Things are never dull around Nebraska football.
We are officially in the offseason with Nebraska recently wrapping up spring football. That means we have also entered transfer portal season. The Huskers got the first big surprise of the offseason with a major departure. The team is also on the road visiting high schools during the spring evaluation period for the first time since 2019. It doesn’t seem like the news will slow down soon for the program.
Let’s get to the Recon.
2023 Commits
Dwight Bootle, Defensive Back, Miami, Florida
Benjamin Brahmer, Tight End, Pierce, Nebraska
Gunnar Gottula, Offensive Lineman, Lincoln, Nebraska
Sam Sledge, Offensive Lineman, Omaha, Nebraska
William Watson, Quarterback, Springfield, Massachusetts
2023 Needs
| QB | 0 | DL | 3 |
| RB | 0 | MLB | 1 |
| WR | 2 | OLB | 2 |
| TE | 0 | DB | 2 |
| OL | 2 | K/P | 0 |
The Recon:
>> The big news of the week for Nebraska was defensive lineman Casey Rogers entering the transfer portal. This is a situation where a number of things are at play from what I’m told. Rogers is graduating in May and is looking for a graduate degree. There have been changes to his role on the line over his career that don’t have him seeing eye to eye with the staff. Rogers has also had some tough injury luck during his time at Nebraska. This is a significant loss for the team no matter how you spin the stats. Nebraska doesn’t have enough to compete in the Big Ten at defensive line right now. The good news is that it’s only April and games don’t start until August.
>> The good news is that the team has several leads on portal defensive linemen. The team knew they’d need players before Rogers’ departure. One thing I can share is that the Huskers will host Texas Tech defensive lineman Devin Drew on an official visit this weekend. Drew (6-2, 280) played in 12 games and had 21 tackles. He’s from the Kansas City area and spent time at Iowa Western before going to Texas Tech. He’d be a good addition for n a number of fronts. I like the Huskers’ position with him.
>> One of the biggest storylines in Nebraska recruiting right now is the recruitment of 2024 quarterback Dylan Raiola. Ohio State has a commanding lead in the race for him after his recent round of visits. USC and Nebraska’s visit did not go as well as the family anticipated. Ohio State has blown them away at every turn with their success on the field, in the classroom and producing NFL players. NIL isn’t a huge factor here because that’s going to come no matter where he goes. I expect Raiola to be a Buckeye. The Huskers need to pivot quickly.
>> Nebraska will have a big-time unofficial visitor in the 2023 class this weekend. Tausili Akana, a 4-star linebacker from Utah, will be in town. He’s been to Nebraska several times and his sister Keonilei plays volleyball at Nebraska. This visit is important since it’s the first one for him without Tony Tuioti on staff. The Huskers are in the race but are competing with several schools out west pushing hard.
>> In case you have noticed, there doesn’t appear to be any slow down in offers in sight for Lincoln East 4-star athlete Malachi Coleman. He picked up more major offers this week when Michigan and Oklahoma joined his list.
The Huskers are going to have to battle until the end here. Coleman has a lot of options which puts extra pressure on the program. I’d still put the Huskers as a favorite for now. These caliber of recent offers with more to come will make things tougher.
Greg is the Recruiting Analyst for Hail Varsity and has covered Husker athletics since 2013. He has always had a passion for sports while growing up in the Chicago area. As he got older and had to hang up his cleats and sneakers, he realized his passion for sports went beyond just watching and attending games. He has covered many events from the Rose Bowl to championship boxing matches. If he’s not talking sports, he’s hovering over his grill. He is married to an amazing woman, Kim, and they have a dog that barks when Greg yells at the TV during games.
