Nebraska Football: EDGE rusher Jacob Smith sets official visit date

Nebraska football continues to search for prospects on the recruiting trail, and they are getting an official visit on June 16 from four-star defender Jacob Smith. Smith is the 17^th overall edge defender in the 2024 class, and the third overall player and his class from the state of Connecticut per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. The visit was confirmed via his On3 profile.

Smith has a large offer sheet that includes the likes of Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, Georgia Tech, USC, and Wisconsin. Nebraska football is competing with several schools for his services. Most recently, he got an offer from Texas A&M on March 22.

Smith would give Nebraska football an immediate pass rusher at the edge position. He measures in at six-foot-three, 230 pounds, and will undoubtedly grow once he hits a college campus.

He had 29 tackles and seven sacks in the 2021 season.

What does this mean for Nebraska football?

This is a big deal for Nebraska football because official visits mean a little bit more. A visit to a college campus that is paid for by the school itself is an official visit. This to me tells me that Nebraska really wants Smith, and for good reason. He would give them an immediate impact player on the edge. He is aggressive, and is able to get into the backfield with ease. Pass-rushing is going to be extremely important in a 3-3-5 defense.

This would also continue to grow the Connecticut ties that are trying to be established by the coaching staff. EJ Barthel had them as the running backs coach at UConn. Establishing a smaller pipeline in the state would not be a bad thing, and would give them an area of continued familiarity in the Northeast.

The fact that Smith is still checking out the Nebraska football program is a good sign. Of course, we all want Nebraska to close the deal. We won’t be happy until that happens. Nevertheless, they’re getting him back on campus and have made it extremely clear he is a priority target.

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