Two-way lineman Aden Kelley has received a lot of attention during the recruiting dead period. The slowdown has allowed college coaches from around the country to check his film. Kelley picked up an offer recent from Nebraska. That makes him the latest in the line of Oklahoma prospects that the Huskers are after.
After a great phone call with @colbyellis this morning I’m blessed to have received my seventeenth D1 offer to play football for the University of Nebraska!! @CoachRHeld pic.twitter.com/52EzBUnRQu
— Aden Kelley (@KelleyAden) April 3, 2020
The offer from Nebraska was a welcome one for Kelley who has a connection to the Huskers through a coach.
“[Graduate Assistant Colby] Ellis has been in contact with me for a while,” Kelley told Hail Varsity. “He and Coach Held have been on my Twitter for a while. I have a coach for track that knows Coach Ellis’ family. He had some insight there and he talked to Coach Ellis about me. They offered me and it was great. I was excited. Nebraska, the program they have up there and the legacy they have is absolutely insane. It was an honor to get that offer. I was very excited.”
The Oklahoma native—who aslo throws shotput and discus—is now up to almost 20 scholarship offers with most of them coming in the last six weeks. That experience has certainly been a wild ride for him but he is thankful for the exposure.
“The virus came at a bad time because I had a lot of visits lined up to see places and meet more people,” Kelley said. “There might be more offers to come on top of the ones that have already come. I appreciate all the coaches that have taken the time to analyze me and watch my film. It’s been good to meet all these people and get that experience. It’s stressful at times and can be overwhelming but it’s a great problem to have. I love having the options.”
Some of the schools that Kelley would have like to visit were Iowa State, Missouri, Texas Tech and Nebraska. Checking out Lincoln is a priority for Kelley (6-3, 260) who is being recruited by the Huskers as a defensive lineman. He was also planning to take a spring official visit to TCU.
Kelley’s relationship with Nebraska has been growing with Held and Ellis as his main recruiters. He says the communication has increased since receiving the offer from the team. He doesn’t have a preference on which side of the ball he plays in college but he does have some clear criteria on what he is looking for in a school.
“Good people, good academics and good football in that order,” Kelley said. “I’d need to be around guys I can stand for four years. With the academics, I’m doing this for a free degree. At the end of the day football will end and I need something where I can support my family and myself. I want to be somewhere that we can win and have fun.”
https://www.hudl.com/video/3/6302129/5e0ffb4664ea160a0c6b417e
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.
