Dozens of recruits withstood unseasonably cool temperatures in Lincoln on Saturday for the first open-door glimpse of Husker football under head coach Matt Rhule. Recruits from 2024 and beyond witnessed the scrimmage and festivities.
Some mingled among the non-enrolled members of the 2023 signing class, which were recognized at halftime. Linemen like Riley Van Poppel and Vincent Carroll-Jackson watched lineman drills and warmups ahead of the Spring Game. Others, like Omaha Westside standout Tristan Alvano, stood behind Nebraska’s kickers as they attempted to navigate the whipping wind inside Memorial Stadium.
Omaha Westside senior and Nebraska signee Tristan Alvano watches Husker kickers navigate the wind ahead of today’s Spring Game. pic.twitter.com/rfzQW4Xf3N
— Brady Oltmans 🤠 (@BradyOltmans) April 22, 2023
One recruit decided to join Nebraska’s modest 2024 recruiting class before kickoff. Edge rusher Willis McGahee IV announced his commitment to Nebraska on Saturday morning while visiting Memorial Stadium. He watched the Spring Game as the latest Husker commit. McGahee is a composite high-end 3-star hybrid defender out of Christopher Columbus High in Miami.
Another recent commit found the Nebraska sideline. Millard North standout Caden VerMaas, a member of the 2025 class, committed to Nebraska after visiting with Rhule on Thursday. He celebrated his decision on Saturday with a group of recruits in front of 66,000 fans.
Surprise recruits also made the sidelines. Four-star edge rusher Brian Robinson from Fitch in Youngstown, Ohio, attended the Spring Game without previous announcement. He announced on Sunday that he received a scholarship offer from Rhule. Robinson is a top-200 overall recruit in the 2024 recruiting class and linked to both Michigan and Penn State.
Brian Robinson, 4-star edge rusher from Fitch High in Ohio, is here for the Spring Game. He stood by other recruits then stood with Nebraska signee linemen Riley Van Poppel and Vincent Carroll-Jackson. pic.twitter.com/MGY8oRRyFp
— Brady Oltmans 🤠 (@BradyOltmans) April 22, 2023
The sidelines of Tom Osborne Field contained a strong California contingent. Brandon Baker, the No. 1 offensive tackle in the country, 4-star defensive lineman Arydin Breland, 4-star linebacker Dylan Williams and 4-star linebacker Kamar Mothudi all attended. Texas recruits like 4-star safety Peyton Morgan, 4-star athlete Roger Gradney, 4-star offensive lineman Makai Saina, 3-star offensive lineman Gibson Pyle, 3-star corner William Nettles and offensive lineman Tyler Mercer also attended. Ainsworth 4-star tight end Carter Nelson led a group of in-state recruits that included Lincoln High’s Donald DeFrand Jr., Papillion-La Vista’s Eric Ingwerson, Omaha Centra’s Caleb Pyfrom, Elkhorn South’s Ashton Murphy and others.
Pyle, Murphy, Gradney and McGahee now make up Nebraska’s 2024 recruiting class. The Huskers are No. 39 in the country in the composite team recruiting rankings, No. 9 in the Big Ten, as of Sunday.
Recruit Watch
Nebraska offered another long-term quarterback on Friday. The Huskers gave an offer to Furian Inferrera from Mater Dei in Las Vegas. While the 2027 class hasn’t been evaluated or ranked yet, Inferrera is considered one of the nation’s best prospects in that class. He also attended Saturday’s Spring Game.
After a great conversation with @CoachMattRhule I’m blessed and honored to receive an ⭕️ffer from the University of Nebraska!
@SWiltfong247 @adamgorney @BrandonHuffman@ChadSimmons_ @RWrightRivals@GregBiggins @ivan_maisel@247sports @rivals @mansell247@EdOBrienCFB pic.twitter.com/u718ggMvyL
— Furian Inferrera (@FurianInferrera) April 22, 2023
The Huskers offered a pair of 2025 standouts from Cardinal Ritter Prep in St. Louis before the weekend. Four-star running back Jamarion Parker and 3-star safety Antonio Parker both received offers last week. The previous coaching staff already offered Jamarion.
Nebraska also offered 2025 running back Amari Major from Dr. Phillips High in Orlando. Major has not yet received a star rating but recently visited Florida State on a recruiting trip.
Four-star edge rusher Jacob Smith from Cheshire, Connecticut, announced Nebraska made his final six school choices. Smith visited during Junior Day last month and again since. He plans to take an official visit to Nebraska this summer.
🔝 6️⃣ @Coach_Mella pic.twitter.com/e6nh7jpQ7i
— Jacob Smith (@jjls_14) April 22, 2023
ICYMI
>> The Nebraska Spring Game dominated the news cycle on Saturday. Hail Varsity has you covered if you want to relive it through our photo gallery, player interviews, video recaps and countless stories.
>> Meanwhile, Nebraska baseball finished its series in Iowa City earlier today with another disappointment. You can catch up with what the Huskers were saying before the three-game sweep at Iowa.
>> The Husker softball team gritted out a 2-1 win against Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon to win the weekend series, 2-1. You can watch the latest episode of Behind The Plate here, which recaps Nebraska’s sweep of Indiana and a needed conference investment into bat and ball sports.
