ducks’ signal-caller doesn’t.

Two college degrees.

It was Ka’ai’s fallback plan all along.

"When I came to college I really didn’t want to bank on athletics," said Ka’ai, who arrived on the Eugene campus the same year as Mariota. "I kind of wanted to get my degree. Kind of focus on that ’cause I figured that would take me further in life than football.

"When I came here I wanted to graduate in three years and I did that, so I’m really proud of that accomplishment. I’m lucky enough to get two degrees (one in psychology and one in sociology) and I’m gonna start the business (MBA) program in a couple weeks."

The accomplishment has amazed even the amazing Mariota, the former Saint Louis School signal-caller who is now one of the Heisman Trophy favorites.

"His dedication to his studies is unbelievable," Mariota said. "When you get two degrees in three years, it’s a feat in itself."

Ka’ai, whose mother, Pua, is a principal at Kamehameha Schools, made the Pac-12 all-academic team in 2012 (3.94) and received an award for the highest GPA (3.75) by graduating seniors during the school’s 2014 scholar-athlete awards ceremony.

"My mom’s a principal and she doesn’t really pressure me, but I feel like that background, my dad, too, just kind of encouraged me to try my best."

Ka’ai, however, hasn’t found his niche in football.

ESPN rated him as Hawaii’s No. 1 high school recruit his senior year and the then-6-foot-4 and 250-pound defensive end was heavily recruited. His athletic career at Oregon, however, hasn’t been "what I imagined."

Ka’ai played on defense while redshirting in his first year out of high school, but he was moved to tight end in 2012. He didn’t make a catch while playing in four games in 2013. He didn’t play in Saturday’s 62-13 blowout of South Dakota in Autzen Stadium.

"I really haven’t given up on this football thing yet," said Ka’ai, a junior as far as football eligibility. "I really made a lot of progress since last season. I kind of had a rough season last year, just socially and mentally, and I was kind of down. I didn’t really push football to the side, but I focused on my personal life and kind of got it better."

Overall, though, Ka’ai said he couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

"I feel like I’ve come a long way from the kid I was at Kamehameha when I was 17," he said. "I’ve grown up a lot and I have a college degree and that’s crazy to me. I’m really proud of the person I’ve become. I wouldn’t change anything I’ve done."

Ka’ai is one of a handful of Hawaii players on the No. 3-ranked Ducks. The others are senior linebacker Isaac Ava (Saint Louis), junior starting defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (Punahou) and freshman offensive lineman Davis Miyashiro (Punahou). Junior defensive back Bronson Yim (Saint Louis) was not on the roster for the South Dakota game.

Ava, like Ka’ai and Mariota, has a degree in his proverbial pocket.

Ava, who assisted on one tackle on Saturday, said he "walked in the spring" (as did Mariota) and plans to finish up in winter with a degree in sociology.

He describes his career as "amazing. I wouldn’t change it for anything else in the world. Made some amazing friends here, grown more than I ever thought I would coming in. And just amazing being part of this staff and to see some of the players that have come in come out of here.

"Overall it was nice to be a huge part of this — whether it was knowing the defense and teaching younger guys or being a vocal leader and trying to get kids to do the right things — I felt I had a really big role here and I was really glad to be a part of this."

But whenever the topic of Oregon football arises, the attention always turns to Mariota, whose three touchdown passes Saturday tied him for first in career passing touchdowns in the Oregon record book, one of many pages the 6-foot-4 220-pounder threatens to rewrite.

If there was a knock on Mariota early, it was that he was a reluctant leader. It’s a trait that he’s worked on.

"When he got here, he reminded me a lot of how he was in high school. He was really quiet, soft-spoken," said Ava, who entered the program a year before.

But Ava said Mariota "wasn’t like most freshman, where they’re really squirmy, trying to find their way. He came with a plan and he knew where he was supposed to be going."

Said Ka’ai: "Marcus was really quiet back then. He wouldn’t be the kind of guy who would stand in front of the team and say much. … He just matured a lot as a leader. He was always a great person and he’s still that person. The fame has never gotten to him."