3 thoughts on commitment of Brian Tapu to Nebraska football

College football recruiting is crazy and if you needed a reminder, Brian Tapu‘s recruitment served as one. Nebraska football thought they were going to get him after his official visit. But then, after a visit to Oregon State and a commitment, the Huskers had to pull off a flip.

Just four days after his commitment to the Beavers, Tapu announced his decommitment on Thursday morning, before announcing a commitment to Nebraska football on Thursday evening.

1000% committed #GBR 🌽🌽 pic.twitter.com/y4RQEbb1oJ

— Halafihi Tapu (@briantapu) June 28, 2024

Tapu is 6-foot-7, 295 pounds according to his 247 sports profile. He’s also ranked No. 718 overall and is the sixth-best player in the state of Utah. He’s also the first offensive line commitment for the Huskers in the 2025 class and looks like a future offensive tackle.

Here are three thoughts on Tapu’s commitment to Nebraska football.

A much-needed win

Nebraska’s prior commitment was just 11 days ago, so it’s not like Tapu ended a big commitment drought. However, his commitment was important because he was the first O-line pledge in the 2025 class.

As I wrote earlier this week, Nebraska football fans didn’t need to panic about O-line recruiting. The Huskers signed 10 recruits in 2023 and 2024 after all.

But, you don’t want to whiff either and Nebraska was in the process of doing that with some of their top O-line targets, especially at tackle.

Now, if they are able to pair Shawn Hammerbeck, a 6-foot-7 offensive tackle from South Dakota, with Tapu, you have a decent haul. It doesn’t have to be as big a class, but you want quality and Tapu at least gives Nebraska something to work with at offensive tackle for the future.

A lot of clay to mold

Tapu isn’t coming to Nebraska football as a finished product — not by any stretch of the imagination. The Huskers need to get him in their strength and conditioning program and develop him, but Matt Rhule has essentially talked about how Nebraska is a football factory with all the resources offered.

That’s perfect for Tapu. He has all the physical gifts in the world. You can see the potential in his highlights. He needs to be more consistent and needs to refine his technique. Tapu is raw, but the potential is vast and he’s got the tools to be a future starting tackle in the Big Ten.

It’s not going to happen overnight though. But the kid moves better than most 300-pounders I’ve seen. He’s 6-foot-7 and he could wind up as one of the biggest steals in this class.

What’s next?

Tapu is the 12th commitment in the 2025 class for Nebraska football. A class size of around 20 prospects has been talked about but we’ll see. I’m not sure Matt Rhule can help himself in terms of adding players.

Chase Loftin, Christian Jones, and Michael Terry are still out there. Cortez Mills seems to be trending in another direction, plus Dawson Merritt committed to Alabama. Jeremiah Jones is another recruit Nebraska is leading with, along with Hammerbeck, at least according to the On3 prediction machine.

Loftin feels like the next commitment or at least an announcement. The expert projections favor Nebraska right now, but it’s been a battle with Texas A&M and others. Christian Jones is also considering more visits, but at least the Huskers finally landed a quality offensive tackle or at least one with blue-chip upside.

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