Dozens of recruits braved the elements inside Memorial Stadium for Nebraska’s game against Wisconsin on Saturday. Some were rewarded with scholarship offers.
Gage Ginther, CJ Wiley, Kyle Rakers, Juju Marks, Carlos Mitchell and Miles Sillas all received offers from Nebraska during the weekend. The current interim staff continues its recruiting push to bolster future Husker recruiting classes and guide who assembles the next staff. Interim head coach Mickey Joseph said last week he looks for immediate impact players on the recruiting trail. Those offered could potentially make those impacts.
Ginther is a 3-star 6-foot-6, 275-pound offensive lineman out of Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, Colorado. He tallied 44 pancakes throughout his 12-game junior season. Colorado, Colorado State and Indiana all extended him scholarship offers after his sophomore season. He’s since gained offers from Kansas and Oklahoma State as well. College coaches like him for his quickness and athleticism. Rakers is another 2024 offensive line prospect from West Des Moines and slightly smaller at 6-foot-4, 260 pounds. He’s a 3-star junior with offers from Iowa State, Kansas State, Kansas and Northern Illinois.
Had a great time at Nebraska today! Thanks for having me out @SeanDillonNU @DonovanRaiola @HuskerFBNation @SixZeroAcademy pic.twitter.com/mJZM5xBEhJ
— Gage Ginther (@gage_ginther) November 20, 2022
Marks is a sophomore defensive line prospect out of Lenexa, Kansas. He’s got a big frame at 6-foot-7 with room to grow at 260 pounds. Kansas and Iowa offered him last month. Interim defensive coordinator Bill Busch likes his potential enough to join that list. Sillas is an unranked junior linebacker from Hortonville, Wisconsin. He’s a 6-foot-4, 230-pound multi-sport athlete who holds an offer from Iowa State as well.
Wiley is a sophomore athlete yet to receive a star rating. He’s a notable receiver prospect at 6-foot-4, 188 pounds out of Alpharetta, Georgia, with scholarship offers from Florida State, Miami, Kentucky, Louisville and Georgia Tech. He is the son of Chuck Wiley, the two-time All-SEC defensive end at LSU who spent six seasons with the Carolina Panthers. He caught nine balls for 68 yards and three touchdowns during his sophomore season.
Mitchell, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound junior athlete, was not at Saturday’s game but received a scholarship offer from Nebraska. He’s an unranked sophomore prospect out of Lake Wales, Florida, with offers from Penn State, Kentucky and USF. He’s also fresh off a two-interception, one touchdown performance in the playoffs.
Nebraska also hosted Foster High School quarterback JT Fayard again. Fayard is the 6-foot-5 unranked prospect that Mickey Joseph offered following a visit for the Minnesota game. He intends to enroll in college this spring and Nebraska is currently without a quarterback in its 2023 recruiting class.
Recruit Watch
Nebraska coaches also paid plenty of attention to in-state recruits as state championship games loom. Commits Malachi Coleman, Sam Sledge, Brock Knutson, Gunnar Gottula and Maverick Noonan were all in attendance on Saturday. Omaha North freshman Champ Davis, Bellevue West junior Isaiah McMorris, Ogallala junior Harry Caskey, Lincoln High senior Adonis Hutchinson and Bellevue West senior Cayden Echternach also joined the sidelines ahead of the Wisconsin game. All of those are likely on Nebraska’s higher priority list based upon grade and proximity to scholarships.
Other in-state visitors on Saturday included Sebastian Circo (Omaha North sophomore), Tanner Hollinger (Cross County junior), Eric Ingwerson (Papillion-La Vista junior), Donald DeFrand (Lincoln High junior), Cole Ballard (Elkhorn South senior), Grant Seagren (Oakland-Craig senior), Kade Seip (Lincoln North Star senior), Dylan Meyer (Norris senior), Mason Jones (Omaha Burke senior), Kolten Tilford (North Platte senior), Bennett Turman (Omaha Skutt junior), Rowdy Bauer (Norfolk junior), Max Buettenback (Lincoln Southeast senior and Nebraska baseball commit), Jayden Potter (Lincoln North Star junior) and Trent Uhlir (Battle Creek senior).
None of them are playing in state championships this week. That action begins with Howells-Dodge against Hitchcock County in the Class D2 game before Neligh-Oakdale plays Clarkson/Leigh in the D1 title game on Monday. The big Class A rematch between Gretna and Omaha Westside closes Monday night’s slate. Gretna quarterback Zane Flores (Oklahoma State commit), lineman Mason Goldman (uncommitted) and linebacker Korver Demma (Nebraska preferred walk-on commit) will play opposite Westside athlete Caleb Benning (uncommited), kicker Tristan Alvano (uncommited) and quarterback Anthony Rezac (uncommitted).
Norfolk Catholic plays Cedar Catholic on Tuesday in the C2 game, Aurora squares off with Pierce in the C1 game and Bennington plays Omaha Gross in the Class B championship. The C1 game will feature Nebraska commit Benjamin Brahmer for Pierce and college prospect Carlos Collazo for Aurora.
ICYMI
>> Nebraska flexed its muscles and Madi Kubik powered the Huskers’ sweep of No. 19 Purdue earlier today.
>> Drake overwhelmed the Huskers in Des Moines and handed Nebraska a 80-62 loss on Saturday.
>> The Huskers are 9-point underdogs against Iowa on Black Friday, according to initial betting lines.
