Nebraska football commitment upgraded to composite 4-star, in-state QB too

Matt Rhule and the Nebraska football program have an eye for talent. It’s been proven on numerous occasions and the Huskers‘ ability to evaluate was on display once again this week with 2026 commitment CJ Bronaugh.

Bronaugh committed to Nebraska football in November, which turned some heads. He was unranked at the time. However, with his speed and ball skills, it was clear that the Huskers found another diamond in the rough.

Last weekend, at an Under Armour event in Florida, Bronaugh was one of the standouts. His stock has been on the rise and just recently, the 6-foot-1, 166-pounder defensive back out of Winter Garden, Florida, got a big bump in a recent rankings update.

Bronaugh went from unranked in the On3.com rankings to being ranked No. 139 overall. Not only did the cornerback have six interceptions last season, but he also ran the 100-meter dash in 10.3. Here’s what On3 Scouting Director Charles Power wrote about the Nebraska football commitment:

“CJ Bronaugh is one of the fastest prospects in the cycle. I think he would contend as the fastest prospect we’ve seen to this point in the cycle, at least among blue-chip types. State champion in the 100 and 200-meters and has already ran a 10.3 time in the 100-meters as a junior. In addition to the high-end speed, he played really well as a junior, came down with six interceptions and looks to have solid size. You look at his elite athleticism, combined with the ball skills, those are attributes we value at the corner position.”

Bronaugh is now ranked No. 315 overall in the 2026 class according to the 247 Sports composite rankings. He’s listed as a safety but it’s clear his best position is corner and honestly, I’d be shocked if this was the last time he moved up in the rankings.

Nebraska football got a good one and once again, they were ahead of the talent evaluators and rival schools in this recruitment.

In-state recruit gets a ranking boost, too

Millard South quarterback Jeff Thomalla has been on the rise. His recruitment has started to pick up steam and after his ranking was upgraded via On3.com, Thomalla is now the top-ranked player in the state of Nebraska for the 2026 class according to the 247 Sports composite rankings.

The four-quarterback is ranked 19th among signal-callers according to the composite rankings. He’s also ranked 255th overall.  That’s interesting because Dayton Raiola, the Nebraska football QB commitment in the 2026 class is ranked No. 844 overall according to the 247 Sports composite rankings. He’s the No. 74 quarterback.

Both of those rankings are well behind Thomalla. However, Nebraska football hasn’t offered and hasn’t shown any interest. Is there a chance of taking two quarterbacks?

That feels unlikely. Nebraska put its eggs in the basket of Raiola. They have trusted in his development and that trust has paid off. We’ll see if there is any interest in Thomalla, but I don’t expect Nebraska football to react to the rankings. They have made their evaluation.

We’ll see if they are right, or if they waiver at all.

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