Things are trending up for Nebraska football in the 2026 recruiting class. The Huskers landed another commitment this week, in three-star offensive tackle Rex Waterman.
Waterman is likely going to play guard for Nebraska, a la Gibson Pyle, but Husker fans should be excited about his commitment, despite a low ranking. This dude is a mauler.
However, Waterman could be joined by another offensive line commitment soon. Three-star Hayden Ainsworth, an interior offensive lineman from Biloxi, Mississippi, has started trending with expert projections following his official visit to Lincoln last weekend.
Bryan Munson of Husker Online and Steve Wiltfong of On3 have each projected Ainsworth to commit to Nebraska. The 6-foot-5, 285-pounder ranked No. 727 overall in the 2026 class, via the On3 Industry rankings, has set a commitment date for June 20th.
That’s the same day that Nebraska tight end target Luke Sorensen is expected to announce a commitment. Kamron Wilson has also been trending to flip from Syracuse to Nebraska football.
Looking ahead to Nebraska football official visit weekend
There are 10 official visitors this weekend, and none are bigger, literally or figuratively, than Valdin Sone, the 6-foot-3, 320-pound defensive tackle who is ranked No. 140 overall in the 2026 class, via the On3 Industry rankings.
Sone scheduled his official visit recently, and Nebraska, which is light on D-line targets, really needs to make some headway.
The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine favors Florida. However, the Gators don’t have an official visit on the schedule. Auburn got one on May 30th. Oklahoma is up next on June 20th.
This is a golden opportunity for Nebraska to add one of the elite defensive tackle prospects in the 2026 class. However, there are some other critical targets, too.
One that comes to mind is three-star cornerback Darion Jones. The second-ranked player in the state of Nebraska for 2026, and younger brother of current Husker Donovan Jones, will visit this weekend.
That’s Darion Jones. The 6-foot-1 cornerback is ranked No. 561 overall in 2026, but is one of the few in-state priorities for Nebraska.
Derek Young of On3 recently projected Jones to Iowa. He will visit there next weekend, so this is a chance for Nebraska football to turn the tide.
Four-star athlete Jacob Eberhart, a 6-foot-1, 210-pounder out of St. Louis, will also visit Nebraska. He’s one of three four-star recruits on campus. The safety/linebacker put the Huskers in his top seven with teams like Alabama and Oregon, but Nebraska is the favorite currently (On3).
Four-star linebacker Calvin Thomas, out of Houston, Texas, ranked No. 353 overall, will also be on campus, along with three-star running back Jamal Rule. Rule is ranked No. 778 overall out of Charlotte. Nebraska football is among the top contenders with Syracuse, Virginia Tech, and Michigan acase.
Rule will visit MSU next weekend, but hopefully the Huskers can land one of three running backs taking official visits. Three-star offensive tackle Leon Noil is another name to know. The full list of official visitors can be found here.
