Husker Big Red Daily: Nebraska a finalist for 5-star, in-state commitment, and a crazy rumor

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.

Monday was another busy day for Nebraska football on the recruiting trail.

The Huskers got final answers from Barrett Kitrell and Kyler Kuhn. They also made the top five in the recruiting battle for five-star offensive line Albert Simien, along with Texas A&M, LSU, Notre Dame, and Ole Miss.

Simien took an official visit to Nebraska, but it feels like Texas A&M is going to win out here. Crazy things happen on the recruiting trail, but it feels like the Huskers will fall short.

Still, it was an impressive effort by Nebraska football O-line coach Geep Wade, and it isn’t over yet. A decision will come on June 26th.

Nebraska football lands a key in-state recruit

If it wasn’t clear where Barrett Kitrell stood on the Nebraska football recruiting board before his official visit, it was after. He was always a take. Wade thinks Kitrell can play all five positions up front, according to Bryan Munson of Husker Online, so the three-star prospect, who was also considering Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas State, Kansas, and Tennessee, was a big get for Matt Rhule after his commitment on Monday. 

The fourth-ranked player in the 2027 recruiting class for the state of Nebraska, the 6-foot-4, 270-pound offensive lineman even visited Ohio State this spring. The Huskers have five of the top six ranked commitments in the state for 2027, with only QB Braylen Warren leaving for Missouri, and with Trae Taylor, Nebraska football didn’t need a QB.

Kyler Kuhn did pledge to Missouri. He’s from Kansas City, so it’s not shocking. Kitrell is ranked No. 629 overall in the 247 Sports composite rankings. Kuhn is a four-star recruit.

Crazy rumor

Since things are a little slow, with the recruiting dead period and all, we decided to share a rumor we saw on X from Jim in Minnesota, the famed Husker fan, who reported that Riley Van Poppel was offered $1.5 million by another program to enter the transfer portal.

The former four-star recruit didn’t go anywhere. The 6-foot-5, 295-pounder had 16 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup in 2025, plus a blocked kick.

Van Poppel started three games last season. That shows how badly teams need defensive linemen. That number might be exaggerated, but it’s also a reminder that Van Poppel might be better than we think, especially in this new 4-2-5 system that will better suit him and most of the others on the defensive line.

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