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Preston Taumua commitment day and more Nebraska Football news

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Sep 3, 2016; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers fans watch the game against the Fresno State Bulldogs in the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska won 43-10. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

Preston Taumua is announcing his commitment on Sunday night and Nebraska football is the heavy favorite, plus more headlines for the Huskers.

Nebraska football fans should have something to cheer about late Sunday night as four-star offensive lineman Preston Taumua is set to announce his commitment.

The top-ranked player from the state of Hawaii in the 2024 class, is 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, and has been trending with expert projections to Nebraska football.

The trend has even picked up steam over the weekend as an Auburn expert projected the four-star to wind up with the Huskers, as did Steve Wiltfong and Brian Christopherson of Huskers 247.

As far as the actual announcement, it’s not expected until 12 PM CST. Hopefully, you can stay up that late but all indications are that Nebraska will be landing its second-highest-rated commitment (235th overall) in the 2024 class.

Grant Brix is still out there, so Nebraska football isn’t going to be done with recruiting. They could use another pure offensive tackle and Brix is ranked fifth at the position in the 247 Sports composite rankings.

Here’s the scouting report from Brandon Huffman of 247 Sports:

“Impressed at this past summer’s ESPN 300 Hawaii Camp, earning Top Performers honors. Now, seeing him in pads, you see every bit the elite prospect that he is. He’s got tremendous agility and flexibility, a natural knee bender with great body control, doing a great job of getting to the second level consistently and opening up holes for his backs. He’s also a plus pass-blocker, keeping his quarterback clean during the game.”

I know Taumua is listed as an interior lineman. But I still believe there’s a chance he could play right tackle and be pretty damn good. Regardless, Nebraska football needs more blue-chip talent up front and Taumua would be a big-time get.

Phile Steele lists Nebraska as one of the most improved teams

Nebraska will need to show some improvement if the Huskers want to get back to a bowl game and renowned college football expert Phile Steele thinks Nebraska will make a bowl game.

Steele listed the Huskers as the No. 15 most-improved team heading into the 2023 season. Here’s what he wrote about Nebraska football via On3.com:

“Rhule does have 15 starters returning and gives them a coaching upgrade. His first two stops he has just 2 and 1 wins his first year. But (Nebraska) was -3 in close games last year and six of my nine power ratings are calling for bowl eligibility.” So, Steele expects improvement, but not a giant leap.

Jeff Sims is listed as a top-5 transfer QB

One of the reasons I’m so optimistic about Nebraska football’s chances of going bowling this season is the new starting quarterback Jeff Sims.

I truly believe he’s going to be an upgrade. Having a true dual threat with an NFL-caliber arm to go along with his running ability will make him a perfect fit for Marcus Satterfield’s offense.

The Huskers didn’t have a quarterback that could be a weapon on the ground last season. I can see Sims running a lot near the goal line and on third downs. Running quarterbacks are huge weapons in those situations.

Overall, I just have a good feeling about Sims, as does Andy Staples of On3.com, who listed the former Georgia Tech starter as a top-5 quarterback transfer.

“Matt Rhule picked Jeff Sims after a very interesting quarterback competition in which he had all his quarterbacks live in spring practice,” Staples said. “The defense could hit them. They had five, and they had a lot to choose from and Matt Rhule wanted to see what they had, and Jeff Sims rose above them all. … He also has NFL tools, the question is, is he going to be able to show them? I’m not sure he ever got to show them at Georgia Tech, but you could see flashes there.”

Sims is going to excel at Nebraska and it’s another reason why the Huskers should bounce back in 2023.

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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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