Wiltfong's THIRD story on the weekend
Mega recruiting weekend at Nebraska was a humongous hit
by:
Steve Wiltfong•1 hour ago•
swiltfong_
Matt Rhule and Trae Taylor (Photo credit: Casey Fritton/HuskerOnline)
A mega recruiting weekend at Nebraska continues to get huge reviews.
On3 had
national coverage from a terrific group of official visitors here, while also catching up with many of the
blue-chip 2027 and 2028s that spent time in Lincoln for the Battle of the Boneyard and Hudl event here.
Reaction continues to come in this week as Matt Rhule and the Huskers made quite the impression on high school football prospects from coast to coast.
Sioux City (Cockeye) Bishop Heelan Catholic On300 linebacker
Kasen Thomas was one of the top recruits in town for his official visit.
“My experience was great,” Thomas said. “It was good to be around the coaching staff, their families and a lot of the players. What continues to excite me is how they are going to be this year. They have great talent and great coaches that work to better themselves and the people around them, so it’s going to be interesting to see where they go.”
Nebraska is battling Cockeye and Cockeye State.
“They are a top for sure, going to be tough to compete with,” Thomas said. “But I still have two more OVs.”
Adding another prediction for Nebraska
I added an On3 RPM in favor of Nebraska to land Biloxi (Miss.) High offensive lineman
Hayden Ainsworth.
“Man my favorite things about Nebraska is the new culture they’re bringing under Coach Rhule’s staff,” Ainsworth said. “They all want to win and win now and are striving for excellence and as close to perfection as humanly possible. I love the players there and I meshed extremely well with them and they are super down to earth and aren’t big on thinking they are bigger than the team. The environment you play in. 91,000 of only Nebraska fans who will do anything to let their team win. The resources and people make Nebraska special. The environment there is nothing short of rowdy in the best way. Having the 7-on-7 tournament this weekend and the OV all the coaches were moving about and truly like meeting everyone as if they have played there for five years. It’s electric and I could already sense that in an empty stadium!
“I would say they hold a very high position that other teams have to meet standard wise. They are a strong strong contender no doubt.”
Touted 2027 point-of-attack players feeling Nebraska
Nebraska is catching the eye of more elite 2027s. On3’s No. 1 interior offensive lineman
Albert Simien was in for an event put on by Hudl.
“Getting to visit Lincoln was great and having the opportunity to learn from not only the coaching staff but also the players was amazing,” Simien said. “The Nebraska program has an extensive recovery program available for their athletes and the way the team is structured as a whole was something that really impressed me.”
On3’s No. 7 edge rusher
Rashad Streets was another blue-chipper.
“It was my first time in Lincoln and it was a really great visit,” Streets said. “I was also here for the HUDL futures event so I got to see a lot of different aspects of Lincoln. You can tell they really invest in their program and it is a college football town with a homey feel. The fan support here is crazy I mean people coming up to me just to talk about Nebraska football. I also got the chance to talk with Coach Rhule and Coach Bradden and they let me know they were about to turn up the heat and I’m a priority for them.
I also got to watch The Battle of the Boneyard event and it was nice to get a small feel of the stadium atmosphere. It was a very eventful weekend and I really enjoyed my first time in Nebraska.”
The No. 8 offensive tackle
Kelsey Adams had fun.
“Lincoln was good,” Adams said. “It’s a smaller city but it’s all about the football team which is good. My favorite thing is that the stadium is always sold out and Nebraska had the NCAA record for selling out the tickets.”
Elite defensive backs were also in town
A few touted defensive backs competed in the Battle of the Boneyard in four-star cornerbacks
JuJu Johnson,
Ashton Ace Alston and
Jailen Hill along with top-ranked safety
Kamarui Dorsey.
“I had a good time in Lincoln with my guys,” Johnson said. “Some eye-catcher things is their facilities and the connections they have.”
“Yeah Lincoln was great,” Hill said. “I lost words for the program. I love everything they’re doing with their program. My weekend was great from when I got there until I left. City is beautiful and I love how everyone is so passionate about being there. The competition was really nice up there, had some great matchups. it was just great to see how much they put into and care about their players. It’s just a family I really like that. Some of my favorite things about Nebraska’s program are everything is about passion when they’re doing it. It’s just people I love to be around because I know everyone around me has the same love for the game as me. It’s a place where I can stay focused on my academics and sports without any distractions just work.”
“I had a great time at Nebraska,” Alston said. “I was surprised on how big and nice the facilities and Memorial Stadium were. Nebraska is a real good program that can easily be a playoff team with their losses last year mostly by a touchdown or less. I had a good conversation with Coach Ekeler, he personally showed me and my family around the facility. It was cool to see a familiar face from his time at Tennessee. I also really like spending time getting to know Coach Addison the cornerback coach. We had a good conversation learning about each other and he made the offer to me. Overall it was a real good experience and Nebraska has a lot to offer.”
“I liked Nebraska a lot,” Dorsey said. He star’s on Cam Newton’s team. “One of Cam’s best friends is a coach at Nebraska and it’s crazy cause it’s the DB coach. So they was showing a lot of love. I got to meet all the coaches, the head coach, defensive coordinator, and my position coach. So yes i can see myself at Nebraska. I love their culture and the love they showed me and my team.”
Nebraska got a chance to get ahead with sought-after rising sophomores
The Huskers are out in front with a lot of 2028s.
“It was great competing against guys older than me I know I can learn from them,” receiver
Tromon Isaac said. “My favorite things about the Nebraska program is the people and the facility.”
Orange Lutheran defensive lineman
Marcus Fakatou is one of the most sought-after rising sophomores in the land.
“I was actually in Lincoln for the Hudl event. I did get to see and learn more about the Huskers program and it’s impressive. I really like their recovery facility and they had a cool walk-through room! I’ve never seen that before. Lincoln reminded me of Anchorage, Alaska where I was born and raised, and the people were amazing!”
Carrollton (Ga.) High offensive tackle
Kweli Fielder has a ton of buzz in SEC country.
“I think Nebraska has the best facilities in America,” Fielder said. “like when you go up there you don’t think too much of it but once you go to Nebraska, it’s amazing. Talking to Coach Matt Rhule and Coach Raiola they made me feel like I am their top guy and the way the fans was talking to me like I am one of the players was amazing in my recruitment. Nebraska is definitely top three as of right now.”