Figured I'd drop some recruiting notes ahead of the weekend. Some good, some bad, but I'm always going to be realistic with you all on where Nebraska stands in these recruitments.
*** First, a sobering update on four-star linebacker Dawson Merritt. Earlier this week, I felt genuinely confident in Nebraska's ability to land him over Alabama. This has been an extremely tight battle, legitimately 50/50 at times, with swings either directions coming out of visits to both programs. Coming out of last weekend, I felt Nebraska had gained the best lead they had thus far, but even that was abut a 55/45 lean the Huskers' direction. Over the course of this past week, Alabama has not only made up ground, but surged to the point that I've heard the most confidence in the Crimson Tide's direction this morning. At this point, I think the Crimson Tide will come out on top when he announces. That being said, I don't anticipate Nebraska will let up until Signing Day. Wouldn't shock me if Merritt finds his way back to Lincoln at some point this fall. This development does have me keeping a very close eye on Gilbert (Ia.) High three-star linebacker Will Hawthorne's official visit this weekend. He'll have a few commits peer-recruiting him while on campus and this could move quickly.
*** Mekhi Nelson's midweek official visit to Nebraska only confirmed his trust in running backs coach EJ Barthel and allowed him to gain some comfort in Lincoln. He's aiming to announce his decision in July. An interesting, but unsurprising development, a source close to Nelson passed along that the athlete is seriously considering reclassifying into the 2024 class. Nelson was originally a 2024 recruit but enrolled at St. Thomas More, a post-grad program, in the fall and reclassified to 2025 to try and gain some more offers. Now that he's got a Big Ten offer and some local offers, with his credits in order, it won't be difficult for him to reclassify back into the 2024 class. Gives some clarity to the scholarship numbers and why Nebraska pursued as hard as they did even with Jamarion Parker and Conor Booth committed.
*** Quick note on 2025 Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman four-star offensive lineman Alai Kalaniuvalu. I still think of the Bishop Gorman trio, Kalaniuvalu is the one Nebraska has the best shot at landing, though they did make a big impression on four-star center SJ Alofaituli last weekend. Anyways, back to Kalaniuvalu, he's a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints and is planning on going on a two-year mission after high school graduation, so wherever he ends up, he won't be enrolling until 2027. Something to note in terms of offensive line numbers in 2025. I'm anticipating the 2025 OL class will be relatively small, while 2026 could be a big year at the position.
*** Speaking of 2026 offensive linemen, I caught up with five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell after a busy offseason. I get the read that even with Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, Oregon, LSU, Oklahoma and many, many more in the hunt, Nebraska is a genuine contender because of the relationships they've built with him and his belief in the program's future. He's visited campus three times already and has his sights set on returning for a game or two in the fall. Matt Rhule and Donovan Raiola have done good work here, but Director of Player Personnel Keith Williams deserves a lot of credit for keeping Nebraska at the top of the five-star's mind as his recruitment's exploded over the last month. Cantwell won the shotput National Championship this spring and plans to compete in both sports in college. The fact Nebraska has had multiple players compete in football and track, and have success, has seriously helped the Huskers in the five-star's eyes. Proximity could ultimately be a factor for him and that also plays favorably for the Huskers. It's going to be a few months before the 2026 board comes into focus for Nebraska, but best believe Cantwell is at the very, very top. I'll have an in-depth piece on him tomorrow morning
*** 2025 Salt Lake City (Uta.) West three-star offensive tackle Brian Tapu is on his way to Oregon State right now for an official visit. He told me he initially planned to have an announcement early next week, but now wants to take a little more time before announcing his commitment. I'll have an update after this weekend's visit but I find it hard to believe the Beavers can overcome the Huskers right now, still confident this goes Nebraska's way.
*** 2025 Gainesville (Fla.) Buchholz four-star edge rusher Nicolas Clayton is closing in on a commitment tomorrow afternoon and I'm not anticipating this will go Nebraska's way. He spent the month all over the country, but closed out his busy stretch of visits at Florida State, who offered just last month, literally while he was in Lincoln for his Nebraska official visit. The Seminoles have surged since offering, and the opportunity to stay close to home is hard to pass up. With Clayton coming off the board, where does Nebraska go in their pursuit of a lengthy edge rusher? I'll put together an updated list of names next week, but Mobile (Ala.) Faith Academy three-star Trent Sellers remains on the board and Nebraska's recent offer to Wallingford (Conn.) Choate Rosemary Hall edge rusher Konstantin Paschos probably deserves some extra attention considering recent developments to the EDGE board.
*** To close this out, I know this month maybe hasn't been as eventful as some have hoped, but I still think Nebraska gets up to at least 15 commits by the end of July. In addition, some "struggles" at certain position are a little overblown right now. I've said it before and I'll say it again, a lot of Nebraska's recruiting woes will get naturally figured out if they live up to expectations on the field in the fall. It's fine to be concerned, I get it, but a lot of these recruits have heard this "we're going to be better" pitch from Nebraska and at this point they want to see it for themselves. There's more belief than ever that things will actually get better, but until the results actually show that, it's tough for some recruits (and fans) to truly buy into that vision. Having followed Nebraska football the last decade, I don't blame them.
*** To close this out, I know this month maybe hasn't been as eventful as some have hoped, but I still think Nebraska gets up to at least 15 commits by the end of July. In addition, some "struggles" at certain position are a little overblown right now. I've said it before and I'll say it again, a lot of Nebraska's recruiting woes will get naturally figured out if they live up to expectations on the field in the fall. It's fine to be concerned, I get it, but a lot of these recruits have heard this "we're going to be better" pitch from Nebraska and at this point they want to see it for themselves. There's more belief than ever that things will actually get better, but until the results actually show that, it's tough for some recruits (and fans) to truly buy into that vision. Having followed Nebraska football the last decade, I don't blame them.
