Quentin Toailoa wanted a special way of announcing his college choice to his parents. So instead of coming out and just telling them, the Redlands East Valley defensive tackle had T-shirts made up.

The T-shirts were perfect Christmas presents for his parents, as they had a picture of Toailoa with "My Son is a Husker" written above it, confirming his verbal commitment to the University of Nebraska.

"I had kept it a secret for five days, so I wanted to come out and announce it in a creative way," Toailoa said. "My parents were definitely surprised and happy by my choice."

Since making the commitment via phone with the Cornhuskers staff on Dec. 20, Toailoa has slowly leaked out the news. That news has been a big hit in Nebraska, as Toailoa has already done two interviews on sports radio stations in the state, including on Wednesday afternoon.

"It just feels good to be done with it, have it out of the way," Toailoa said. "Nebraska is a great school with an awesome tradition and I can't wait to be part of it."

Toailoa might have made his decision recently - choosing the Huskers over schools such as Washington, Arizona, San Diego State and Fresno State - but in reality, Toailoa was sold after making his official visit to Lincoln on Oct. 20.

Toailoa was overwhelmed by the passion of the Nebraska fans, who stretched the Cornhuskers' streak of consecutive home sellouts to 277 despite a disappointing 5-7 record this season.

"The passion of the fans won me over," Toailoa said. "They wanted my autograph even before I committed and seemed to know all about me. It's a great environment to play football."

It was an environment in flux for a few weeks, as head coach Bill Callahan was fired. But the Huskers hired LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini - who served in the same capacity at Nebraska under Frank Solich in 2003.

Pelini reaffirmed Nebraska's interest in Toailoa, sealing the deal.

"I heard from them the third day after the change and had an in-home visit a few days after that," Toailoa said. "Once I knew they wanted me, that's when I knew that Nebraska was where I'm going."