Dalton Hilliard knows drama and, in fact, thrives on it.

Remember, perhaps, that fourth-quarter catch and broken field run for a 40-yard touchdown to help Punahou School beat Farrington, 35-28, in the First Hawaiian Bank Division I State High School Football Tournament semifinals?

But Hilliard, an All-State performer as a running back-receiver-return specialist, also knows there is a time for drama.

And his signing of a letter of intent Wednesday on national signing day won't have any.

Unlike an increasing number of this year's seniors who made commitments and then changed them almost as often as their socks, Hilliard made an informed and, apparently, steadfast decision on his choice of schools and has stuck to it for months.

He did it in a way that opened eyes and impressed even followers of schools he didn't commit to, according to a story making the rounds of the local recruiting circuit.

When the Hilliards told UCLA their 6-foot, 180-pound son was going to turn down Nebraska, Arizona, Colorado and others to go to Westwood, Bruin coaches naturally inquired about the strength of the commitment.

They were basically told the Hilliards' was a U.S. Marine household in which its word — son's and family's — was its bond. Hilliard's father, Larry, a Marine major, said, "although Dalton isn't a Marine, we've tried to instill the same ethos in him. We told him early on, like we told coach (Rick) Neuheisel and coach (Norm) Chow and the others, that once Dalton made his mind up his word was his bond and it was something he wouldn't go back on."

In recruiting, where terms like "de-commit," "re-commit" and "soft-commit" are well-used parts of the lexicon, underlining that a "commitment" given earnestly one day sometimes means little more than "maybe" or "probably" the next, Hilliard isn't the Lone Ranger. But his case is rare and high profile enough to be refreshing. If not, you would hope, inspirational.

Indeed, this season's recruiting campaign in Hawai'i is significant for three things: the quality of the players, the quantity (as many as 30 are expected to sign major college letters of intent this week) — and the number of flip-flops. Ask UH, which has been burned several times.

"Maybe it is because of the number of schools that come in here now, but it seems like there is a lot more of it (breaking of commitments) going on," said a recruiter, who asked not to be identified because of NCAA rules prohibiting comment on recruits.

Some players, we are told, commit on practically every visit. Others with nearly every head coach who comes into the home. Which is why some coaches see Hawai'i as a prime example why there needs to be both an early signing period for football, as is the case with basketball, and a limit on the number of official recruiting trips.

Part of it is that the recruiting process can be so dizzying that players and their families are easily confused if not overwhelmed. Some genuinely find it hard to turn anyone down and others just enjoy being the object of continued attention.

Not that schools and coaches are blameless, either. Recruiters will tell you that "the gloves come off" when a prospect makes a commitment to a rival, meaning contending schools jack up both the pressure and the negative recruiting in attempts to "turn" a player.

After the Farrington game, in which he scored two touchdowns, Hilliard talked about dramatic games, telling The Advertiser, "I love these kinds of games. It shows the kind of character you have ..."

So, too, can the way you handle the pressures of recruiting.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.