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Nebraska Football: 5 takeaways from a hugely successful recruiting weekend

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Nebraska Football
Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

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.

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Nebraska Football flips local TE Eric Ingwerson after long pursuit

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Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska football landed a commitment from 2024 tight end Eric Ingwerson on Wednesday, according to multiple media reports.

Ingwerson is the 128th overall athlete in the 2024 class, and the ninth overall player in the class from the state of Nebraska per the 247Sports composite rankings. He has a numerical rating of 86 overall.

This is a solid commitment for several reasons. For one, Nebraska football has been interested in him for quite a while. He received an offer from the program on April 11, and had him and for an official visit on June 16.

Ingwerson joins a tight end room that is already in good hands for 2024. Carter Nelson headlines the room, with Ian Flynt also part of the room as well.

It is also worth noting that Ingwerson played on the defensive side of football as a defensive lineman for Papillion-LaVista. He could definitely play the position for Nebraska, as he measures in at six-foot-seven, 235 pounds. There is the chance that he could play a different position other than tight end. However, his size makes him an intriguing option at the position itself.

There can also be the possibility that Nebraska football could be looking at him as an offensive lineman. The size is there. This staff knows how to develop offensive lineman. Ingwerson could fit well in the positional group.

Currently, the 2024 Nebraska football recruiting class ranks 23rd overall in the country per the 247Sports rankings. This class has a solid high school group, and Ingwerson certainly adds to that. The 2024 class has the potential to be a cornerstone class of Matt Rhule’s tenure.

Ingwerson will be an asset to Nebraska football, no matter what position he plays. Furthermore, this is a great flip by the program. Once again, they have shown the ability to identify a prospect they want, and pursue him until they land him. The staff has done a good job of being able to flip recruits. Ingwerson is certainly a part of that distinction.

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Nebraska Football trending towards landing another in-state TE

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Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska football could be in line for one of their top targets. Tight end Eric Ingwerson is expected to make a visit to Lincoln this weekend, according to a report from 247Sports Steve Wilfong.

Ingwerson is a guy that Nebraska has been after for quite a while. The tight end has been committed to Pittsburgh since March, but Nebraska offered him in April. Since then, they have been pushing to land him. Tight ends coach Josh Martin is currently the coach involved in his recruitment.

Predictions have been made for Ingwerson to end up a member of the Nebraska football program. Notre Dame insider Tom Loy logged in a crystal ball for the tight end with a medium confidence score of six on Wednesday morning. Wilfong did the same thing, with the same confidence score as well.

What could he bring to Nebraska football?

Ingwerson has a tremendous catch radius, and uses it to haul in passes with ease. He has the ability to get into open space, and run after the catch. His ability to catch high throws in particular makes him a threat in the red zone. He is a quarterback’s best friend, and a player that would be a drive starter. He’s the type of player you can deliver safe, easy throws to in order to get the offense going.

Ingwerson would be an immediate red zone threat for Nebraska, as they look to continue to bring in talent to the tight end room. We have seen the emergence of Thomas Fidone this year. This offense has done a good job of involving the position in its scheme, especially in the red zone. Fidone for example already has three receiving touchdowns on the year.

It will be interesting to see what happens this weekend. From the sounds of it, it could be possible that we see a commitment. This would be a nice get for a 2024 Nebraska football recruiting class that already has a ton of talent. Here’s to hoping the coaching staff can seal the deal.

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Nebraska Cornhuskers news: QB updates for Michigan, plus a Christian Jones update

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Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Our Nebraska Cornhuskers news roundup features the latest on Nebraska football quarterbacks, plus an update on top target Christian Jones.

Nebraska football was back on the practice field on Tuesday, and the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ two coordinators — Tony White and Marcus Satterfield met with the media.

The coaches always give out some good nuggets but the most important topic addressed on Tuesday were the quarterbacks — Jeff Sims and Heinrich Haarberg.

Haarberg started the last two games for Nebraska football and led the Huskers to a pair of non-conference wins over Louisana Tech and Northern Illinois. The running game was the strength for Haarberg although he tossed three touchdown passes over the two games. He has four on the season as well as three rushing touchdowns.

But Haarberg left the Louisiana Tech game due to injury and didn’t return after the weather delay. Matt Rhule said he could have returned but got tight. On Tuesday, Satterfield said that Haarberg was a full-go at practice for the Nebraksa Cornhuskers ahead of the Michigan game.

Jeff Sims is also “splitting reps” according to the Nebraska OC, but Sims still isn’t “100 percent” which probably isn’t a great sign for his availability on Saturday.

Latest on in-state recruiting target Christian Jones

Over the last two recruiting cycles, the Nebraska Cornhuskers have had an elite recruiting target in the state and in the 2025 class that’s linebacker Christian Jones.

Out of Omaha Westside, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound linebacker is ranked 106th overall according to the 247 Sports composite rankings. He also has some crystal balls in favor of Nebraska football already.

But just like the recruitments of Carter Nelson and Malachi Colman, this is going national. According to Bryan Munson of Husker Online, Jones visited Notre Dame last weekend for the Ohio State game.

Jones was also offered by Penn State. Notre Dame feels like the biggest threat by far though and here’s what Tom Loy of Irish Illustrated wrote about the in-state target’s visit to South Bend:

“He loved the atmosphere and environment of a Notre Dame home game and called it the “best college visit” he’s ever been a part of. Between the visit, the effort from the staff, and the push from his friend and teammate Teddy Rezac, a 2024 Notre Dame commit, I like the Irish as a major contender in this one.”

I agree that Notre Dame is the team to worry about but with the way the Huskers have been playing defense and having success recruiting the state, I’d still say Nebraska is the team to beat.

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