Unlike last season, there was no frantic sprint toward Signing Day for the Nebraska football coaching staff.
Due to the large number of 2024 commits Nebraska landed over the summer, a quieter December was always likely. But, Nebraska still made its mark along the recruiting trail in the last three weeks as a trio of defensive players exited the class and three offensive recruits joined it.
Having landed five-star quarterback recruit Dylan Raiola on Monday, the Huskers have already flipped a key prospect ahead of Wednesday’s Signing Day. Several others could still join Nebraska’s 2024 class as well.
Here’s a breakdown of how things stand for the Huskers.
Current commits
Nebraska currently has 26 players committed to joining the program in 2024. At this time last year, the Huskers had just 19, though Signing Day decisions and a busier January recruiting period eventually grew that number to 28 commits; a similar total is likely this time around.
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Quarterback (2) — Dylan Raiola (Buford, Georgia) and Daniel Kaelin (Bellevue West).
Offensive line (6) — Grant Brix (Logan, Iowa), Preston Taumua (Waipahu, Hawaii), Gibson Pyle (Houston), Landen Davidson (Broomfield, Colorado), Xander Ruggeroli (Las Vegas) and Jake Peters (Cedar Falls, Iowa).
Wide receiver (5) — Jacory Barney Jr. (Miami), Dae’vonn Hall (Bellevue West), Isaiah McMorris (Bellevue West), Keelan Smith (Liberty, Missouri) and Quinn Clark (Bozeman, Montana).
Tight end (3) — Carter Nelson (Ainsworth), Ian Flynt (Katy, Texas) and Eric Ingwerson (Papillion-La Vista).
Defensive line (1) — Ashton Murphy (Elkhorn South).
Linebacker (2) — Willis McGahee IV (Miami) and Braylen Prude (Pearland, Texas).
Defensive back (6) — Roger Gradney (Altair, Texas), Caleb Benning (Omaha Westside), Evan Taylor (Waxhaw, North Carolina), Mario Buford (DeSoto, Texas), Rex Guthrie (Littleton, Colorado) and Donovan Jones (Omaha North).
Punter (1) — Kamdyn Koch (Westminster, Maryland).
Signing Day decisions
After hosting high school recruits for official visits last weekend, Nebraska could land several commitments on Wednesday.
Miami Central linebacker Vincent Shavers, a three-star recruit, is one player to keep an eye on. Formerly committed to the Miami Hurricanes, Shavers’ decommitment coincided with his visit to Nebraska. As the Huskers look to bolster a linebacker position with few incoming commitments, Shavers appears likely to announce his commitment to Nebraska on Wednesday.
On the other hand, Long Beach (California) Poly linebacker Dylan Williams is a weekend visitor who appears unlikely to flip. The four-star prospect had also previously visited Lincoln in the spring but posted a photo of himself and Oregon head coach Dan Lanning to social media on Monday, likely indicating he plans to stick with his commitment to the Ducks.
The Huskers are also expected to land a late commitment in the secondary. Nebraska already has six commits whose best position is either cornerback or safety, but the team’s 3-3-5 defensive system creates the need for a large number of defensive backs on the roster.
A pair of three-star recruits from Miami, Norland defensive back Larry Tarver Jr. and Gulliver Prep defensive back Amare Sanders, will announce their decisions Wednesday morning. Tarver is a Maryland commit who figures to be a better fit at cornerback due to his quickness and 5-foot-11 frame, while Sanders is a 6-2 potential safety option who also visited Nebraska over the summer.
Tarver’s signing ceremony is set to take place at 8 a.m. when he will decide between Maryland and Nebraska. As for Sanders, he will choose his eventual college from a top-five list of Duke, Louisville, Miami, Nebraska and Virginia at 11 a.m.
Recruiting rankings
Raiola’s recent commitment has led to Nebraska rising in the recruiting class rankings. The Huskers now hold a Top 25 class nationally on three major recruiting sites — Nebraska ranks No. 19 according to 247Sports, No. 21 in On3’s rankings and No. 22 via Rivals.
Nebraska has traditionally built its classes with mostly three-star prospects, and that trend has continued this time around. However, the top-level talent present in Nebraska’s 2024 class — 247Sports ranks Raiola as the nation’s No. 2 overall recruit, Nelson at No. 43 and Brix at No. 188 — has kept the Huskers steady with other Big Ten programs. Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Michigan and USC are the only conference foes ahead of Nebraska in the rankings.
What about the transfer portal?
For the most part, Nebraska has been quiet in the transfer portal market this offseason. The Huskers have hosted just three potential transfers on campus thus far — quarterback Kyle McCord, wide receiver Julian Fleming and defensive back Blye Hill.
McCord has since committed to Syracuse, but Nebraska remains highly interested in his former Ohio State teammate, Fleming. The former five-star recruit would immediately become Nebraska’s most experienced wide receiver option, but the Huskers are also contending with Penn State for the talented transfer. Another one of Nebraska’s wide receiver targets, Indiana’s Donaven McCulley, is off the board after he announced he will return to play for the Hoosiers in 2024.
As for Hill, the 6-3 transfer from FCS St. Francis University has not publicly made a decision about his future plans, but Nebraska remains the front-runner for his commitment.
What happens after Wednesday?
In terms of high school recruitment, the December early signing period has completely surpassed Feb. 1 as the key date when seniors sign their national letter of intent. Players who are not planning to enroll early at their future schools can wait until February to make things official, but the number of available roster spots will have significantly decreased by then.
Last year, Nebraska coaches aggressively looked to add more talent in January and eventually finished with five additional commits from the secondary recruiting period. It’s highly unlikely that Nebraska adds more commits prior to the February signing date this time around.
While most players have already decided whether to stay or leave, the transfer portal remains open for new entries until Jan. 2. Nebraska could then host any final targets during the Jan. 3-7 window where transfer players are allowed to take official visits to schools. Any transfers hoping to take part in Nebraska’s spring camp would need to be enrolled in classes by Jan. 22 when Nebraska’s spring semester begins.
Following the end of spring practice, the transfer portal will again open from April 16-30.
