Recruiting never stops and it’s easy to miss the top stories day-to-day. Recruiting analyst Greg Smith recaps all things Nebraska recruiting news, analysis and more so you never miss a thing.
It was a busy weekend at Nebraska for recruiting events. The Huskers held their latest batch of individual workouts on Friday, hosted official visitors all weekend and capped things off with a 7-on-7 tournament on Sunday. Several local teams and other area teams battled it out at Memorial Stadium.
There was plenty to see from the event.
The last name Kohl is well known in the college football world. Kicking and punting expert Jamie Kohl is known for his work with kickers and punters, but now his son JJ is starting to make some noise of his own at quarterback. The 6-foot-6, 225-pound quarterback from Ankeny High School in Iowa emerged as the top player at Nebraska’s 7-on-7 event on Sunday.
JJ guided his team to a tournament win on Sunday.
Ankeny Hawks. Nebraska 7 on 7 Champions pic.twitter.com/F7Mv3Gy9rB
— Rick Nelson (@coachricknelson) June 13, 2021
The Nebraska coaching staff watched him closely all day. He’s a classic pocket passer so we will see where things go from here between him and the Huskers. The signal-caller already holds offers from Iowa and Iowa State with plans to hit several camps this summer.
Another player that stood out during the tournament on Sunday was Lincoln Southeast athlete Jake Appleget. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder could end up on either side of the ball in college. Right now it seems that the Huskers prefer him on defense as an outside linebacker. He made several plays throughout the day including a couple touchdowns and an interception early in the day. Appleget impresses each time you see him play.
One of the more interesting players in attendance on Sunday was actually not playing in the tournament. Tausili Akana, a 2023 linebacker from Kahuku, Hawaii, was hanging out Sunday checking out the action. His presence was notable since he is ranked as the top outside linebacker in the 2023 recruiting class.
His offer list matches his ranking. He holds close to the 30 scholarship offers including Ohio State, LSU, Texas and USC. Akana is the younger brother of Nebraska freshman volleyball player Keonilei Akana. He spent a lot of time with Lincoln Southeast 2023 prospect Teitum Tuioti who also has an offer from Nebraska.
It continues to be a busy time for Nebraska recruiting. We’ll have reaction from the weekend’s official visitors soon. Then we’ll be on to the next week of events for the team. The first half of the month has been a sprint and things aren’t slowing down as we close the month out.
Recruit Watch
>> Missouri wide receiver Caleb Merritt shared some photos of his trip to Nebraska from Friday.
Had a great trip up to Lincoln yesterday! Thanks to everyone who made it possible! 🔴⚪️ #GBR #thegoodlife @coach_frost @SeanDillonNU @CoachLubick @HuskerFBNation pic.twitter.com/Afbl92q1y3
— Caleb Merritt (@CalebMerritt6) June 13, 2021
>> Omaha Westside running back Dominic Rezac also did a private workout for the team late last week.
Great time down in Lincoln! @SeanDillonNU @CoachRHeld pic.twitter.com/WxO1aNkOUY
— Dominic Rezac (@dominic_rezac) June 12, 2021
>> Lourdes Central Catholic athlete Blake Miller was offered as a preferred walk-on following his trip to Lincoln.
After a great workout and talk with @coach_frost I’m grateful to have received a walk-on offer to the University of Nebraska! #GBR 🔴⚪️ @CoachTFisher pic.twitter.com/nq536yJAyj
— Blake Miller (@bMills_32) June 12, 2021
ICYMI
>> The Huskers landed former Ohio State defensive back Tyreke Johnson as a transfer on Sunday.
>> Brandon Vogel has a series of questions about the Big Ten title chase that need to be answered.
>> I caught up with a trio of prospects awaiting offer news (Premium) after good workouts with the Huskers.
>> Gabe Ervin Jr. checks in at number seven on Derek Peterson’s 10 most intriguing Huskers list.
>> Illinois offensive lineman Valen Erickson had an unbelievable (Premium) visit to Nebraska last week.
