Husker Big Red Daily: Nebraska will host key 2028 target for visit, more Tikey Hayes intel

Welcome to Husker Big Red Daily, your daily stop for the latest Nebraska football news, recruiting buzz, transfer portal updates, and Huskers headlines. Here’s a quick look at the latest storylines surrounding Nebraska athletics.

While some Nebraska football fans are still thinking about the 2027 recruiting class, which is fair with a few months left before Early National Signing, the focus of the program has shifted to 2028.

That doesn’t mean Nebraska football isn’t trying to flip Ahmad Hudson from LSU. The Huskers are also interested in adding another linebacker to the class, so there are some irons in the fire.

For the most part, though, the die is cast for the 2027 class. Looking ahead to 2028, Matt Rhule’s staff is looking to build another strong class. The board is still developing, but one of the top targets, without a doubt, is Justin Parish, a 6-foot-4, 270-pound offensive lineman from Omaha Westside.

Parish is ranked No. 311 overall in the 2028 class, via the 247 Sports composite rankings. He’s also the top-ranked recruit in the state of Nebraska for the 2028 class. Geep Wade, the new offensive line coach for the Huskers, has already made Parish a top priority in 2028.

The Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine sees Nebraska football as the favorite, and the grip should only strengthen as the Huskers are expected to get Parish back on campus for a gameday visit this fall, via Bryan Munson of Husker Online. 

The Huskers are going to have some stiff competition, though. Parish told Munson that he also plans to take other gameday visits this fall, with trips to Georgia Tech, Missouri, Iowa, Tennessee, and Penn State all planned.

Parish didn’t end up making a trip to Lincoln this summer, despite being offered in May. He did visit some other schools, but he will be in Lincoln this fall, which is critical for the Huskers.

Latest Tikey Hayes intel

Steve Sipple of Husker Online interviewed the Iowa Western head coach, Scott Strohmeier, recently, who offered up more tidbits about the new running back addition, Tikey Hayes.

“He’s physical. He’s not afraid, to say the least,” Iowa Western head coach Scott Strohmeier told Husker Online. “We run some jet sweeps with the slot receiver, and he was our lead blocker. He was really good there, and really good in pass protection. Strong player.”

The thing that stands out to me from that quote is that Hayes is “really good in pass protection.” That’s the one thing people often overlook when it comes to running backs. They have to be able to pass protect. If not, it’s easy to diagnose when the play will be a run or a pass.

That’s why younger backs sometimes struggle to get on the field. That sounds like it won’t be an issue for Hayes. It remains to be seen if Jamal Rule can do that well enough to earn consistent carries, and blocking could be a reason that Isaiah Mozee wins the starting job, even though he’s being overlooked by some.

Mozee feels like a great second option. Someone to get about 10-15 touches per game. However, with his knowledge of the offense, and if he’s the best blocker, he will probably start the season if Mekhi Nelson is suspended.

Yet, if Hayes can pick up the offense, he could have an early impact. The running ability is there, and if the pass protection is on point, Hayes could find the field early and often for Nebraska football in the 2026 season.