With all the focus currently on how Nebraska will fill out its 2017 class, there hasn’t been much news on the class coming up in 2018. That’s why it came as a bit of a surprise when Corona, California, quarterback prospect Tanner McKee visited Lincoln for the Maryland game and left with a Nebraska offer. McKee, a 6-6, 215 pound quarterback at powerhouse Centennial High, now has six FBS offers, including BYU, Utah and Colorado.
McKee is in the midst of his first season as a starter for Centennial and has thrown for 3,290 yards and 33 touchdowns while leading the Huskies to an 11-1 record so far. He spoke exclusively with Hail Varsity about his visit to Nebraska, where the Huskers fall on his list and more.
HV: You recently took an unofficial visit to Nebraska and received a scholarship offer from offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf. What were your impressions of Lincoln and how excited were you to receive a Nebraska offer?
TM: In Lincoln, the fans are great and I related well with the Nebraska coaches. I was very excited about the offer and they are in my top five schools right now. (Editor’s note: Tanner declined to name his top five at this time, as he still wants to keep his options open at this point in his recruitment.)
HV: Your visit/offer came as a bit of a surprise to Husker fans, as they had not heard much news about 2018 recruiting. Could you fill us in on how long you and Langsdorf had been in contact and when you decided to take a visit?
TM: Coach Langsdorf came down to our college showcase at Centennial back in May. He said he really liked me and wanted to see me play in a few games. Coach Langsdorf has been watching my film. I’ve been talking to the coaches for the last two months and really felt we had a lot in common. I decided to visit about a month ago.
HV: Was Nebraska your first visit or have you visited other schools prior to coming to Lincoln?
TM: I’ve visited several schools. USC, UCLA, Washington, BYU, Utah and Stanford are the ones I’ve seen so far.
HV: Do you have a set timeline for when you plan on committing to a school?
TM: I’m just waiting for the right feel. No timeline right now. There are a few schools I really like.
HV: How exciting has it been to be the starting quarterback on one of the best teams in the nation? How would you rate your performance so far this season?
TM: Starting at Centennial is a awesome. It’s a great program and I love playing for Coach Logan. We play some of the best competition in the country and it’s a lot of fun. I feel like I’m playing well. It’s a team sport and we are winning games so the whole team is playing well.
HV: This is your first year as a starter for Centennial, and in your second game you played tremendously in a 50-49 loss to IMG Academy. How important was that game for your confidence?
TM: It was really important because it showed we can score a lot of points against the best defense in the country.
HV: What do you think is your greatest strength on the football field at this point? What’s an area you want to improve?
TM: I would say my greatest strength is my accuracy and decision making. I think quarterbacks can always improve on making better reads.
