The busy month of June is behind us. The Huskers had a lot of players come through campus for evaluations, camps and official visits. Let’s take a look back at a handful of players that changed their recruitments last month in a major way.
Husker Outside Linebacker Commit Jake Appleget
It’s tough to ignore the impact that June had for one of the Huskers’ latest commits. Lincoln Southeast outside linebacker Jake Appleget entered the month in search of more scholarship offers. He picked up and offer from the Huskers on June 4 following a private workout with Nebraska. Then he camped at Minnesota and was offered by PJ Fleck’s team. He only needed one official visit to Nebraska. That’s when he knew that staying home was the right move for him. I think it was a big June for Appleget.
Husker Walk-On Kicker Brenden Franke
The Huskers’ search to fix special teams extended to one-on-one workouts last month. A few specialists came in for workouts. The one who received the most buzz was former Morningside standout Brenden Franke. Coming into June he thought he might play college soccer as the next step in his journey. He is a Husker after impressing Scott Frost with his ability to kick the ball through the end zone on kickoffs.
Offensive Line Target John Pastore
Nebraska had several offensive linemen come through campus last month. Not many are left with new scholarship offers. The Colorado lineman (6-5, 255) was an exception to that rule. He is viewed as an interior lineman that can be a center prospect. Pastore worked out for the Huskers privately before receiving his offer. He picked up an offer from Kansas State after that. He’s still uncommitted but is expected to decide on a school this summer.
2024 Quarterback Target Dylan Raiola
If there was a hotter quarterback in the 2024 class in June than Husker legacy Dylan Raiola, he will be hard to find. He was offered by Georgia, Washington State, TCU, Baylor, Florida State and Missouri. The Huskers came through with an offer on June 19. He put on a show with his arm talent at Nebraska’s Friday Night Lights camp. He showed good arm strength and touch while his father Dominic Raiola looked on. There is a long way to go in his recruitment but it’s a huge one for Nebraska.
Penn State Defensive Line Commit Jordan Van Den Berg
The Iowa Western defensive lineman had an interesting month. His recruitment blew up. Nebraska got him on campus first for a private work out and he impressed the Husker coaches. The tight available scholarships kept them from offering a full scholarship right way. The defender went to Iowa next to work out and was offered a full scholarship by the Hawkeyes. Penn State heard about him and invited him out for a work out. Van Den Berg impressed James Franklin, the Nittany Liones offered and the lineman committed to Penn State. Van Den Berg bet on himself and won big during June.
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.
