3 thoughts on the commitment of Juju Marks to Nebraska football

Nebraska football fans needed some good newsNebraska football fans needed some good news and they got it on Sunday by flipping the commitment of four-star offensive lineman Juju Marks from Kansas.

Marks is ranked No. 387 overall in the 247 Sports composite rankings. He’s also a composite four-star recruit and is now the eighth blue-chip commitment out of 20 commitments in the 2025 class for Nebraska football.

Here are three thoughts on Marks’ commitment.

Final Destination. #GBR ❤️🤍 pic.twitter.com/bNg83C2mp5

— Julian (Juju) Marks (@juju45738) October 20, 2024

Love adding blue chips in the trenches

Saturday’s loss against Indiana was a reminder that Nebraska football needs to upgrade the talent long-term on the offensive line. That’s done by adding as many blue-chip prospects as possible. Three-star recruits can certainly develop into NFL-caliber players but it’s less likely.

Just like a first-round pick is more likely to succeed than a fourth-rounder. Sometimes the lower-ranked players develop better or they aren’t scouted well, but most of the time, the higher-ranked prospects end up being better.

Marks has all the tools you want in an offensive tackle. He’s ranked 30th at the position in the 2025 class and has an impressive offer sheet that includes Auburn, Alabama, and Arkansas, not to mention Kansas.

Marks could play offensive line or defensive line, but 6-foot-6, 290 pounds is the perfect place to start with an offensive tackle. Nebraska football has two other tackles committed but they are each ranked lower than Marks and the depth is important too.

Huskers making up for missing on 5-star tackles

Nebraska football made a run at David Sanders in the 2025 class. The Huskers also had a shot at Brandon Baker in the 2024 class. They missed on each but did land Grant Brix.

However, Marks is a solid consolation prize. All three offensive tackle commitments which include Brian Tapu and Shawn Hammerbeck are. They are each 6-foot-6 and have upside.

Marks is probably more ready to play than the others, but none of these three will be expected to come in and start right away next season. Yet, if even two of these recruits develop into a starter down the road, that’s a great haul up front, and with three upside prospects, it feels like a good bet.

A recruiting positive even after a defeat

You need to be able to recruit in the best of times and the worst of times. Teams are going to negatively recruit and Nebraska football was able to overcome that.

The Huskers are fresh off their worst performance in maybe a decade and landed a blue-chip prospect the next day. That shows belief from a recruiting perspective.

It doesn’t mean that Matt Rhule is going to turn this around or meet the high expectations of Nebraska football fans, but that’s a step in the right direction. A 40 percent blue-chip ratio is a good place to start too in terms of winning consistently.

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