For the Hawaii football team, the holiday rush has produced a rush end.

Zach Ritner of Capistrano Valley (Calif.) High told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser he has made an oral commitment to join the Rainbow Warriors in 2018. Ritner will make it official on Dec. 20, the first day of the NCAA’s three-day, early-signing period.

Ritner is 6 feet 3 and 240 pounds. As a junior in 2016, he amassed 18 sacks. In 12 games this season, Ritner had 24.5 sacks, 27 tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hurries. Of his 60 tackles, 51 were solo stops.

“I really put in a lot of work in the offseason with my defensive line coach,” Ritner said. “He really knows what he’s talking about.”

Ritner will help try to fill the void at defensive end. Last season’s starters, David Manoa and Meffy Koloamatangi, completed their UH eligibility.

Ritner also is capable of backing up long-snapper Noah Borden, who will be a senior in 2018.

Ritner’s official visit to Hawaii was in mid-October. Since then, he fielded offers from several schools, including Fresno State.

“It took a little bit of time, but I decided on Hawaii,” Ritner said. “When I took my trip out there, I really liked the sense of community I felt with the team. I really liked the coaches and the players.”

Ritner did not play football until enrolling at Capistrano in 2014. “I always heard when you go to high school, it’s always good to try freshman football to see if you like it,” Ritner said. “You can meet a ton of people through it, and it’s a good experience. And if you like it, you can keep going with it. I liked it.”

In addition to the usual weight training and field workouts, Ritner studied videos of Khalil Mack, the Oakland Raiders’ All-Pro rush end. “He’s a special player,” Ritner said. “He’s fun to watch.”

This offseason, Ritner said, he will incorporate stretching exercises and yoga into his workouts to improve his flexibility. “That’s the main things I’ll be working on,” said Ritner, who will enroll at UH in June. He said he plans to major in business.

Earlier, the Warriors received oral commitments from quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, wideout Jonah Panoke and safety Kai Kaneshiro of Saint Louis School; defensive tackles Tristan Nichols of Arizona Western Junior College and Baraka Beckett of Palisades High; quarterback Jeremy Moussa of Eleanor Roosevelt High; running back Khoury Bethley of Don Lugo High; wideout Eric Rooks of the Taft School; defensive end Derek Thomas of Cerritos College, and multi-purpose player Jonah La‘ulu of Centennial High.