Nebraska Football: 5 takeaways from a hugely successful recruiting weekend

Matt Rhule and Nebraska football killed it over the weekend on the recruiting trail and here are five thoughts for the Cornhuskers.

The recruiting dead period has finally arrived and the Nebraska football coaching staff is probably relieved because they have been putting in work.

It’s been impressive though. Leading up to last weekend’s big visit weekend, Nebraska football had landed eight commitments in the span of a week.

And after the Huskers knocked it out of the park this weekend with Carter Nelson, Quinn Clark, Ernest Campbell, Kewan Lacy, Grant Brix, and Rex Guthrie, it feels like all six could be joining the 2024 class.

At this point, it feels like Nebraska football is just waiting on some commitment announcements to go public, but with all of that in mind, here are five takeaways from the June 23rd visit weekend.

Matt Rhule is an elite recruiter

When Matt Rhule was hired, some Nebraska football fans and others questioned his ability as a recruiter. Well, now that we are seven months in, recruiting is the last thing I’m worried about with Rhule.

In short, he’s been spectacular. Not only was Rhule able to sign a top-25 class in 2023 according to the 247 Sports team rankings, a class that included top-100 in-state talent, Malachi Coleman, but he’s also building an even better class in 2024.

It doesn’t include Dylan Raiola, but Daniel Kaelin’s commitment has been massive. The Huskers found their quarterback of the future. Also, having him as the face of the 2024 class has been huge.

The fact that Nebraska is on the verge of getting Carter Nelson is just massive. He’s an NFL talent and the interest from Georgia and Notre Dame is real.

Under Scott Frost, some of the top talent in the state got away and other top players were ignored. Under Rhule, the Huskers are poised to land commitments from the top five in-state recruits in 2024.

It’s hard to find words other than impressive. And once the wins come, imagine what Nebraska football recruiting will look like.

Carter Nelson is basically in the bag

This weekend was about more than Carter Nelson. However, you have to feel good about the fact that Nebraska was able to assume control of his recruitment.

Coleman was the top target on the board in the 2023 class and rightfully so. Nelson was the same in 2024, outside of Raiola and landing targets at the top of the board in back-to-back classes isn’t something most teams are able to achieve.

Nebraska still needs Nelson to announce his commitment. But experts from 247 Sports, On3, and Rivals are all projecting the elite tight end to Nebraska. It’s happening and with Georgia involved, it feels like the biggest recruiting win of Matt Rhule’s short time at Nebraska.

It’s also a reminder that we shouldn’t doubt him. Coleman and Nelson each received crystal balls elsewhere before Rhule was able to turn it around.

All along, I said Nebraska did everything right with Nelson. It went to basketball games and took numerous trips to Ainsworth. It put in the effort and in the end, it’s going to pay off with a commitment unless something changes drastically in the coming days.

Danny can do more than drop dimes

Matt Rhule deserves credit for this class. But it wouldn’t be coming together like it has without the efforts of Daniel Kaelin.

The in-state quarterback has been spectacular on the recruiting trail. He was at the College World Series with Carter Nelson and also came to the campus the same weekend as him before the official visit season started.

Kaelin did everything possible to land Nelson and it definitely helped. I’m confident that if it wasn’t for Kaelin, Isaiah McMorris and Dae’vonn Hall wouldn’t be in the class either.

Rhule and Garret McGuire certainly played a role. It wasn’t all about Kaelin but he’s a great ambassador for this recruiting class and has the look of a future Nebraska football captain before he’s even signed.

Huskers have found their running back

When it comes to Matt Rhule and his recruiting, I really need to learn to R-E-L-A-X.

Last week, I was freaking out a little about the running back position. The recruitment of Nathaniel Frazier hasn’t gone that well for Nebraska and the options seemed limited.

To make matters worse, Kewan Lacy had been projected to Ole Miss. Despite that, it seemed like there was a clear opportunity to make up ground with the dynamic three-star running back from Texas.

I don’t know what Matt Rhule’s tweet was about, but Lacy retweeted it, and has been trending with expert projections to the Huskers. Lacy is the No. 544 overall player according to the On3 Industry rankings and Nebraska football has a 97-percent chance to land his commitment.

I’d still like to see the Huskers try to find another running back. Hunter Andrews was supposed to take a visit in September, but if they land Lacy as predicted, they’ll have found RB1 for the 2024 class.

The speed at Nebraska is going to kill

All six recruits that visited this weekend and that are trending to Nebraska football are dynamic athletes. Lacy runs the 100-meter dash in 10.79. McMorris and Hall, who committed on Friday, both have times of 10.65 or lower.

Ernest Campbell, a 5-foot-8 wideout from Texas, is a track superstar and runs the 100-meter dash in 10.2. Texas A&M is still a threat but if the Huskers can close, it will be a different speed element than they have ever had.

Guthrie is 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.43. Nelson is an impressive athlete for his size and plays basketball, in addition to having some impressive jumping numbers in track and field.

Quinn Clark is 6-foot-5, 190 pounds, and runs the 40 in 4.5. It’s across the board and Rhule isn’t just adding good athletes. He’s adding good athletes who are good football players and if all of these predictions from over the weekend come true, this is going to be the best Nebraska football recruiting class in a long time.

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.