Nebraska Football heavily pursuing four-star DE

Nebraska football has been busy recruiting for future classes throughout the week, and Thursday , Huskers head coach Matt Rhule went out to Illinois to Visit four-star  2025 defensive end Jaylen Williams.

Williams measures and at six-foot-six, 255 pounds. He was named to the All-State defensive team by Prep Red Zone and goes to Palatine High School.

Nebraska football has been more active in his recruitment as of late. He visited Nebraska over the weekend, and indicated he had a great time. It seems like the Huskers are really making an effort to land him.

Williams does a good job of firing off the edge as soon as the football is snapped. He is very smooth in his movements and solid in his technique. Williams is a good lateral runner, and is strong in his pursuit of players in the offensive backfield. He didn’t use a variety of swim moves to shed blockers at the high school level. He was able to overpower offensive lineman with ease. Collapsing pockets was a specialty of his.

Matt Rhule seeing Illinois 2025 4⭐️ DL target 🎯 https://t.co/qFulLjWQbX

— Huskers Talk | 𝙉𝙚𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙖 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨 (@HuskersTalk) February 1, 2024

What does this mean for Nebraska Football?

Thursday’s visit was significant for several reasons. For one, Rhule made the trip out to see him. This to me means that Williams is a priority recruit. They have moved quickly in his recruitment, and that is certainly a good sign.

Secondly, this signifies a recruiting focus. Nebraska has made in the edge position a priority in recruiting as well. Jordan Ochoa was the most recent commitment at the edge spot. It’s clear that Nebraska football wants to continue to get playmakers at the position. Building depth is important, and the edge position has become a premium one in football overall.

Currently, the 2025 class is on the smaller side. However, the coaching staff has been focused on building it out. The class itself currently has four commitments. It is ranked 22^nd overall per the 247Sports Team Rankings.

It will be interesting to see how big a role the Huskers play in this recruitment overall. It’s clear that they want Williams to be a part of the program. Illinois historically has been a hotbed for defensive players. Nebraska has recruited the state before and has had some success. Establishing a pipeline once again would be a step in the right direction.

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