Nebraska football picked up a significant commitment on Sunday from a top priority in 2025 Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Louis center Houston Kaahaaina-Torres, the No. 3 center in the country.
Offensive line coach Donovan Raiola and the Huskers beat out Michigan State, Arizona State and Utah for the 6-foot-3, 271 pound center's commitment.
ANALYSIS: What Nebraska is getting in IOL Houston Kaahaaina-Torres
The relationships Raiola and Matt Rhule built over the last two years, and the genuine care the staff showed to the three-star and his family, were ultimately the factors that led to Nebraska coming out on top for Kaahaaina-Torres.
"I feel like they sold me more on themselves [than the program],” he said. “[They said] if i was to commit to them, they’d commit themselves to me, which i appreciated. They sold their staff more than they sold their program.”
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Raiola offered Kaahaaina-Torres back in 2022 and circled in on him as his top center target in the cycle, a key need for Nebraska to address with Ben Scott, who happens to hail from Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Louis himself, headed off to the NFL after the 2024 season.
The three-star made his official visit to Nebraska last weekend, where he had the opportunity to sit down with Raiola and learn what the expectations at Nebraska would be.
"Instead of going over plays, we went over the basics of what he expected. It was the daily drills they do, what to look for in their blocking and other techniques and skills that they teach," he said. "He believes that understanding the basic fundamentals is more important than knowing the overall play because you can’t do one without the other."
Getting perspective from freshman offensive lineman Preston Taumau, who enrolled at Nebraska this summer out of Aiea (Hawaii) Waipahu, helped as well.
"He said that it was a big adjustment, moving somewhere so far from home," Kaahaaina-Torres said of his conversations with Taumau. "He did admit he was a little homesick but he’s starting to get a lot more comfortable there."
The three-star asked Taumau about his perception of the coaching staff and got the answer he was looking for. Taumau described the coaching staff as "father figures" that "push you to be your best."
"“Thats all I’m looking for," Kaahaaina-Torres said. "A staff and players that are willing to push themselves to be the best."
The final conversation the three-star had with Rhule before heading back home to Honolulu gave him and his family the assurance they needed that Nebraska was the place for him
"I would say the main talking point was, God forbid I ever get injured my senior year or something bad happens, once I’m committed to them they’re committed to me and they’ll take me in no matter what," he said. "That’s really reassuring to hear.”
Kaahaaina-Torres ranks as the No. 1 prospect from Hawaii and the No. 3 center in the 2025 cycle. The three-star is the 12th commit in Nebraska's class and the second offensive line commit, joining three-star offensive tackle Brian Tapu, who committed to the Huskers on Thursday.
With his commitment behind him, the three-star has big goals for his senior season and is working to set himself up for success at Nebraska when he enrolls.
"We’re just shooting for that state championship," he said of his goals for the fall. "Once I hit college I want to hit the ground running, I’ve been working to graduate early just to put myself ahead of other recruits.”
