Three & Out: Huskers in final four for David Sanders Jr., moving up the On3 ratings, and Nebraska hosting a pair of speedsters from Cali

Three & Out is Nebraska On3’s feature in which recruiting analyst Bryan Munson gives his weekly takes on topical issues concerning Nebraska football and recruiting.

In this week’s Three & Out, Nebraska appears in David Sanders Jr.’s final four, a pair of Nebraska commitments make a big jump in the latest On3 rankings, and Nebraska is hosting a pair of the fastest juniors from Cali in July. Here is your Three & Out:

David Sanders Jr. includes Nebraska in his final four

So you’re saying there’s a chance? Yes, but I am not totally sure how good of one. What we do know now is that Nebraska is at least in the picture for the No. 1 offensive tackle in the country, David Sanders Jr.

Sanders will announce his college decision on August 17, choosing between Georgia, Nebraska, Ohio State, and Tennessee. When Sanders attended On3’s On3 Elite Series in May, the Huskers weren’t even in his top six.

The On3 Industry’s No. 1 ranked OT David Sanders Jr. goes in-depth on his recruitment, top schools (Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, South Carolina and TennesseeP upcoming visits, deciding factors and more: https://t.co/hU8JZWcSby pic.twitter.com/rvdMM1BdjN

— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) May 28, 2024

This is a massive development in Nebraska’s favor, considering he took four official visits after he saw Nebraska on May 10th. The Huskers got Sanders to visit because he was open that weekend, Mother’s Day, and Nebraska’s ace recruiter encouraged Sanders to take a look.

Dylan Raiola has known Sanders for a while, going back to Raiola, who was a Georgia commitment. Raiola leveraged that relationship with Sanders to get him to consider Nebraska.

“Dylan (Raiola),” Sanders said when asked what Nebraska did to get on his radar. “When they pulled the No. 1 player out of the 2024 class, they can get the No. 1 offensive tackle from the 2025 class to protect him. If you have a high-caliber quarterback like that, you need somebody that’s going to protect him.

“I feel like he’s done a great job, even when he was committed at Georgia. That’s one of the main reasons I took that visit because he did such a good job building that relationship with me and letting me know, ‘I need you to come block for me.’ His tune never changed when he committed to Nebraska.

“He was like, ‘Bro, I’m just at a different school. I’m still the same person.’ If he says all these great things about the University of Nebraska, I think it’s definitely worth a visit.”

Nebraska is certainly not the favorite with Sanders, but the perceived favorite two to three weeks ago isn’t either. Sanders didn’t include Clemson on his list. He visited the Tigers eight times, including an official visit at the end of May.

The Huskers had just one opportunity to host Sanders for his official visit, which definitely hurts Nebraska’s overall chances with Sanders. He seems open to helping out Matt Rhule and Dylan Raiola.

Reading between the lines, it sounds like Sanders will not plan on taking any other visits once he commits. Things can always change, but the type of change to get Sanders to take another look around after August 17th would have to be pretty disruptive.

“As of now, I kind of want to get it over with before the season starts because I’m going to be an early enrollee. I kind of just want to enjoy my senior year and enjoy my relationship with the coaches.”

Moving on up!

The new On3 rankings for the 2025 class came out recently, and the Huskers have one of the biggest movers this cycle. Pierce Mooberry, a linebacker commitment from Omaha (Neb.) Millard North improved his ranking 538 spots from 763 overall to 225.

Nebraska LB commit Pierce Mooberry is a big, fluid mover as a HS safety at 6’4, 205 with plus length. Physical, rangy defender who should continue filling out his frame. Also shows his athleticism as a pass catcher. Industry Comparison: https://t.co/UWhkmVSswk pic.twitter.com/6lBQF9bGZ1

— Charles Power (@CharlesPower) July 9, 2024

Powers notes that Mooberry is a great athlete at safety. The Huskers see Mooberry playing at the second level as a player who can drop off into coverage, support the run, and rush the quarterback. Mooberry also has a frame that looks like he could add 20 pounds overnight.

And don’t stick a fork in the idea that Mooberry could play offense, too. Mooberry is a rangy tight end, and after in-state targets, Chase Loftin and Reiman Zebert have committed to other schools. The tight end room is still very well-stocked, but Matt Rhule and his staff are always looking for ways to put players in positions to make them successful.

According to his national ranking, Mooberry would be the No. 2 overall ranked player in Nebraska’s 2025 recruiting class. It would put him behind the new No. 1 overall-ranked player in the class: Malcolm Simpson.

Simpson improved his national ranking from 265 to 193. The four-star defensive lineman from Hitchcock (Texas) now has an industry ranking of 91. The Huskers see Simpson as a lineman who can play anywhere along the defensive line.

Simpson and Mooberry are the only two inside the top 300 from On3, but several commits got a bump in the On3 Industry Ranking because of an adjustment to their position ranking.

Jeremiah Jones was the No. 666-rated recruit nationally and the No. 33 athlete when he committed. He got a bump to the No. 25 athlete, which pushed him up to No. 548.

Similarly, Brian Tapu got a bump in the position ranking that fueled an increase in his On3 Industry Ranking. When Tapu committed to Nebraska, he was rated No. 720 and No. 44 in the nation based on the Industry Rankings. He was the No. 62 tackle by On3 in the country, which improved to No. 57 and pushed him up to No. 646 and No. 38 in the industry ranking.

Nebraska had a couple of big movers on the recent On3 ranking updates with Simpson and Mooberry. There were also a few in the middle with an improvement that wasn’t as easy to see. These are all good signs for the Huskers and their evaluations of their commitments.

Pair of Cali speedsters in Lincoln this month

The month of June was a blur. Official visitors every weekend, and the class doubled in size in just three weeks. All of that smoke and still waiting on a 2025 recruiting target or two might have caused some to miss or not totally appreciate a pair of 2026 speedsters.

Nebraska hosted 2026 running back Brian Bonner last week. The four-star recruit from Santa Clarita (Calif.) Valencia has run a 4.48 laser 40-yard dash, the fastest time under the Larry Muir coaching regime. He also ran a 10.48/100 this spring.

Had a great time visiting the University of Nebraska! Thank you guys for the hospitality! Excited to come back on campus!@CoachMattRhule @CoachEJbarthel @HuskerFootball pic.twitter.com/trzCmtyC6f

— Brian Bonner Jr (@Brianbonner34) July 3, 2024

Bonner had a productive sophomore year at the running back position and also as a returner. Last season, Bonner had 500 yards rushing, 457 yards receiving, and 274 return yards, which was good for 1230 all-purpose yards.

Nebraska is in excellent shape with Bonner due in large part to Coach Barthel’s great job recruiting him and following his visit to Lincoln last summer. It was the only summer trip that Bonner planned, and Nebraska hit it out of the park. He’s planning a return visit soon.

If Bonner is fast, then the other player who will visit Nebraska later this month might be the fastest junior in the country.

Brandon “Dash” Arrington is from San Diego (Calif.) Mount Miguel is considered the No. 7 player and No. 1 athlete in the country, according to On3. Arrington recently changed high schools from Helix to Mount Miguel for the 2024 season.

Arrington announced on Twitter/X that he had three trips planned this summer, including a stop in Lincoln to check out Nebraska on July 27th. Brandon will also visit Oklahoma the day before Nebraska and Alabama the day after.

The No. 1 2026 ATH Brandon Arrington prepares for trio of July visits.

Oklahoma – July 26

Nebraska – July 27

Alabama – July 28 pic.twitter.com/X6H6tFjtdR

— Touchdown Enterprises (@TouchdownETP) July 7, 2024

That’s pretty good company for Nebraska.

Despite a relatively quiet July, there have still been some 2026 fireworks, with Bonner visiting and Arrington planning to visit Lincoln in two weeks. It will also be interesting to see what Nebraska does at the end of July when they have typically hosted an end-of-summer BBQ before the start of fall camp.

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