Nebraska football: Thoughts on Grant Brix pledge and Carlon Jones decommitment

It was a night of euphoria and disappointment for Nebraska football fans on Tuesday as the Huskers landed Grant Brix but lost Carlon Jones.

Recruiting isn’t for the faint at heart. That’s something Nebraska football fans learned once again on Tuesday. There was the high of landing top-100 offensive tackle Grant Brix, followed by the decommitment of Carlon Jones just a couple of hours later.

Nebraska football gained a four-star commitment in Brix and also lost one in Jones, who is ranked No. 410 overall in the 2024 class according to the 247 Sports composite rankings.

However, Brix is ranked No. 81 overall. He’s also the fifth-ranked offensive tackle and top-ranked player out of the state of Iowa. Landing the best players in Iowa and Nebraska is always a good thing for the Huskers and here are some extended thoughts on Grant Brix’s commitment, plus on Carlon Jones.

Brix is the cherry on top for Nebraska football in 2024

It stings losing Jones. But honestly, I would trade the commitment of Brix for him any day of the week. Nebraska needs to get elite on the offensive line and landing Brix is a big step toward doing that.

The dude is just a mauler. He fires off the ball and is going to be a perfect fit for the run-first offense that Matt Rhule wants to run.

I am excited to announce I am a Cornhusker! Although there were great things about all of my top three schools, I firmly believe in what is being built by Coach Rhule and his staff. I want to thank everyone who has helped me and made this process special. God bless and GBR!! 🌽🎈 pic.twitter.com/4qufRFtiLl

— Grant Brix (@grant_brix) November 29, 2023

There was also some stiff competition for Brix. Oklahoma was in the mix, along with Kansas State, and Alabama. It was a solid recruiting win for Rhule and company.

Brix is also the seventh blue-chip prospect in the class. He was actually No. 8 before Jones decommited, but seven blue chips are still a major improvement for Rhule, especially when you consider the fact that Nebraska landed two top-100 prospects.

The Huskers are ranked No. 22 right now according to the 247 Sports team rankings for 2024 and it’s looking like Rhule will be signing a second straight top-25 class.

The sting factor for Carlon Jones

What’s really annoying about Jones is that Nebraska football was the first big program to express interest in him. Rhule and company discovered him and now Ohio State, it seems, will reap the reward.

Jones didn’t announce a pledge to the Buckeyes. But he did visit there recently and following his commitment, they are the team to watch.

Recruitment back 100% open pic.twitter.com/C7DA2au1Mg

— carlonjones6⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ (@carlonjones11) November 29, 2023

It’s disappointing because Jones is the second four-star prospect to leave the class for a power program. Kewan Lacy also decommitted and is trending to Alabama.

Jones is a great prospect too. He’s going to be a really good pass rusher in college football and to their credit, the Buckeyes are outstanding at developing those kinds of players.

Sometimes, if you’re Nebraska, you’re going to lose recruiting battles to Alabama and Ohio State. That’s the way it is. The program just needs to keep improving and keep grinding to stop it from happening in the future.

More work to do

Nebraska football isn’t finished in the 2024 class either. Lamar Radcliffe and Dylan Riley, a pair of three-star running backs, will be visiting the Huskers officially this month, as will JUCO returner/wide receiver Tre Richardson.

Richardson is dynamic in the return game and we all know the Huskers could use some immediate help in that area. So I’m really hoping the Huskers can wrap up his commitment. Then, they just need to get Radcliffe or Riley to shore up the running back position.

Radcliffe was committed to Utah and ranks No. 520 overall in the 247 Sports composite rankings. He’s also 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, so he would probably be my preference, but we’ll see how it plays out.

My guess is that Nebraska lands Richardson and one of the two running backs and calls it a day for the 2024 recruiting class.

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