LINCOLN, Neb. — There’s a lot happening around the Nebraska football program. If signing day isn’t high on your list of items to watch, that’s understandable.
Already this week, defensive coordinator Tony White left Nebraska for Florida State. And the Huskers secured offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen with a two-year contract.
Even though the transfer portal window remains closed until Monday for undergraduates, decisions are arriving fast. Tuesday brought announcements that freshman quarterback Daniel Kaelin and, sophomore defensive end James Williams and sophomore linebacker Princewill Umanmielen are set to enter the portal.
Always Love Husker Nation 🖤❤️
I’ll never forget my time in Lincoln
Excited for the next chapter #godsplan pic.twitter.com/vHSj1m22LD
— James Williams (@KingJamesUpNext) December 4, 2024
We’re hardly talking about the bowl game. The Huskers will learn of their postseason destination and opponent Sunday. December practices are a thing again in Lincoln. And by the way, early enrolling recruits, if they graduate high school in time, are allowed to participate in pre-bowl practice sessions — a first for Nebraska. It last played in a bowl game in 2016.
The early signing period opens Wednesday. Nebraska awaits decisions from wide receiver Cortez Mills, a four-star prospect out of Homestead, Fla., committed to Florida, and five-star athlete Michael Terry of San Antonio.
GO DEEPER
Tony White’s departure is just the first domino to fall in a long month ahead for Nebraska
Here are five Nebraska recruiting storylines to get you ready for signing day:
A small class. Roster limits are coming to college football as part of the NCAA v. House settlement. Nebraska must get to 105 by next season.
Minus the departing players who walked on senior day last month, the roster sits at 117. With 19 signees and a handful of walk-ons, the Huskers are above 140. They will likely want to take 10 to 15 players from the portal to boost talent at depleted positions. Remember, this was a 6-6 team in 2024.
That leaves Nebraska about 50 players over the limit. Realistically, based on the current pace of departures, it could lose another 20 players to the portal without asking anyone to exit. So perhaps coach Matt Rhule will face difficult conversations with about 30 players.
More than ever, the coaching staff had to limit the offers it could extend. In years ahead, the roster will fit together more easily. But this offseason was set to include a lot of pain. It has begun.
Nebraska’s 2025 recruiting class is No. 22 in the 247Sports Composite team talent rankings, which is eighth in the Big Ten. (Dylan Widger / Imagn Images)
Defensive talent leads the way. It’s unclear whether Nebraska will stick with the 3-3-5 defensive scheme White installed. That’s the system for which most of the top returning defenders and all of the signees were recruited.
Regardless, the Huskers did well in this class to snag four-star prospects in linebacker Dawson Merritt out of Overland Park, Kan., a flip from Alabama; Omaha Westside linebacker Christian Jones; and defensive lineman Malcolm Simpson of Galveston, Texas.
Gone from the linebacker and defensive line groups are John Bullock, Nash Hutmacher and Ty Robinson, plus recent portal entries Umanmielen, Mikai Gbayor and Jimari Butler.
It signals a turning of the page for the Blackshirts. Nebraska has big plans for the likes of Riley Van Poppel, Cam Lenhardt, James Williams and Elijah Jeudy up front, in addition to Vincent Shavers and Willis McGahee IV, top freshmen linebackers from 2024.
But youth is about to be served for the Huskers on defense. The 2025 class delivers several high-end players.
A wide receiver makeover. Nebraska attempted to remake its group of receivers with one-and-done transfers Jahmal Banks and Isaiah Neyor this year. Neither enjoyed the breakout season Nebraska needed to spark the offense. Neyor dropped a wide-open pass in the fourth quarter Friday at Iowa that could have iced a win for the Huskers.
Though the Huskers are sure to look for veteran help again in the portal, the plan in 2025 appears to involve more youth at wide receiver under Holgorsen’s leadership. This class includes four-star pass catcher Isaiah Mozee, Jackson Carpenter, Tanner Terch and an intriguing athlete, Jeremiah Jones of Murray, Ky. At 6 feet 5, Jones could join second-year Huskers Quinn Clark, Keelan Smith and Carter Nelson to form a core of big targets.
GO DEEPER
Dana Holgorsen signs 2-year deal to remain Nebraska’s new offensive coordinator
The heir apparent at QB? With Kaelin on the way out of Lincoln, the Huskers don’t have a line of succession in place beyond Dylan Raiola. The true freshman 12-game starter holds the keys to Nebraska’s offensive success in 2025 and to creating momentum in recruiting.
But the Huskers need depth at the spot. If Heinrich Haarberg returns as a senior to play quarterback, is it fair to keep him exclusively in that role?
Nebraska might have to look for a quarterback in the portal and prep early enrollee TJ Lateef to play behind Raiola. Lateef is a pocket passer, but he’s got mobility to make plays with his legs. His offense at Orange (Calif.) Lutheran High School featured a mix of short and intermediate throws. Lateef showed an accurate arm in directing his team to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs in California’s largest class.
Hello, K.C. and St. Louis. The Huskers are set to sign six players from the state of Nebraska, their recruiting bread and butter. In addition to Carpenter and Christian Jones, the in-state signees include defensive lineman Tyson Terry of Omaha North, safety Caden VerMaas and linebacker Pierce Mooberry of Millard North and running back Conor Booth of Wahoo Bishop Neumann.
But the Nebraska recruiting staff identified a blind spot not far from home and worked to gather talent from the two largest population centers in Missouri. Running back Jamarion Parker out of St. Louis rates among the best athletes in this class for Nebraska and is a possible early contributor.
From the Kansas City area, Nebraska nabbed Merritt, the Oregon flip Mozee and offensive lineman Juju Marks, who originally committed to Kansas.
To aid in recruiting Kansas City and St. Louis, Rhule used senior football analyst Jamar Mozee, Isaiah’s dad and the former coach at Lee’s Summit (Mo.) High, and director of player personnel Keith Williams in roles to recruit on the road.
A change in NCAA rules allowed Nebraska to designate Mozee and Williams as off-campus recruiters. The shift in responsibilities paid off.
(Top photo: Dylan Widger / Imagn Images)
