When you watch the York Dukes play, you can’t help but notice 3-star Nebraska defensive line commit Masry Mapieu.
He has tremendous size (6-3, 295) and surprising quickness for a player his size. He was happy that his team responded well and beat Lexington 59-18 after a tough loss to Elkhorn South last week.
Lexington started off the game triple-teaming him, which was mostly effective, but when it stopped doing that Mapieu went to work. He was a force on the inside all night against the run. Coach Glen Snodgrass moved Mapieu around on the defensive line, and he played well in each of the spots due to his athleticism, which allowed him to almost block two punts.
I asked Mapieu after the game what he worked on most this offseason.
“I’ve been working on my pass rush and conditioning as well,” he said. “Coach Snodgrass gave me a lot of workouts to do, and I’m in the best shape of my life. Last year I weighed 300 pounds, and this year I feel pretty good.”
Mapieu’s pass-rush technique is improving and catching up to his natural abilities as he continues to apply the tips that Huskers defensive line coach John Parrella gives him. Mapieu says that Parrella reached out to wish him luck before the game.
There were recent reports that Mapieu was being pursued by USC. I asked him about that talk and if he was interested in checking out the Trojans.
“USC wanted me to come there for a game visit,” Mapieu said. “I told them I’m a solid commit to the Huskers. I’m going to stay with the Huskers. They are trying to get in my head to get me out there.
“UCLA is trying hard to get me out there, too. And Iowa.”
After seeing Mapieu play, I am not surprised one bit that other big-time schools are still calling. In fact, Snodgrass said UCLA is calling constantly but Mapieu has never waivered from his Nebraska pledge.
Parrella may have found a gem tucked away in the heartland in Mapieu. If Parrella and defensive coordinator Bob Diaco can unlock the potential, this young man has all the physical tools to be a special player at the college level.