The University of Hawai'i's prized recruit — running back Leon Wright-Jackson — is further proof the Internet is killing the mystery genre.

Wright-Jackson reports to the team today, and his first UH practice is Friday. But Warrior fans already are familiar with Wright-Jackson's running style, thanks to his popular highlight videos circulating the Web.

The most downloaded video features a series of breakaway runs when he was an All-American at Pasco (Wash.) High in 2004. The other video package is from his freshman year at Nebraska in 2005.

By now, UH fans recognize his pirouette-on-a-thimble agility and his zero-to-60-yard accelerated speed. It was after viewing one video that UH coach June Jones compared the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Wright-Jackson to Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson.

But Wright-Jackson, who carries the perfectionist gene, is critical in his video reviews.

"All I see are my weaknesses," he said. "I'll see when I don't hit the hole quick enough, or if I have the wrong footwork, little nitpicks."

It is a trait he picked up from his grandmother, who made him practice writing sentences over and over.

"Sometimes if the letters didn't match, I'd throw away the paper and start over," he said.

It is that obsessiveness to detail, he hopes, that will provide motivation this season. While he was recruited to instantly contend as the successor to running back Nate Ilaoa, Wright-Jackson cautioned not to expect too much too soon.

"I want to get this system down first," Wright-Jackson said. "It wouldn't do the team any good to throw me out there if I'm lost. I know it's going to be a challenge. I know about the hype and the pressure. I'm going to give it 100 percent and try to get better."

Wright-Jackson knows about commitments. He met the love of his life, DominiQue, in the sixth grade.

"I was running laps," Wright-Jackson said. "She told one of my teammates, 'I'm going to marry him one day.' We've been together 10 years. She was my first girlfriend, my first kiss, all of that romantic stuff."

After the homecoming game their senior year, they went to dinner at a fancy restaurant. The waiter handed her a small box. It was empty. She looked at Wright-Jackson, who was on his knees, extending an engagement ring.

"Nobody thought we were too young," said Wright-Jackson, who got married in February after a three-year engagement. "Pasco is not really a big place. Everyone knew our history, how we were always in each other's lives."

At Nebraska, Wright-Jackson spent most of his freshman season on the move: running back to safety to receiver to running back. After the season, he decided to transfer.

"It wasn't the place for me," he said. "They have a great coach. You can never say anything bad about Nebraska. But it was a wrong deal for me. The coaches understood."

Last fall, Wright-Jackson was attending a community college in Washington when he received a call — and scholarship offer — from the UH coaches.

"It was so random," Wright-Jackson said. "I knew a little bit about Hawai'i from watching Colt (Brennan) on TV. I knew about the system, even about (former UH quarterback) Timmy Chang. Once the offer came, I was more into watching them."

After verbally committing to UH last fall, he stopped receiving inquiries from other schools.

"They backed off," he said. "If I make a commitment, why would I wander off to another school? I'm loyal."

Wright-Jackson, in particular, is dedicated to his family. On his left arm is a tattoo honoring his grandmother, Versia Wright, who died six years ago. This year, he added Wright to his surname in memory of his grandfather, Brady Wright, who died last November.

"We became really close," he said of his grandfather. "When he started to age, I took care of him. I wanted him to be comfortable before he went home to God. I was happy he was going to a better place. I owed him a lot. That's why I wanted to extend my name."

Brady Wright lived long enough to learn that his grandson had accepted a UH scholarship.

"He knew everything would be all right," Wright-Jackson said.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.