On Wednesday, quarterback Heinrich Haarberg signed his letter of intent to play for Nebraska.
Heinrich Haarberg, Welcome to #TheGoodLife
Follow: @HKHaarberg10#GBRXXI pic.twitter.com/NXkE0jqneN
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFBNation) December 16, 2020
Haarberg was the first quarterback in Nebraska to receive a Power 5 offer in more than 15 years. Thinking back to when he was even offered by the Huskers, it was a big deal. He told Hail Varsity then how excited he was about the offer when Coach Scott Frost called.
“Coach Frost and I’ve been talking probably once a week or so,” Haarberg said. “We have a really cool relationship. He just asked to talk to me today. We talked and he said that he wanted to go ahead and offer me. He had wanted to see me throw in person. He didn’t know when that opportunity would come so he just decided to go ahead and to trust his eyes and offer me.”
The Huskers never did get the chance to see Haarberg throw in person again due to COVID-19 restrictions. What they did see was a 6-foot-5, 185-pound dual-threat quarterback with all the tools to be successful in Frost’s system. One thing I find interesting about the conversation around Haarberg is that he did not put up eye-popping numbers during his senior season. As a senior, Haarberg threw for 1,857 yards at a 54.8% clip with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
His team had a strong running game and it was not always necessary for the future Husker to sling the ball all over the field as Kearney Catholic coach Rashawn Harvey will tell you.
“When he played for us, he did a great job of buying into what we needed him to do for our team. We didn’t need him to throw the ball 50, 60 times a game or to put up big numbers. We needed him to do what was best for our program,” Harvey said. “You got a kid that’s going to do what’s best for the team and not himself.
“Does he have the ability to do that? Absolutely, but it’s bigger than your numbers. The biggest part I believe is what kind of young man are you gonna get and is he gonna buy into what’s needed for that team. I think that’s what they’re gonna get with that young man.”
Haarberg will get a jump start on his college career when he enrolls early at Nebraska in January.
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.
