Jason Ching was a three-sport athlete at Punahou, competing in football, basketball and track, and earning three letters in each sport. His dominating performances as a defensive lineman earned him a selection to the American Family Insurance ALL-USA first-team in 1995.
The accolades did not stop there. He was named Honolulu Quarterback Club 1995 Male Prep Athlete of the Year and earned All-American selections from USA Today, Disney World, Reebok, Parade Magazine, ESPN and Student Prep. Ching became the first player from Hawaiʻi selected as Western Gatorade Player of the Year, and he was rated No. 26 on the Chicago Sun Times list of Top 100 Players Nationally.
Local honors included numerous ILH All-Star and All-State selections.
Highly recruited, Ching attended the University of Notre Dame. In his freshman year, he was the only member of his class to make the traveling squad.