Quarterback Taylor Graham was asked, time and again, about his health as spring practice opened at the University of Hawaii.

Each time you got the impression he couldn’t wait to knock on wood. Loudly and on a telephone-pole-sized piece, preferably.

Some quarterbacks take aim at a new season with ambitious visions of touchdown totals and piles of passing yardage for goals. Then, there is Graham, who, for starters, would just like to remain healthy, thank you, and take it from there.

"Staying healthy would be a good start," Graham said.

It is a timely and hardly insignificant aspiration for Graham, who has had three seasons, including the past one, either abbreviated or ended by football injuries in the past six years.

And if there is a year in which Graham is focused on seeing more end zones than doctor’s offices, this is it. The can’t-miss career that he seemed destined for is now down to its senior season with no more room for debilitating ankle, knee, shoulder or other ailments.

He’s coming off January shoulder surgery and there was some thought he might take his time working his way back during spring practice. But it was clear from the opening snaps that while he will exercise prudence in the comeback, there is also an urgency to get down to business and press his case. 

The UH starting quarterback job is up for grabs and nobody knows what that means better than Graham, who held title to it for three games last September. 

But just as the Ohio State transfer was working out the cobwebs from an NCAA-enforced redshirt year and beginning to gain a grasp of the position, Graham suffered an injury to his left (non-throwing) shoulder in the third game at Nevada. He sat out three games and then saw just cameo roles, often in Hail Mary situations, in relief of fifth-year senior Sean Schroeder.

Schroeder is gone, but there is no shortage of contenders for the starting job. Jeremy Higgins and Ikaika Woolsey are in spring ball. Colorado State transfer Beau Reilly joins the mix this summer and USC’s Max Wittek could also be on the way. 

So time is of the essence for Graham, whose size — 6-feet, 5 inches, 235 pounds — and cannon-like arm strength have long hinted at considerable but heretofore unrealized potential. 

Part of it is that an ankle injury cost him 41/2 games his junior year of high school. A knee injury  took away five more his senior year. Throw in a change of coaches and offenses at Ohio State and an obligatory redshirt year at UH, and there has been scant opportunity to glimpse what Graham might be capable of.

Schroeder, who struggled mightily in his first season at UH after seeing very limited play at Duke, made the most of his second go-around in Manoa as the clock on his eligibility ran down.

Now, it is Graham’s time to run his own personal hurry-up offense and let it rip. Though, hopefully, not any more ligaments or tissue this time.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.