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Nebraska Football: 5 Huskers with rising stock this spring

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Nebraska Football
Syndication: The Des Moines Register

Nebraska football took part in its first spring scrimmage on Saturday and here are five Huskers whose stock is on the rise.

We are still about three weeks away from the Nebraska football spring game, but that didn’t stop the Huskers from holding their first scrimmage of the spring on Saturday.

It was closed but Nebraska football released a few highlights on Twitter and Matt Rhule met with the media afterward to discuss it. The head coach said the Huskers ran about 85-90 players and that there was live tackling of the quarterbacks.

Based on what we saw yesterday, what we have been hearing, and what Rhule and other assistants have said, here are five Nebraska football players whose stock is on the rise this spring.

Heinrich Haarberg

We have seen Haarberg on the highlights a couple of times and in the spring scrimmage Saturday, it was clear he was making an impact with his legs.

Nebraska football fans were waiting for a young quarterback to step forward and this spring, it’s been Haarberg, a redshirt sophomore listed at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds out of Kearney, Nebraska.

Obviously, we’ll have to see how he does throwing the ball during the spring game, but he’s someone I’m excited to watch this spring. QB development was an issue under Scott Frost and so was QB depth.

So it’s good to see some positive signs with Haarberg and hopefully, it’s a sign that he’s ready to make an impact for the Huskers.

Billy Kemp

The new Nebraska football transfer from Virginia turned some heads with a really nice catch-and-run during the scrimmage on Saturday. There has also been chatter about him this spring and Kemp seems to be emerging as one of the top targets in the passing game.

It’s early and we don’t even know who the starting quarterback is going to be, but slot guys with reliable hands have a lot of value in today’s game, and Kemp is more than just that too.

When Nebraska football landed him in the transfer portal, I thought there was a strong chance he could lead the Huskers in receptions next season and so far, I haven’t seen anything to change my mind.

Gabe Ervin

One of the biggest risers this spring for Nebraska football has been running back Gabe Ervin. During his first two seasons in Lincoln, he averaged 3.8 yards per carry and had 218 rushing yards. Last season, Ervin picked up more than four years per carry but got limited opportunities.

It looks like that could change this season and it was easy to see him standing out in the highlights released by Nebraska football. Ervin is 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, has gotten lots of praise from Matt Rhule and he’s moved himself up the depth chart this spring.

Nebraska has needed some of their holdovers to take a big leap and if the spring is any sign, Ervin has done just that and will be a factor in the running game this fall.

Nash Hutmacher

Nash Hutcmacher put together a solid finish last season and played in every game with two starts. He only had 15 tackles and one tackle for loss but he’s generated some buzz this spring.

Nebraska football is adjusting to a 3-3-5 defense and in order to make it work, the defensive lineman are going to have to play well. Hutcmacher is someone who could play all three defensive line spots and he could see lots of snaps in a nose tackle-type role this season.

We have talked about how important it is for some holdovers to take steps forward and that’s especially true on the defensive line after Elijah Jeudy was the only transfer. Ty Robinson will need to play well up front for the Huskers too, but if Hutcmacher has really improved, as it seems, that would be huge for Nebraska football.

Malcolm Hartzog

Hartzog was one of Nebraska football’s top freshmen last season, making eight starts and intercepting three passes as a cornerback. The former three-star recruit is listed at 5-foot-9, 170 pounds and he’s impressed Rhule this spring.

There has been talk about him playing at safety and cornerback. I worry about losing his coverage ability on the outside if he moved from cornerback, but there’s no doubt he’s going to be on the field almost every single play this season for Nebraska football as long as he’s healthy.

Hartzog isn’t the biggest guy but he has a knack for finding the ball and just making things happen. That’s hard to teach and even if he is a safety, he will see plenty of coverage opportunities.

We don’t know exactly how Tony White is going to use Hartzog, but you can bet he’s going to be one of the Huskers’ best defenders in 2023 and so far, his progress has been really good to see.

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Nebraska Football zeroing in on local 2025 LB

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Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska football is beginning to make inroads into the 2025 recruiting class, and they will have visitors on campus next weekend. Hosting some local talent. 2025 outside linebacker Zayvion Campbell will be in Lincoln next weekend.

This is notable for a couple of reasons. For one, Ryan Gottula is the head coach at Lincoln Southeast. His son Gunnar is part of the 2023 Nebraska football recruiting class. The family connection could help Nebraska football land Campbell.

Secondly, Nebraska is continuing to recruit in-state. This is something that we have seen in the 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes it appears that in-state recruiting will be a focal point. This is something the coaching staff has zeroed in on as one of their main goals during their time at Nebraska. They are sticking to that goal.

What could he bring to Nebraska football?

Campbell is a very intriguing player. He measures in at around six-foot-three, 200 pounds. He has good pursuit ability, and is able to wrap up and make tackles with ease. Campbell would be able to fit the Nebraska football defense by providing a solid presence inside. Campbell uses a variety of moves in order to get to the quarterback as well.

He would give Nebraska a player that could be used in multiple ways in a 3-3-5 defense. It would be fun to see defensive coordinator Tony White work with him. He has the ability to rush as well as fill gaps on the inside. That type of versatility is what Nebraska football should be looking for defensively with the scheme they have.

At the very least, Campbell is coming to campus to check things out.  It’s important that Nebraska continues to look at multiple candidates at the linebacker position. At the very least,  they need to make an effort to continue the recruiting pipeline in-state. The 2023 and 2024 classes were filled with Nebraska-born players. This is a trend that needs to continue.

For More Nebraska content, follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook Page, and Subscribe to the Husker Big Red YouTube Channel. You can also find our podcast on Apple or Spotify

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Nebraska Football: QB visit canceled and a Carter Nelson update

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Nebraska football
Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska football is set for its first official visit weekend of June and Kamari McClellan has canceled, plus the latest on Carter Nelson.

One of the big questions lingering about Nebraska football recruiting this weekend was whether or not three-star quarterback Kamari McClellan would make it for his official visit.

It was still on the schedule for this weekend according to the recruiting sites and in a recent interview, McClellan indicated he was still coming. However, with the recent commitment of Daniel Kaelin, it was only going to happen if Nebraska football suddenly decided to take two quarterbacks in 2024.

Anything is possible but the visit has now been canceled according to Sean Callahan of Husker Online. I think McClellan will wind up at Clemson or another team scrambling for a QB. Nebraska football was in that position and the kid is talented, but Kaelin, who is heading to the Elite 11, is a much better get.

Daniel Kaelin will visit Nebraska football again

Speaking of Kaelin, it wasn’t lip service when he said he wants to be around when any recruit comes to visit. The quarterback will take his official visit the same weekend as Carter Nelson.

But he’s now on the list for an unofficial visit this weekend. There are a couple of wideouts expected to visit. Jacory Barney is one and the Huskers lead for the three-star wideout via the On3 prediction machine. He’s ranked 459th overall out of Miami, Florida.

Williams Nettles is also visiting but he could be a cornerback or receiver. Caleb Pyfrom is a three-star in-state tackle also visiting and Kaelin being on campus could help push him toward a commitment, which seems to be where things are trending according to recent crystal balls.

It’s just clear that Kaelin is serious about doing what he can for this class, no matter how many times he needs to come to campus.

Another Carter Nelson visit

Add Penn State to the list of teams to worry about in the Carter Nelson sweepstakes. He’s going to visit the Nittany Lions on June 16th, which will be his fourth scheduled official visit.

Nelson is going to visit Georgia this weekend, followed by Notre Dame next weekend. The Huskers just got a Futurecast projection from Greg Smith of Rivals to land Carter, the top-ranked recruit in the state in 2024 and things seem to be trending in the right direction.

My thought is that Nelson is likely going to take these visits and make a decision sometime this summer, maybe in July or August. That’s just a guess. I don’t see this recruitment bleeding into the season and Nebraska football has put more effort in than any other program.

That doesn’t mean anything on its own. But Carter just took a visit to Nebraska along with Kaelin and that connection seems to be helping. Nelson hasn’t talked about his recruitment a ton, so it’s hard to get a read, but the tea leaves are pointing in Nebraska’s direction.

We’ll see if that’s still true after the next three weekends.

For More Nebraska content, follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook Page, and Subscribe to the Husker Big Red YouTube Channel. You can also find our podcast on Apple or Spotify.

 

 

 

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Nebraska Football trending in right direction with Florida CB

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Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska football is having a newsworthy recruiting month to start up June. The program is already trending with four-star corner Mario Buford. Now, it appears that another corner may be in their sights as well.

Amare Sanders is the name to keep an eye on. He is a four-star corner He is ranked numerically at 87.50 according to the On3 recruiting rankings. He plays at Gulliver Prep high school, and is from Miami, Fla.

Sanders is a three-star recruit and measures in at 6-foot-2, 167 pounds. Right now, Nebraska is in the lead for his recruitment according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. He is also visiting Nebraska this weekend, in what is turning out to be a big weekend for visitors.

Sanders has tremendous athleticism for a corner. He is able to make the proper reads on passing plays, and that allows him to close on wide receivers quickly and break up potential completions. He does a good job of turning his hips, and reading the play in its entirety. This is certainly important to his game and the way he plays. He also is a decent size for a corner, as he measures in at 6-foot-2 167 pounds.

Nebraska football making Florida a priority

It’s clear that Nebraska football wants to establish a stake in Florida. They are trending with wide receiver Jacory Barney Jr, and already have a commitment from Willis McGahee IV. Both of those players hail from Miami Palmetto. Sanders goes to Gulliver Prep, which is another highly-touted school in the state of Florida.

Currently, the 2024 Nebraska football recruiting class ranks 31st overall nationally with seven commitments. They have focused on both sides of the football, and are landing talented prospects both in and out of the state of Nebraska.

It will be interesting to see if Sanders ends up coming to Nebraska. The fact that he is visiting this weekend and is trending towards the Huskers is certainly a positive sign. The program done work in Florida before, but it seems like this time around their efforts will stick. Recruiting in Florida is a key component for success. Nebraska football is trying to establish that.

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