What's New

Welcome to The Platinum Board

We are a Nebraska Husker fan community. Please either login or register for an account

Register now Log in
  • Welcome to The Platinum Board! We are a Nebraska Cornhuskers news source and community. Please click "Log In" or "Register" above to gain access to the forums.

January Recruiting Thread

theathletic.com

College recruiters flocking to Omaha's Millard South to check out Patriots' talented quartet

Football talent is on the rise in Nebraska, and the Class of 2026 could be the state's best in years.
theathletic.com theathletic.com

​

College recruiters flocking to Omaha’s Millard South to check out Patriots’ talented quartet​


By Mitch Sherman

OMAHA, Neb. — The scholarship offers rolled in fast last week for Chase Loftin.

He added Auburn on Wednesday when tight ends coach Ben Aigamaua visited. On Thursday, Penn State and Florida State came with offers.

These are big moments for Loftin, the 6-foot-5 tight end who’s added weight to surpass 200 pounds as he creeps close to entering the list of top 300 prospects nationally in the On3 industry average for the Class of 2025.

Loftin transferred to Millard South from Elkhorn North this month.

Last weekend, he visited USC. This week, he’s headed to Alabama.

Multiple college recruiters have told Ty Wisdom, the Millard South coach, that their programs rank Loftin as the No. 2 tight end in his class. On3 classifies him as a four-star prospect.

“I’m thankful for it all,” Loftin said. “I try to look back before I had any offers. I would have given anything for even one.”

Loftin rates behind perhaps only Omaha Westside linebacker Christian Jones as the most highly recruited junior in the state of Nebraska.

His suitors also include Oklahoma, the first to offer, Nebraska, Miami, Missouri, Texas A&M, Cockeye State and Wisconsin. Loftin’s brother, Brayden, plays tight end at Kansas State, which sent coach Chris Klieman to Omaha this month. ISU coach Matt Campbell, Nebraska’s Matt Rhule and Brent Venables from OU also made the trip to get eyes on the young tight end.

“He’s taken it well,” Wisdom said. “He’s a level-headed kid. But it’s a lot. And he’s looking at it like, ‘Where can I see myself for four years?’ Because we all know that you can’t pick a school for a coach. The reality of it is, 70 percent of them aren’t going to be there.”

The recruiting push last Thursday began at 7 a.m. as Penn State tight ends coach and co-offensive coordinator Ty Howle arrived at Millard South. FSU tight ends coach Chris Thomsen walked in minutes behind.

In an auxiliary gym, sharing floor space with a group of girls who fired basketballs into a shot-return machine, Wisdom ran Loftin and three Patriots teammates through a workout.

You see, there’s more going on at Millard South than just the fast-paced recruitment of Loftin.

The quarterback, Jett Thomalla, stands 6 feet 5 and weighs 185 pounds. He threw for 2,800 yards on 60.2 percent passing with 26 touchdowns last season.

The receiver, 6-2, 185-pound Amarion Jackson, caught 57 balls for 1,086 yards and 12 scores.

Isaac Jensen, another tight end, at 6-6 and 205, earned offers from Nebraska and Cockeye State recently after his 26-catch season in 2023.

All of them are sophomores in the Class of 2026.

Only a few college coaches would typically see them run or throw until the summer, at the earliest, in camp settings. In this case, though, Loftin has drawn a crowd to Millard South.

“Getting that exposure, it’s big,” Jackson said. “These coaches can see us now and know who they’re looking at when we’re on the field.”

Millard South lost in the Class A semifinal round in November but figures to enter next season as a favorite to win a championship due to its collection of offensive talent. The school last won a championship in 2009.

The Patriots will open 2024 with a trip to play power Basha High School of Chandler, Ariz. Basha ranked third in Arizona last season and 47th nationally, according to MaxPreps. It will return the visit to Omaha in 2025.

“Big challenge,” Thomalla said, “but it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

The out-of-state series is rare for a Nebraska high school program. Wisdom embraces outside-the-box thinking. The 40-year-old coach, originally from Lexington, Neb., coached at a pair of Division II programs in Nebraska before working briefly as an assistant for former longtime Millard South coach Andy Means.

Wisdom then ran programs at Horizon High School and Desert Vista in Phoenix.

He came back to Nebraska with the intent to shake things up.

Schools in the state sent more than 10 players to Power 5 programs in each of the past two recruiting cycles. The Class of 2025 is set again to produce a bumper crop. Football talent is on the rise, especially around Omaha. But Wisdom said he believes more can be done to showcase athletes and to bring the respect they’ve earned.

Some observers, Wisdom said, question his decision to test Millard South against an Arizona power. It’s a costly trip. It goes against tradition. How will the Patriots match up physically?

“That’s a loser mentality,” the coach said. “Basha is going to be really good. And then they’re going to play (California power) Mission Viejo after we go there. So we can see where we fit in things.

“I think it’s great for the state of Nebraska.”

Undoubtedly, it can be great for the likes of Thomalla, Jackson and Jensen. Recruiters from Arizona State, Arizona and Utah pay close attention to Basha games, Wisdom said, and his Millard South players will show up on film for other college coaches who don’t normally see them.

Wisdom talked this month with an assistant coach from USC who said that the Trojans will recruit more frequently in Nebraska as a member of the Big Ten.

“It’s easy to get a flight to L.A.,” Wisdom said. “Times are changing.”

The trip to L.A. for Loftin marked his first time in California. He saw a bit of Hollywood and took in a UCLAbia-USC basketball game.

The USC campus, he said, was “amazing.”

In February, when a dead period halts the recruiting travel of players and coaches, Loftin said he’ll trim his list to approximately eight schools. In the spring, he’ll set official visits for June, with the plan to commit by early July.

Loftin’s next trip, to Alabama, might stoke jealousy in Wisdom. The Millard South coach has long followed the Crimson Tide.

Wisdom is not often awestruck. But if Nick Saban had ever visited one of his schools, Wisdom might have had to take a moment to collect himself, he said. Wisdom looked upon the recently retired Alabama coach so highly that he named his dog Saban.

Wisdom ushers college coaches like Rhule and Campbell through a back door at Millard South to avoid creating a stir. At his Arizona high schools, Wisdom transported college coaches around campus on a golf cart.

As it stands, business continues as usual in Omaha.

Monday, coaches from Kansas and Auburn visited Millard South. Tuesday, new Nebraska quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator Glenn Thomas is set to pay a visit to lay eyes on Thomalla.

With QB targets mostly identified for 2025, the Huskers are still sorting through 2026 prospects at the position.

It never hurts to get ahead. There’s a lot of it happening this month at Millard South.
 


n.rivals.com

Dillon Duff, 2025 Pro Style Quarterback

Dillon Duff - 2025 3 Star Pro style quarterback for De Smet (St. Louis, MO) on Rivals.com
n.rivals.com n.rivals.com

Dave Chappelle Dylan GIF
 


With classes underway in Lincoln and players in the midst of the third week of winter conditioning workouts, Nebraska updated its official online roster on Tuesday morning, providing updates on several positions for the spring and updating who is on the roster after the offseason.

Here’s a quick look at what stood out:

— Veteran Nebraska guard Ethan Piper is no longer listed on the roster. Piper suffered a serious season-ending knee injury in the win over Northwestern and was seen on the sidelines toward the end of the regular season in a wheelchair watching his teammates going through warmups.


Piper has one season of eligibility remaining if he wants it, but faces a long road of rehabilitation to return from the injury. Piper started 15 games for the Huskers at guard over the last two seasons. His situation will likely be addressed by Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule at an early February press conference.

"As I'm talking to Ethan, he's like, 'Yeah, this really stinks but it's probably a really good thing for the team because now Justin (Evans-Jenkins) is getting some reps, you can really develop him.' To think that anybody could think like that," Rhule said in admiration of the injured Husker O-lineman's attitude after the season-ending setback.


— Also no longer listed on the roster is former Alabama defender Kaine Williams. Williams played in four games -- all in 2023 -- in his two seasons at Nebraska. Williams entered Nebraska as a safety, but moved to linebacker last season.

— Nebraska made official the move of former defensive lineman Ru’Quan Buckley from the defensive side of the ball to the offensive side of the ball.


Rhule said in November that he believes Buckley “is going to be a dynamic guard.”

— Nebraska redshirt freshmen Jeremiah Charles and Brice Turner are both listed as defensive backs. Charles and Turner spent time on both sides of the ball before transitioning over to defensive back late in the season in 2023. Defensive backs coach Evan Cooper and wide receivers coach Garret McGuire had been vocal in the fall with claiming both of the players for their respective side of the ball.

— Senior wide receiver Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda remains on the roster after suffering a season-ending knee injury last year against Minnesota.

— Redshirt freshman Jason Maciejczak is listed as an offensive lineman on the current roster update, while redshirt freshman lineman Mason Goldman is listed on the defensive side of the ball.

— Walk-on punter Jacob Hohl, who entered the transfer portal, but removed his name last week, is now back on the Huskers’ spring roster.

— Several Nebraska walk-ons, who went through Senior Day ceremonies with eligibility remaining are no longer listed on the roster. That includes special teams standout Grant Tagge, running back Treven Luben, fullback Braden Klover, lineman Keegan Menning and defensive back Ashton Hausmann.


— Nebraska’s updated roster also includes players who have signed, but are not yet on campus and won’t go through spring ball. When those players are factored into the mix, the Husker roster sits at 149 players.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Faux Sean Callahan
  • Locked
Recruiting thread January
10
Replies
189
Views
6K
Faux Sean Callahan
Faux Sean Callahan
A
Today in History - January 31
Replies
1
Views
138
BingoDingo
BingoDingo
A
Today in History - January 30
Replies
0
Views
143
Alum-Ni
A
A
Today in History - January 29
Replies
0
Views
122
Alum-Ni
A
A
Today in History - January 28
Replies
0
Views
194
Alum-Ni
A

Theme customization system

You can customize some areas of the forum theme from this menu.

System sensitive
Light mode
Dark mode

Manage theme options Manage theme colors

  • Wide/Narrow view

    You can control a structure that you can use to use your theme wide or narrow.

    Grid view forum list

    You can control the layout of the forum list in a grid or ordinary listing style structure.

    Close sidebar

    You can get rid of the crowded view in the forum by closing the sidebar.

    Fixed sidebar

    You can make it more useful and easier to access by pinning the sidebar.

  • Color combinations cannot be used

    Color combinations are not available to you, this area may be restricted by administrators. Please contact the administrator for more information.

    Color gradient backgrounds
Back