OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – About a week before making his college choice, Nathan Scheelhaase sent an e-mail to Illinois quarterback Juice Williams.

All he wanted to know, Scheelhaase said, was "Would you pick Illinois if you had to do it all over again?"

"He said, 'Hands down, there would be no doubt about it,' " Scheelhaase said. "That was something that was real comforting."

The Kansas City Rockhurst quarterback made his announcement Wednesday on a local television broadcast. During Scheelhaase's interview, six hats were in front of him representing his final six schools.

While most of the hats included their school's traditional logo, the Illinois hat was different. By design.

"I thought it was the coolest looking hat," Scheelhaase said.

Scheelhaase had ordered the hat last weekend and it didn't arrive until about two hours before he went on the air.

Scheelhaase is the sixth player to commit to the 2009 Illinois class. According to Rivals.com, Scheelhaase is rated the nation's No. 7 dual-threat quarterback.

Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Jeremy Crabtree thinks Illinois is the right pick for Scheelhaase.

"A big deal to him was finding the right fit, the right system and the right scheme," Crabtree said. "Nobody was the right fit in that department other than Illinois. It was more than the right fit, it was the perfect fit. He also felt right at home with the Illinois coaches, which is also important."

"They are all great coaches, great men," Scheelhaase said. "They'll help develop you as a young man, which is important to me."

Scheelhaase said he also feels at home in Champaign-Urbana and on the Illinois campus.

"Champaign is a place I can see myself fitting in perfectly," Scheelhaase said.

Scheelhaase visited Illinois during spring practice and returned to campus during the summer.

"We really felt comfortable with all of the players," Scheelhaase said. "They're just down-to-Earth people."

The only child of LouAnn Scheelhaase and Nate Creer, Nathan Scheelhaase might not need to travel very far to get home during college. Nathan Scheelhaase said his family will consider relocating to the area after he starts college.

"My parents are planning on moving," Scheelhaase said. "Not right on top of me in Champaign, but somewhere they can be close. Like 30 minutes away. They want to be able to see all of my games and not have to wake up at 4 in the morning (to drive to C-U). We've always talked it. It will be a good situation."

Scheelhaase threw for 1,861 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior, leading Rockhurst to an undefeated season and a Missouri state championship. He ran for another 917 yards and 14 scores.

With his college choice out of the way, Scheelhaase can concentrate on his senior season.

"It's a weight off my shoulders," Scheelhaase said. "I feel relieved."

His family weighed in on the choice but didn't tell him where to go. His dad, who played for Hayden Fry at Iowa, might have pushed the Hawkeyes. Or Oklahoma, which is coached by his former teammate Bob Stoops.

"I saw a lot of that Iowa, Oklahoma chatter (on the Internet)," Nathan Scheelhaase said. "We read Illinois message boards and a lot of the fans didn't think they were going to get me. We knew it was the right place."

Scheelhaase pays attention to the different message boards.

"I read the good and the bad," Scheelhaase said. "The good, I just throw away. The bad, I'll think about it and that will be some motivation for me."

Scheelhaase has read that "he won't be able to play quarterback in college." That idea goes back to his sophomore year in high school, when he played defensive back and receiver. Rockhurst had a solid starter at quarterback.

"I just love proving people wrong," Scheelhaase said.

Bob Asmussen