The Huskers received some huge news heading into weekend when 3-star EDGE Maverick Noonan committed to the program. Noonan (6-4, 220) picked the Huskers over Stanford and Iowa. He visited the Huskers on June 3 for an official visit. The Huskers have been recruiting Noonan hard for a couple of years. The timing was just right for the defender.
“Just being able to compare all the schools together, I just felt like Nebraska was the best fit for me both in football and academics,” Noonan said.
COMMITTED TO NEBRASKA‼️☠️🌽☠️ @julieanoonan @DannyNoonan95 pic.twitter.com/5NNujqWJV3
— Maverick Noonan (@MaverickNoonan) June 24, 2022
Noonan was looking for a school that he could see himself excelling on and off the football field. He needed a place he was comfortable living and he found that 45 minutes from home in Lincoln. Noonan made that quick drive on Friday morning to let the coaching staff know that he was joining the class.
“They were all pretty happy. I actually drove down this morning and told them,” Noonan said. “It was only about a 45-minute drive so I just wanted to do in person. I just felt like it’d be easier to do in person and just overall better. I figured out why not.”
Noonan had a range of emotions during that drive down to Lincoln but overall was just excited. He’s been to Nebraska’s campus so many times before that he’s comfortable with the coaching staff. He just wanted to get there and let them know. His family was just as excited for his decision. They know that he’s been working a long time for this so they were just excited for him.
Noonan will be joining Mike Dawson’s defensive front group in Lincoln in January when he enrolls early. The relationship between the two is rock solid.
“My relationship with Coach Dawson, it’s just grown over the past year. He’s called me like once a week for the past year-plus so I’ve gotten to know him pretty well,” Noonan said. “They really just see me as like a like Garrett Nelson type rusher just setting edges and getting after the quarterback really.”
Noonan is looking forward to getting to work with the players in Nebraska’s recruiting class. He is friends with all of the in-state players already so that bond is already being built. Noonan is the 10th commitment for the 2023 class and the fifth Nebraskan to join the class. He’s the latest in a growing list of players that took official visits this summer to join the Huskers’ recruiting class.
Maverick’s father Danny Noonan played defensive tackle for the Huskers in the late 1980s. Growing up in the state as a legacy adds an extra layer of pressure to the recruitment but now that’s all off Maverick’s shoulders.
“It just feels good to stay closer to home and I get to see my family more often,” Noonan said. “I felt like Nebraska was the best school for me so that’s why I chose it in the end.”
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.
