March Recruiting Thread

[vailhusker]

Brayden Kunz on Hudl

Watch Brayden Kunz's videos and highlights on Hudl. More info: Conway Springs High School - Varsity Football / RB, OLB / Class of 2024 / Conway Springs, KS

www.hudl.com

 

[Carm]

 

[Bootleg11]

Brayden Kunz on Hudl

Watch Brayden Kunz's videos and highlights on Hudl. More info: Conway Springs High School - Varsity Football / RB, OLB / Class of 2024 / Conway Springs, KS

www.hudl.com

Coached against this kid last year. Good player. He dominates Kansas 1A for the most part but I'm not sure when I saw him last year (granted it was week 1) and thought "that's a power 5, d1 player". I coach defense and so I don't really remember watching him play defense vs our offense. Definitely not a RB, not nearly fast enough. Maybe a LB at the collegiate level and with him tagging the LB coach I assume that's the look he's getting.

 

[Bootleg11]

I coached this kid at Maize South for a year. He is a heck of an athlete. He thought of himself as a college basketball player early on in his HS career and still travels with a team called Team Buddy Buckets for AAU. Really good kid, kind of a hybrid type. Not fast enough to be a true WR, not big enough (yet) to be an inline TE guy. But he's such a good athlete I think he'll have a good shot at playing somewhere. Not sure if that somewhere is power 5 but a d1 athlete for sure.

 

[nja13]

I hope I am wrong about this guy being all-in on the Sooners

Was there a countdown for the release of this tweet?

 

[Carm]

this staff recruits kids with 5 stars and kids with just an offer from Missouri St or with no profile on a recruiting service. It's pretty interesting.

 

[vailhusker]

this staff recruits kids with 5 stars and kids with just an offer from Missouri St or with no profile on a recruiting service. It's pretty interesting.

I don't think the really care that much about stars or what the recruiting services have to say, they have evaluated enough players over the years that they trust their own eyes more when it comes to recruiting.

 

[vailhusker]

When you have a new coaching staff it’s important for prospects to get around the coaches and see how they interact in person. It’s great getting to know people via FaceTime and text. Nothing beats that in-person interaction. That’s more true now that spring practices are underway for coach Matt Rhule at Nebraska.

One of the first prospects to check out a Rhule practice was 3-star Kansas offensive lineman Kaedin Massey. The lineman told Inside Nebraska that new facilities that will open this summer stood out to him and will be second to none.

Massey also gave some insight into seeing the Huskers’ first practice under Rhule.

Kaedin Massey, 2024 Offensive Tackle - Rivals.com

Kaedin Massey - 2024 3 Star Offensive tackle for Lyndon (Lyndon, KS) on Rivals.com

n.rivals.com

“I mean, you couldn't tell that it was their first practice,” Massey said. “It was streamlined and well organized. You couldn’t tell that it was the first practice at all.”

Nebraska’s program under Rhule is already building a reputation for being well-organized and caring about the details. When a prospect like Massey is visiting for a practice, what exactly is he looking for?

"I'm checking attitudes," Massey said. "Are the players having fun being there? Are they responding correctly and looking good? How are the coaches handling the practice? Are they holding players accountable? Are they setting standards and stuff like that."

Massey noted that offensive line coach Donovan Raiola handled himself well during practice. He definitely knows his way around the offensive line according to the Kansas native. Massey could tell that the players respect him and responded well to his coaching. Massey and Raiola got a chance to speak one-on-one too.

"It was good. I sat down with him and listened to his whole rundown of his coaching philosophy plus his standards, his ideas on technique and fundamentals,” Massey said.

Massey thought that Raiola’s philosophies matched up pretty well with his game. He’s also building “quite a relationship” with linebackers coach Rob Dvorcek who is in charge of Kansas recruiting.

The lineman has a solid group of schools in his nine scholarship offers. He is planning to see most of those schools over the next couple weeks. Then he will start narrowing things down for official visits. Massey is going to Kansas State on Tuesday, then Oklahoma this weekend. Next week he will visit Kansas and Oklahoma State followed by Cockeye.

As he visits all the schools, he’s got a good idea of what he wants to find in a future home.

“I'm looking for a good academic school to be a computer engineering major,” Massey said. “That's what I'm wanting to major in. I'm looking for a good atmosphere and a good feel to it. And a positive relationship with coaches."

When Massey goes on all these trips and evaluates his choices there is something about Nebraska that will stick with him.

“All the amenities and facilities that Nebraska has and provides is just incredible," Massey said. All the stuff they provide for recovery, for training and for academics. It's just crazy all the stuff that they help them with."

 

[Top10class24]

I saw that Nigel Smith spoke with Will Turboff of 247 Sports is he planning on coming a later date? Or is Oklahoma and Texas the leaders and it will be hard to beat them.

 

[Carm]

He said he really liked us but Nebraska re-connected late. He didn’t say he wouldn’t come and said he’d still talk, but it sounded like a visit was not likely at present.

 

[vailhusker]

I saw that Nigel Smith spoke with Will Turboff of 247 Sports is he planning on coming a later date? Or is Oklahoma and Texas the leaders and it will be hard to beat them.

He said he really liked us but Nebraska re-connected late. He didn’t say he wouldn’t come and said he’d still talk, but it sounded like a visit was not likely at present.

Looks like he's visiting Texas instead.

 

[vailhusker]

Sounds like his visit went well anyone have a sub?

 

[Dell Husker]

 

[Carm]

Sounds like his visit went well anyone have a sub?

On Nebraska visit, Willis McGahee IV impressed by coaches and possible role in Husker defense​

VIP ByBRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON 117 minutes ago


Willis McGahee IV already had some connections to the Nebraska program.

But while actually putting his own eyes on what's happening in Lincoln, taking in Nebraska's opening spring practice Monday, the four-star edge defender from Miami was drawn to a discussion of how he could be used in a Tony White defense. McGahee was intrigued by a new position Husker coaches were calling the "jack" that they thought he might fit well.

"Like a D-end/linebacker hybrid. I think that would fit me very well and I like it," he told Husker247. "This is my game. Because I like to go back in coverage and blitz on the D-line."

The son of former Miami and NFL standout running back Willis McGahee – who once got the best of Nebraska in a national championship game two decades ago – the younger McGahee knows what he's looking for as he considers from his many offers.

"A program that's not going to treat me as a second option, that's going to treat me as their guy, that's going to develop me as a player and get me prepared for the next level – stuff like that," he said.

The prospect from Columbus High School in Miami knows some Husker coaches and players already. Like defensive quality control coach Phil Simpson, who is well known from his coaching in the Miami area. The prospect is also connected with defensive backs Dwight Bootle II and Corey Collier, who are from there too.

"And I'm getting to know Coach Coop [Evan Cooper], and Coach Rob (Dvoracek) and Coach White and Coach (Terrance) Knighton," McGahee said.

The best thing about those coaches he found in watching Monday's practice is "how they treat players." He was also quite impressed by the new facilities going up.

Adding to that is what players on the Husker team told him about the staff. Basically, his friends expressed that it's not just a show with Rhule's staff.

"They say the same way they act on the visit is the way they act during the season (or workouts). It doesn't change," he said. "They treat you nice."

McGahee had an in-person look Monday at what many across Nebraska would have liked to see – the first practice of the Rhule era. And Husker head coach Matt Rhule has said how much he wants to have his practices open to recruits so they can get a good look at how the Huskers go about things.

"I want people to come watch us practice. I don’t know how you could commit to play for me without watching me at a mat drill or at a practice, because I am who I am," Rhule said recently. "I’m not changing on the field for anybody. Terrance Knighton isn’t changing for anybody. I want people to see it because some people will love it. Some people will be like, ‘Wow, they’re going to maximize me.’ Some people will want a different vibe. So I want them to see it, know it."

Having gotten a taste of what Nebraska offers, McGahee doesn't know just yet what his future visit schedule looks like as he doesn't want to lose his focus on his track season, which he also competes in.

As a junior on the football field, he had 50 tackles and eight sacks while at Miami Palmetto, which competed in Florida's 4M classification. McGahee is rated No. 96 overall and eighth among edge rushers in the most recent 247Sports rankings for the 2024 class.

And while his dad had great success at Miami, his advice has always been for his son to find what best fits him. Said Willis IV, "He tells me to find that big atmosphere and just go somewhere that's going to like you for you."

Nebraska spring practice visit impressed four-star recruit Willis McGahee IV​

Bryan Mongo•about 2 hours
Article written by:

Bryan Mongo
https://twitter.com/BryanMunson_
2024 EDGE Willis McGahee IV
Over the weekend, Miami (Fla.) Christopher Columbus linebacker Willis McGahee IV confirmed that he visited Nebraska on Monday to see the Huskers’ first spring practice. The four-star recruit felt he was in his normal routine, attending the early morning practice on Monday at Nebraska.
“I was there for practice this morning at 6:00,” McGahee said. “I wake up for practices at 5:15 AM and am on the field at 5:55 in high school already. So I really didn’t mind the practice being early in the morning.”
McGahee noted that the practice was run well for the first practice under head coach Matt Rhule. During practice, McGahee said that he heard one of the coaches welcoming mistakes but said there weren’t any that he saw.
“The practice was almost like a regular practice and the coaches really knew what they were doing. I heard one of the coaches say that he wants mistakes. He invites mistakes. It could be chaos, but that’s what he wants. The practice went well. They really ran a good practice for a first practice.”
When the defense broke out, McGahee focused on how all the coaches worked with the players. He said he saw all the players getting individual instruction from the coaches.
“The coaches were helping every player,” McGahee said. “They didn’t care who you were. They ran things well. I liked the drills that they ran and I definitely wouldn’t mind doing any of them.”
McGahee got a tour following practice and was able to look around. He saw the new facilities and also got to meet all of the defensive staff.
“I got to see their new facilities and it’s going to be really nice. It’s some of the best in the country. We got to walk through the new construction. There were pictures of how things will look on the inside.
“There was a chance for me to talk to coach White, coach Dvoracek, coach Knighton, and even coach Cooper. I met the entire defensive staff.”
The Nebraska staff see McGahee playing in a hybrid spot for their defense. It’s perfect. McGahee just transferred from Palmetto to Christopher Columbus and will be moving from EDGE to linebacker this fall.
“They said that they like me as a Jack linebacker,” McGahee said. “It’s a combination of a defensive end and an outside linebacker. They said that they see me like Hassan Reddick. They see me as a hybrid and I can too. I want to be a hybrid guy.”
“I thought Nebraska was going to be freezing cold. Blowing snow and freezing. I also thought it would just be cornfields. Lincoln is a great city. It was a little cold for me in the morning, but it warmed up.”
The visit got a perfect score from McGahee. Of all the things that McGahee saw, he says the new facilities stand out to him the most.
“It was a “10”!,” McGahee said. “It was nice. The best part about the visit was the new facilities. That was the best part for me.”
McGahee returns to Florida with no other visits planned. He says he will be busy with track in the spring and hasn’t thought about trips this spring or official visits in June, but Nebraska is definitely in an excellent spot to get McGahee to return.
“I don’t know yet about other trips because I have track and I haven’t thought about my official visits yet. I don’t know yet about coming back to Nebraska for an official visit, but I probably would!”.
There are a pair of former high school teammates in Nebraska that McGahee wanted to reconnect with today while in Lincoln. McGahee said that Dwight Bootle and Corey Collier were encouraging him to join them.
“Yep, I caught up with both of them today. They both wanted me to commit today, on the spot. What they had to tell me makes me really comfortable with Nebraska and the team.”

 

[Top10class24]

On Nebraska visit, Willis McGahee IV impressed by coaches and possible role in Husker defense​

VIP ByBRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON 117 minutes ago


Willis McGahee IV already had some connections to the Nebraska program.

But while actually putting his own eyes on what's happening in Lincoln, taking in Nebraska's opening spring practice Monday, the four-star edge defender from Miami was drawn to a discussion of how he could be used in a Tony White defense. McGahee was intrigued by a new position Husker coaches were calling the "jack" that they thought he might fit well.

"Like a D-end/linebacker hybrid. I think that would fit me very well and I like it," he told Husker247. "This is my game. Because I like to go back in coverage and blitz on the D-line."

The son of former Miami and NFL standout running back Willis McGahee – who once got the best of Nebraska in a national championship game two decades ago – the younger McGahee knows what he's looking for as he considers from his many offers.

"A program that's not going to treat me as a second option, that's going to treat me as their guy, that's going to develop me as a player and get me prepared for the next level – stuff like that," he said.

The prospect from Columbus High School in Miami knows some Husker coaches and players already. Like defensive quality control coach Phil Simpson, who is well known from his coaching in the Miami area. The prospect is also connected with defensive backs Dwight Bootle II and Corey Collier, who are from there too.

"And I'm getting to know Coach Coop [Evan Cooper], and Coach Rob (Dvoracek) and Coach White and Coach (Terrance) Knighton," McGahee said.

The best thing about those coaches he found in watching Monday's practice is "how they treat players." He was also quite impressed by the new facilities going up.

Adding to that is what players on the Husker team told him about the staff. Basically, his friends expressed that it's not just a show with Rhule's staff.

"They say the same way they act on the visit is the way they act during the season (or workouts). It doesn't change," he said. "They treat you nice."

McGahee had an in-person look Monday at what many across Nebraska would have liked to see – the first practice of the Rhule era. And Husker head coach Matt Rhule has said how much he wants to have his practices open to recruits so they can get a good look at how the Huskers go about things.

"I want people to come watch us practice. I don’t know how you could commit to play for me without watching me at a mat drill or at a practice, because I am who I am," Rhule said recently. "I’m not changing on the field for anybody. Terrance Knighton isn’t changing for anybody. I want people to see it because some people will love it. Some people will be like, ‘Wow, they’re going to maximize me.’ Some people will want a different vibe. So I want them to see it, know it."

Having gotten a taste of what Nebraska offers, McGahee doesn't know just yet what his future visit schedule looks like as he doesn't want to lose his focus on his track season, which he also competes in.

As a junior on the football field, he had 50 tackles and eight sacks while at Miami Palmetto, which competed in Florida's 4M classification. McGahee is rated No. 96 overall and eighth among edge rushers in the most recent 247Sports rankings for the 2024 class.

And while his dad had great success at Miami, his advice has always been for his son to find what best fits him. Said Willis IV, "He tells me to find that big atmosphere and just go somewhere that's going to like you for you."

Nebraska spring practice visit impressed four-star recruit Willis McGahee IV​

Bryan Mongo•about 2 hours
Article written by:

Bryan Mongo
https://twitter.com/BryanMunson_
2024 EDGE Willis McGahee IV
Over the weekend, Miami (Fla.) Christopher Columbus linebacker Willis McGahee IV confirmed that he visited Nebraska on Monday to see the Huskers’ first spring practice. The four-star recruit felt he was in his normal routine, attending the early morning practice on Monday at Nebraska.
“I was there for practice this morning at 6:00,” McGahee said. “I wake up for practices at 5:15 AM and am on the field at 5:55 in high school already. So I really didn’t mind the practice being early in the morning.”
McGahee noted that the practice was run well for the first practice under head coach Matt Rhule. During practice, McGahee said that he heard one of the coaches welcoming mistakes but said there weren’t any that he saw.
“The practice was almost like a regular practice and the coaches really knew what they were doing. I heard one of the coaches say that he wants mistakes. He invites mistakes. It could be chaos, but that’s what he wants. The practice went well. They really ran a good practice for a first practice.”
When the defense broke out, McGahee focused on how all the coaches worked with the players. He said he saw all the players getting individual instruction from the coaches.
“The coaches were helping every player,” McGahee said. “They didn’t care who you were. They ran things well. I liked the drills that they ran and I definitely wouldn’t mind doing any of them.”
McGahee got a tour following practice and was able to look around. He saw the new facilities and also got to meet all of the defensive staff.
“I got to see their new facilities and it’s going to be really nice. It’s some of the best in the country. We got to walk through the new construction. There were pictures of how things will look on the inside.
“There was a chance for me to talk to coach White, coach Dvoracek, coach Knighton, and even coach Cooper. I met the entire defensive staff.”
The Nebraska staff see McGahee playing in a hybrid spot for their defense. It’s perfect. McGahee just transferred from Palmetto to Christopher Columbus and will be moving from EDGE to linebacker this fall.
“They said that they like me as a Jack linebacker,” McGahee said. “It’s a combination of a defensive end and an outside linebacker. They said that they see me like Hassan Reddick. They see me as a hybrid and I can too. I want to be a hybrid guy.”
“I thought Nebraska was going to be freezing cold. Blowing snow and freezing. I also thought it would just be cornfields. Lincoln is a great city. It was a little cold for me in the morning, but it warmed up.”
The visit got a perfect score from McGahee. Of all the things that McGahee saw, he says the new facilities stand out to him the most.
“It was a “10”!,” McGahee said. “It was nice. The best part about the visit was the new facilities. That was the best part for me.”
McGahee returns to Florida with no other visits planned. He says he will be busy with track in the spring and hasn’t thought about trips this spring or official visits in June, but Nebraska is definitely in an excellent spot to get McGahee to return.
“I don’t know yet about other trips because I have track and I haven’t thought about my official visits yet. I don’t know yet about coming back to Nebraska for an official visit, but I probably would!”.
There are a pair of former high school teammates in Nebraska that McGahee wanted to reconnect with today while in Lincoln. McGahee said that Dwight Bootle and Corey Collier were encouraging him to join them.
“Yep, I caught up with both of them today. They both wanted me to commit today, on the spot. What they had to tell me makes me really comfortable with Nebraska and the team.”

Thank you, do you also have the Nigel smith article on 247 by any chance?

 

[Carm]

Thank you, do you also have the Nigel smith article on 247 by any chance?

don't get me banned from anywhere, please

Nigel Smith II talks Nebraska, visit plans​

VIP ByWILL TURBOFF 4 hours ago

It wasn’t until mid-January that Nebraska’s new regime extended an offer to Top-50 defensive line recruit Nigel Smith II, but Omar Hales and others with the Huskers have made the Melissa (Texas) prospect feel like a major priority for the 2024 class in a matter of weeks. In a conversation with Husker247, Smith detailed the origin of his relationship with Matt Rhule’s staff and how talks have progressed as of late

“Building a relationship with those guys when they came in helped a lot,” Smith said. “They’ve just been making sure that it’s known that I’m a priority to them, getting to talk to all of the coaches a lot more.”

In talks with Nebraska, Smith consistently finds a cultural fit between himself and a number of staffers with the team. Although the program re-entered his recruitment later than almost anyone, Smith thinks that since the connection comes natural with the two sides, Hales and others will convince him to consider the Huskers down the stretch.

“I talk to coach Omar [Hales] a lot, ‘Omeezi’,” Smith said, referencing Hales’ Twitter handle and nickname. “We talk to each other a good amount and just talk about life, sports, the game, all of that, so it’s really nice.”

It’s not only Hales that will play a part in Smith’s connection to Nebraska, as his admiration for Matt Rhule and his résumé have been on his mind since early in his recruitment when Rhule was still at Baylor, just about two hours from Smith’s home in Melissa, Texas.

“We watched coach Rhule turn programs around, you know, seeing him turn it around at Baylor and I have a whole lot of respect for him and I think he’s got a great chance to turn it around up at Nebraska,” Smith said. “Just to be able to play for a guy like that, start something back up and bring that love of winning back to Nebraska, that’d be special.”

Although Smith likes the idea of being a part of something special in Lincoln, he has begun to narrow down the number of programs that he’s considering before a commitment that’s loosely planned for early September during Smith’s senior season with Melissa. While he had plans to visit Nebraska this weekend, a late push from Steve Sarkisian and Texas led to Smith deciding to take the trip to Austin.

“I’m really getting into the nitty-gritty of my recruitment and getting down to a lower number of schools. I definitely respect how hard everyone and all of the coaches have recruited me, but I’m still building these strong bonds at places and figuring out where I want to take my official visits,” he said.

The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Smith’s list of offers also includes Penn State, Ohio State, Oklahoma , Texas A&M, Miami, Arkansas, Rutgers and Notre Dame, all schools that he mentioned as major players as he begins to wrap up his recruitment and plan official visits.

Smith is a 4-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite. He is the country’s No. 39 overall prospect, the No. 6 defensive lineman and the No. 7 prospect in Texas.

 

[Baron Winnebago]

Not since Harland Gunn has
local kid had
so little interest in Nebraska

 

[Carm]

Penn State 'towards the top' of 2024 OT Caleb Pyfrom's list​

VIP ByTYLER CALVARUSO Mar 19, 1:57 PM


Penn State started spring practice with a high profile visitor from Nebraska when Top247 wide receiver Dae'vonn Hall made it to campus on Tuesday. Another top recruit from the state made it to Happy Valley on Saturday, as three-star Omaha Central offensive tackle Caleb Pyfrom dropped in for a visit.

Like Hall, Pyfrom left Penn State impressed and the Nittany Lions are among the top schools on his list.

"I loved the coaches energy during the practice and the O-Line was full of hard workers. They compete," Pyfrom told Lions247. "[Offensive line coach Phil Trautwein] is big on being together with his line. He really cares about them and he also expects the best out of his players when it comes to performance and knowledge of the game."



In addition to watching practice, Pyfrom got the chance to sit in on Trautwein's meeting with his offensive linemen. There, he gained a better understanding of not only what Trautwein looks for out of his linemen, but also things he could do to help take his game to the next level."

"The offensive line meeting with coach Trautwein gave me a perspective of how much more I need to improve my technique and my football I.Q.," Pyfrom said.

Pyfrom also saw Penn State's football facilities and liked the layout inside of Lasch.

"I loved their facilities," he said. "And the campus was really nice."

Pyfrom will his continue his spring with a visit to Oklahoma next Saturday and then a short trip to Nebraska the following weekend. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Pyfrom is the No. 38 tackle in the 2024 class and the No. 7 recruit in Nebraska, according to 247Sports.

 

[jickey moseph]

Not since Harland Gunn has local kid has so little interest in Nebraska

Truly seems like he don’t GAF about DONU

 

[Carm]

5-star DL Williams Nwaneri discusses 'amazing' Georgia visit, next steps of his recruitment​

Chad Simmons•about 3 hours
Article written by:

Chad Simmons
ChadSimmons_
Lee’s Summit (Mo.) Lee’s Summit North five-star defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri had “high expectations” going into his unofficial visit to Georgia. After leaving Athens, he was even more impressed by the Bulldogs.
“It definitely exceeded what I thought it was going to be,” Nwaneri told On3. “It was just amazing all around.”
Nwaneri spent time with head coach Kirby Smart and outside linebackers coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe and watched the Bulldogs practice. The 6-foot-6, 250-pound defender also got a chance to see Georgia’s staffers coach up close.
While observing Georgia, Nwaneri could sense how quickly the Bulldogs practiced and the coaches’ intensity. That “different” mentality is part of what intrigues the five-star about Georgia, who will be receiving an official visit from him in the summer.
“They definitely looked like a national championship team,” said Nwaneri, the No. 2 overall prospect and No. 1 defensive lineman in the 2024 On300. “They win for a reason. Everybody’s big. They’re stacked at almost every position. It was something I’ve never seen before.”
Nwaneri spent a little more than a full day in Athens. As a result, he wants to get the “full” Georgia experience when he returns.
When talking with Smart, Nwaneri could sense his high energy and “real cool” personality. The Missouri native also likes how Uzo-Diribe is a “hands-on” coach.
“He basically said if I was to come and play for them, I would be playing a similar role that Mykel Williams plays,” Nwaneri said. “How they play him is at d-end, dropping back into coverage.”

Nwaneri previews Nebraska visit, shares schools in line for official visits​

This weekend, Nwaneri is visiting Nebraska. He has previously visited the Cornhuskers for a Junior Day and a game.
While in Lincoln, Nwaneri wants to see where Nebraska is headed and how the new staff operates. This is a high-stakes visit for the Cornhuskers, as the five-star shared that it is “an opportunity for them to prove why they should get an OV.”
“When (the new staff) first got there, they did a real good job of introducing themselves,” said Nwaneri, who also complemented Nebraska’s “crazy” fanbase. “We talk here and there.”
At the moment, Nwaneri is planning to officially visit Georgia, Missouri and Oklahoma. The Sooners and Tigers have both hosted him in 2023.
“They offered me at the beginning of my recruitment,” Nwaneri said about Missouri. “They’ve just been consistent. It’s just a place I feel like I could go and be successful.”
Meanwhile, Nwaneri is visiting Colorado and Texas A&M soon. He also may get back to Tennessee this spring.