Wai'anae High School senior Wade Keli'ikipi signed a National Letter of Intent this morning to accept a football scholarship from the University of Oregon.

Keli'ikipi, a highly regarded defensive lineman, had made a verbal commitment in November to play for Hawai'i, but said Oregon came back into the picture about two weeks ago and he visited its campus in Eugene last weekend.

"They had been sending me mail, and I figured it's a good opportunity for me to be a man, to move away from my family and not depend on my parents," said Keli'ikipi, whose brother West was a standout running back for UH earlier this decade.