The Weekly Rundown: Nebraska has maximized its camps and a big recruiting week is ahead
Nebraska has maximized its football camps this June, as many new offers were made that eventually have led to commits.
We hit on that and more as we start your Monday with The Weekly Rundown Column.
Sure bets
You have to feel good about these things right now:
Camp evaluations and offers: Matt Rhule is building his version of Nebraska differently than any coach we’ve seen in years.
Rhule is not playing the star game, trying to pad his recruiting classes with mid to low three-star guys to fill a spot. He is making live evaluations at camps and then following up with offers and then official visits.
It’s an old-school approach that’s hard to do because it takes patience. NU’s last four commits all camped at Nebraska and didn’t hold a Power Five offer until Rhule and the Huskers came in. We should not be surprised, though. Rhule did the same thing in December by recruiting guys like wide receivers Brice Turner, Jeremiah Charles, and linebacker Eric Fields.
Rhule is not afraid to make the first offer. He’s comfortable with where he is as a head coach and evaluator. That’s how he built Temple and that’s how he built Baylor.
QB Daniel Kaelin at the Elite 11: 2024 Bellevue West and Nebraska quarterback commit Daniel Kaelin had himself a weekend. He was just the second-ever Nebraska high school quarterback to make the Elite 11 finals, and he’s now the first-ever to be named to the Elite 11.
What an honor for Kaelin and high school football in Nebraska. Give Kaelin a lot of credit. He’s worked hard the last several years to master his craft, which has paid off.
2025 QB evaluations: As you look ahead to 2025 quarterback recruiting, you have to like where Rhule and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield sit today.
They offered six quarterbacks for 2025; three threw at camp last week. Harrisburg (Penn.) signal caller Stone Saunders was at camp last Saturday, Algona (Iowa) quarterback Alex Manske was there last Sunday, and Las Vegas (Nev.) quarterback Garyt Odom threw on Friday. Keller (Texas) quarterback Kelden Ryan also threw on Friday and currently holds 16 Power Five offers.
Saunders has visited campus three times and Manske has been here twice in the last week alone. Manske is probably the most intriguing name, as it would not be a surprise if he picks up several more Power Five offers in the coming weeks. Iowa offered last week after the Huskers did.
Jordyn Bahl and Nebraska softball: Nebraska softball has not hosted an NCAA regional since 2013. That’s also the last time they played in a Women’s College World Series. There’s a good chance they will be in the conversation for both in 2024.
Pitcher Jordyn Bahl’s impact has been massive thus far. On Friday, NU was already well over 2,000 season-ticket requests for a stadium that seats just 2,500.
It will be interesting to see the boom she creates for the program. Hopefully, they will be able to recognize her in Memorial Stadium during the sold-out volleyball game, which will be the largest stage we’ve ever seen in this country for a women’s sporting event. Bahl is worthy of that type of stage to let Husker nation welcome her home.
Bob Brown is one of the program’s best-ever linemen: All you need to know about former Husker lineman Bob Brown is he was the first player in the program’s history to be inducted into the College Football and NFL Hall-of-Fame. He is one of just three NU players, joining linebacker Tom Novak and wide receiver Johnny Rodgers to have their jersey numbers permanently retired.
Brown passed away at the age of 81 over the weekend. He was recovering from a stroke he suffered back in April.
Brown was named to the first-team All-NFL team seven times over his career and he was named to the NFL’s all-decade team of the 1960s.
Brown’s former coach George Allen of the Rams, a future Hall of Famer, had some very strong words to summarize his career.
“At his best, no one was better than big Bob Brown,” Allen said.
Deacon Jones, a former teammate of Brown’s, also had some strong words to describe his playing career.
“He’s a linebacker in an offensive lineman’s body,” the Hall-of-Famer Jones said about Brown. “He had a cold-blooded mentality. He’d kill a mosquito with an ax.”
Surprises
These were my surprises of the week:
Seeing Craig Bohl back in Memorial Stadium: When I pulled into Memorial Stadium, I almost had to do a double take as former Husker player/defensive coordinator and now Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl walked in right front in of me.
Bohl had never been invited back to NU in any capacity since leaving here over 20 years ago. He won three national championships as a head coach and recruited current NFL quarterbacks Carson Wentz and Josh Allen.
Bohl may have left NU in 2002 on bad terms, but you can argue that’s the only blemish on his 40+ year coaching career. It was great to see Bohl back at Nebraska, even addressing the campers—props to Rhule for welcoming Bohl back to Lincoln.
Omaha North Donovan Jones’s offer: The real story out of Friday Night Lights was the performance of Omaha North DB Donovan Jones. That led to a Husker offer. He’ll take an official visit to Lincoln starting today. My RPM is in for Jones to be a Husker.
New Orleans WR Michael Turner’s visit: This one is under the radar, but New Orleans John Curtis wide receiver Michael Turner will visit Nebraska this week on an unofficial. LSU just offered over the weekend. Do the Huskers have a chance with Turner?
The jury is still out
Questions still surround these things:
2024 running back recruiting: Michigan landed a commitment from Las Vegas running back Micah Ka’apana, while Minnesota got a commitment from Philadelphia running back Ohifame Ijeboi. Both were expected to visit Lincoln this week.
Where do the Huskers go now at running back? Nathaniel Frazier is still out there, but he’s the No. 1 running back in the country, according to On3. What are there other options at this point?
June 2 visitors: Nebraska brought in a big group of visitors on June 2. Of the nine official visitors that came to Lincoln, only defensive back Mario Buford has made a decision/commitment to the Huskers.
Where do things sit with some of the other key names from the June 2 weekend?
This has my attention
Moving forward, this has my attention:
Edge Jacob Smith and Nebraska: Before this weekend, it felt like Cheshire (Conn.) Academy edge Jacob Smith was a lock to Michigan, considering his twin brother Jerrod Smith has been a commit to the Wolverines for months.
Jacob Smith made his third visit to Lincoln since March this past weekend. Each time he learns more about NU, as the Huskers have done a great job of grabbing his attention. Smith said he might commit soon but not go public for a while. Stay tuned.
TE Michael Burt: This one feels good for Nebraska. The family connections in Lincoln, the Sam Sledge relationship, it’s all there for Creighton Prep tight end Michael Burt. Can the Huskers close out on him this week? Besides Iowa, the other wildcard is Alabama. Burt camped there on Wednesday.
OL Landen Davidson: Nebraska teased a commitment from the Centennial State. One would think that’s OL Landen Davidson, who visited this weekend.
DB/ATH Evan Taylor: Waxhaw (N.C.) Cuthbertson defensive back Evan Taylor visited this weekend. All signs point to a possible commitment as early as this week. Stay tuned. The Huskers could be up to six defensive backs committed before the weekend starts.
TE Carter Nelson’s visit weekend: As we wait on Burt’s decision, another factor is Ainsowrth TE Carter Nelson. He will visit Nebraska this weekend after trips to Georgia, Notre Dame and Penn State the last three weeks. NU has patiently waited for this weekend, and the fact Nelson has not committed yet is a positive sign.
Now can Rhule close on the top in-state prospect in the state?
The push to the dead period: Every college football coach in America looks forward to this week. It’s the fourth quarter of June. We’ve learned June has become one of the most intense in college football. What will this final week before the dead period bring for Rhule and the Huskers?
Sean Callahan can be reached at sean@huskeronline.com and can be heard daily at 6:45 am and 5:05 pm on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during the football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha during the fall and each week appears on Nebraska Public Media’s Big Red Wrap-Up Tuesdays at 7 pm.
The post The Weekly Rundown: Nebraska has maximized its camps and a big recruiting week is ahead appeared first on On3.
