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.
The questions never stop in the recruiting world. No matter what time of year it is, there is always something to talk about so we take reader and listener suggestions on questions. I then answer the questions in a quick video. This week’s topic is a remix of an in-state recruiting question that I got from @GBRUnited on Twitter. Which uncommitted in-state prospect for the 2023 recruiting class is the biggest need for Nebraska?
This is a deep and talented group of players from Nebraska in the 2023 recruiting class. This question is an interesting one because there are a few ways you could go. The state has produced eight players with Nebraska offers so far in the 2023 class. The great thing about that group of players is that they are spread across positions that can most help the Huskers.
Four of the eight players are already committed to Nebraska. Having three in-state offensive linemen in the class isn’t always typical but the Huskers capitalized on the talent. Gunnar Gottula, Sam Sledge and Brock Knutson are all heading to play for offensive line coach Donovan Raiola. Pierce tight end Benjamin Brahmer has been on the Nebraska commit list since April 2, 2021. He the latest hybrid tight end produced by the state. Nebraska has been on a roll producing Power Five tight ends lately.
There are still four uncommitted prospects from Nebraska that hold a Husker offer. Things don’t look great with Nebraska and Archbishop Bergan athlete Kade McIntyre. The Huskers attempted to make a push after coming through with what could be viewed as a late offer for an in-state player. It’d be surprising if the Huskers got an official visit from McIntyre who just visited Oklahoma.
It appears the Huskers are in wait-and-see mode with Lincoln High athlete Beni Ngoyi. He holds an offer from Nebraska but there hasn’t been much movement on setting a June official visit. He’s visited Washington and Iowa State for officials this month so he is not waiting around for the Huskers. It’s also unclear which position the program is evaluating him and where he falls on the board now.
So the question really comes down to a pair of prospects: Lincoln East 4-star athlete Malachi Coleman and Elkhorn South 3-star EDGE Maverick Noonan. Both are worthy of the biggest need title. Coleman is the most-sought after player in the state and emerging as a top-100 player in the nation this cycle. The Huskers are recruiting him at wide receiver but others see him as an outside linebacker or tight end. Noonan has had a more regional recruitment until Stanford entered the picture. He’s the type of EDGE defender that can help a program in many ways.
Since the question is making me pick one, I will give a slight edge to Noonan as the player Nebraska needs most from the state. Even though some schools could see Coleman playing on defense I like him best at wide receiver. Since the Huskers are never going to be short on receiver talent with Mickey Joseph I will go the other way.
Noonan plays an extreme position of need for Nebraska every recruiting cycle. It’s rare that defensive fronts coach Mike Dawson has the inside track on a prospect the caliber of Noonan. With him being a legacy prospect and give his upside the Huskers have to land him. Somewhere along the way Noonan has become undervalued in the recruiting process. I’m curious to see where his ranking winds up after his senior season.
Noonan told Hail Varsity after his official visit to Nebraska that he will make his decision once he has all the information about his top schools. That will likely be this summer. The wait for a decision from Coleman will be longer. He’s stated many times he’d like to wait until after the season to announce a school. This is a great crop of in-state players for the 2023 recruiting class. The Huskers are poised to take advantage and will hope to keep the momentum going into the 2024 class.
Recruit Watch
>> Recent Husker official visitor Ashley Williams Jr. took a trip to Minnesota this weekend.
#rowtheboat #Minnesota #36 what an awesome time spent at the University of Minnesota. Great staff awesome campus and great community. Thanks again for the hospitality. @AshleyLWilliam4 pic.twitter.com/W6gmIz3BUu
— Rhonda (@Rhonda86312151) June 12, 2022
>> Lincoln East 4-star Malachi Coleman was offered by Jackson State on Sunday night.
#AGTG After a great conversation with @TimBrewster I’m blessed to receive an offer from @GoJSUTigersFB !! @Rivals_Clint @AllenTrieu @ChadSimmons_ @LEHS_FB pic.twitter.com/Y6m5ycIzRK
— Malachi Coleman (@ChiColeman23) June 12, 2022
>> Priority offensive line target Cayden Green visited LSU over the weekend.
Had a great time this weekend in Baton Rouge! #GeauxTigers pic.twitter.com/DCqHBZL2BW
— Cayden Green (@CaydenGreen3) June 13, 2022
>> Scratch one official visitor off the list. Iowa athlete Jamison Patton was scheduled to visit Nebraska but committed to Iowa State.
STAYING HOME💛❤️ #CyclONEnation pic.twitter.com/fB6MUkceZG
— jamo✌🏽 (@jamisonpattonn) June 13, 2022
ICYMI
>> Texas defensive lineman Riley Van Poppel became the Huskers eighth commitment of the 2023 class on Monday.
>> Steve Marik and I recorded a video on the Hail Varsity YouTube channel breaking down the commitment and the impact for Nebraska.
>> Lexi Rodriguez and Bekka Allick lead the USA to U21 Pan American Cup Gold.
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.
