Another in-state commitment and a bunch more Nebraska football recruiting nuggets

Hey Husker fans, welcome to another episode of the Husker Big Red podcast with Chris Peterson

and Danny Gillette. As always, Go Big Red! Good morning Husker fans and welcome back to the Husker Big Red YouTube channel

I'm Chris Peterson and joining me as always is Danny Gillette. And Danny, how are you doing this morning, man

I saw your Celtics up 2-0 in the finals, so you've got to be feeling good about that. I am feeling good about that and I'm feeling good overall

I had a bachelor party this weekend and I'm still kind of recovering. I'm not as young as I used to be

But we're hanging in, we're hanging in. The weather's getting warmer and the recruiting trail is heating up and that includes a commitment

this past weekend from Pierce Moonberry. Yeah, we've got a new commitment for Nebraska football and a bunch more recruiting nuggets

to come here. Some good and potentially some bad ones for Nebraska

So we'll get to that here in just a second. Before we do, though, please make sure if you haven't, do us a huge favor and hit the

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So please check that out. But yeah, Nebraska football, getting a lot of things happening with the recruiting trail

last week with the end of the ladder was that Saturday with Pierce Moonberry coming up with

the commitment. Another in-state commitment for Nebraska football with Pierce Moonberry. That's the fifth in this class

Another three-star guy but another guy that's ranked in the top seven in the state

So they've got four of the top seven players. Six-four, 200 pounds

Chose Nebraska over a bunch of offers from the Midwest. Minnesota, Kansas State, Kansas, Iowa State

So those are some of the other teams in the mix for Pierce Moonberry. And what do you think about what's now the 10th commitment of the Nebraska 2025 class

Moonberry's a solid player. He has the ability to come down and make plays in the running game

He takes very good angles when it comes to pursuit. He's a solid tackler and he's a well-developed player for high school level

Now the question is can he take the next step to the collegiate level

It's interesting just to see the athleticism that he brings to the table

For that reason, I think he could be an intriguing fit in this defense

We talked about this defense being positionless before. Moonberry is the type of guy that can fly all over the field and make plays

It'll be interesting to see how he fits in this defense. Like you said, a three-star recruit, but a very solid player

He's got room to grow and good on Nebraska for continuing to lock down the in-state targets

Like I've said before, it's worth repeating again. We talked about this two years ago

We needed a coach at the time with a good recruiting record

and the ability to recruit due to the fact that Nebraska, the state

had strong in-state talent coming up. Now Matt Rule is putting his money where his mouth is

and really emphasizing keeping kids home. Like we've said before, it's hard to get a kid to leave the state

with the job that Matt Rule is doing. He's shown the ability to close the deal, not just Matt Rule, but the entire staff

He's done a great job emphasizing the state of Nebraska and keeping the best players there

He's done a great job of keeping talent in Nebraska and keeping players at Nebraska too

We've gotten talented players there, Nash Hutchmaker, Ty Robinson, some of those other guys, Jamari Butler

Some of those other players that could have gone to the transfer portal could have gone somewhere else, and Matt Rule was able to get them to stay

I think he just sells a really great vision for Nebraska. I do like Mooberry a lot. He plays safety in high school

He's going to play linebacker for Nebraska. At least the film that I watched, he was playing safety, and then some tight end

But yeah, I like what he brings in coverage. I think he has a chance to play all three linebacker spots

I think he said that Nebraska views him as a will, which I think makes a lot of sense

You think about Luke Reimer, a guy who can be in coverage

can do things against the run, but can also blitz and attack the quarterback

I like Jojo Doman in that way too as well, that type of player

Yeah, for sure. He could be that type of player. Very athletic, kind of fits the Matt Rule profile of guys

This is another big commitment, number 10 in this class. I like where they're at

I think they're number 29 overall in 24-7 sports team rankings, so that's kind of a good place to be

I feel like they have a chance to maybe put together a top 20 class

but they do need to get some more blue chips in there. You've got two blue chips out of 10, which is kind of how it goes for Nebraska

when you're recruiting a lot of in-state players. I do like this commitment, and I think it hopefully will help them land

Christian Jones and Chase Lofton and Roman Zivert's the other one. But those are still the three kind of in-state guys that Nebraska's targeted

And Matt Rule, when they've really recruited a guy from the beginning

I don't think that they've missed on a single target in Nebraska

I know they had the kid that went to Notre Dame last year, but Nebraska offered him kind of late

So I don't think there's been a recruit that I can think of where they've really got him on campus a bunch of times

offered him fairly early compared to other schools, really prioritized him. I can't think of one that they have not landed

So unless I'm wrong, correct me if I am. I'm trying to think right now, and I don't believe they're �

I don't think so. Some lower-ranked players that ended up being maybe takes

but I think a tight end last year went to Illinois and some stuff like that

that I can remember that Nebraska was kind of interested in. Maybe Alex Mansky

No, he's not an in-state player. Yeah, that's true. He's from Iowa anyway

I was thinking kids in general that they hadn't landed that they were really high on

Yeah, I mean there's been a few, and I think there's going to be about to be some others

and we'll talk about that in a second. Not many though. Not many. But yeah, in terms of the in-state kids

they haven't missed on any that they've truly prioritized as like a top-of-the-board type of kid

So I think that says a lot about Matt Rule and his coaching staff

and we'll see how that plays out over the next few weeks

because I do think that that is going to be tested here with Chase Lofton and with Christian Jones

So we've got kind of a bunch of recruiting nuggets, not much else really going on right now with Nebraska sports

There were some NCAA championships over the weekend track and field, but for the most part we're kind of into the off-season with everything

with all of the, you know, I guess the school year sports

for lack of a better term. But on the recruiting trail, things are really starting to pick up in June

and I guess to start with, one of the top targets on the board

one of my top targets on the board for Nebraska is Chase Lofton

He visited Florida State on Saturday or over this past weekend. Steve Wiltfung did some interviews with him

It was posted on the Florida State On3 message board, but got over there and got some of the information

So Chase Lofton said that Florida State really set the bar high in his visit

He said that they would be a great option for him. These are quotes from Chase Lofton

And then he said he will be making a decision soon, which I take to be after

You know, he still has two more visits to take to Texas A&M and to Nebraska

so I take soon to mean later this month or early July

There's a lot of commitments that happen in early July after guys take all their visits

But, yeah, after visiting Missouri and Florida State, what are your thoughts on Chase Lofton and his commitment timeline

You know, I don't know if it favors Nebraska. I know he's coming the 21st

Nebraska's going to have to make the most of that visit. I just – and I understand you want to take as many athletes as possible

but just looking at the tight end room overall, there's not a lot of room there

And I feel more comfortable saying that Missouri is probably going to land him

but I hope I'm wrong, and I could be wrong. Again, it's not that I don't want him

I just don't see from a numbers standpoint, you know, where he would fit

And also I think Missouri has a lot of cash. I mean, you heard Troy Dannen actually say last week, I believe it was

that Nebraska was maybe at a little bit of a disadvantage in terms of NIL

So I think those two things, the crowded room and lack of NIL

are going to work against Nebraska. But I certainly wish Lofton the best

Yeah, we'll see. I'm not worried about the crowded room at all

I mean, that's – because Thomas Fadoni is going to – by the time Chase Lofton gets here, I don't think that's going to be an issue

And he's – I mean, he's 6'6", 215 pounds. So, yeah, I'm not worried about that at all

He'll have a place, you know, especially – I mean, you know

because most of these freshmen aren't going to play the first year. So you have to think about two years down the road

and what the depth chart might look like in that situation. But, yeah, I think we'll see what happens

Missouri definitely has some NIL money. But, I mean, I don't really see much, you know

a ton of momentum from them coming out of it. But we'll see. I think all of these schools have a chance

but I still think the ball's in Nebraska's court. I feel pretty – about the same way I did, you know, with Carter Nelson

Not even – I mean, Carter Nelson visited Georgia and got some, you know, projections for Georgia

And that kind of got people talking. And we haven't even seen anything like that

I don't know if – you know, yeah, if Steve Wildfung drops a bomb for, you know, Missouri or Florida State or something

But I don't know. I still – you know, this will be his ninth visit to Nebraska

when he takes his official visit. He hasn't visited one of these schools more than twice

So, I just – that would be quite an upset, in my opinion, if they were able to pull that off

So, I still – you know, if I had a crystal ball, I'd put it on Chase Lofton. I know nobody has yet

But that's – you know, I just – until somebody beats Matt Rule for one of these recruits

I'll believe it when I see it. And that's kind of how I think about Chase Lofton

Now, Christian Jones, I think there's maybe a better chance of one of these other schools landing him

But he's going to be visiting this weekend. And now I think that they did that on purpose

And so you have, you know, Christian Jones can, you know, be your focus this weekend, Chase Lofton

I know they've got some other big guys like Corey Sims. But I just don't think that's happening

I don't think Corey Sims or, you know – I'm trying to think of the other wide receiver

Yeah, I am too. I'm blanking right now. But at any rate, I mean, I just don't feel great about any of those guys

I know Michael Terry was at Texas this weekend, and he said that he had a great visit

And I think that they're still in a good spot for Michael Terry. But, you know, it's going to come down to �

I mean, when guys say it's going to come down to NIL, I just don't know if that's going to be a win for Nebraska

And he mentioned that being in one of their top two things. Now, like I said before, I don't think a guy goes on an official visit

and doesn't have an idea what the NIL package is going to be

So I don't know. It's tough. It is really tough in this era of NIL

But in terms of, you know, like bad news for the Huskers, they did miss a, you know, commitment over the weekend

Broderick Scholl, who was one of the top guys on the board at offensive tackle

committed to Auburn. And he said that, you know, that just goes to show

I mean, after the Nebraska visit, you know, Nebraska and Auburn were co-leaders, right

You know, according to Broderick Scholl. And now they took a visit there, and so he's committed to Auburn

So that shows how quickly things can change from one visit to another. That's why I still feel good about Nebraska having the final visit with Chase Lofton

So I guess we'll see there. Cortez Mills was the other wide receiver we were thinking of, I believe

Yeah, Cortez Mills. So, you know, and then they've got a few other receivers that they're kind of looking at

So it's not that they desperately need a receiver or anything. But yeah, and that, you know, Cortez Mills already took his visit

And so I think that they're – I mean, I think it was smart to try to shoot their shot with them

And I don't really – like I said, I really don't think they have a shot with Corey Sims

I think they have less of a chance with Corey Sims than they do with Cortez Mills

That's just – I know he's ranked a little bit lower, but, you know, that's just my read on it

And, you know, you talk about a kid that's from Missouri. Like Missouri's definitely going to pay a boatload of money to keep that kid

They have the last official visit, but he's went to Penn State and USC

coming to Nebraska this weekend and then Missouri. So, I mean, you never know if they could land one of those receivers, Michael Terry or Mills or Sims

That would be awesome. But, you know, I wouldn't hold my breath, and I also wouldn't hold my breath for Dawson Merritt either

after his visit to Alabama this weekend. Yeah, I would have a hard time believing that Mills would even leave the state

I know Miami is putting a bunch of pressure on him, and they're really recruiting him hard

And he's been to a couple camps, obviously, down there. And so Cortez Mills is going to be a hard pull

Quite honestly, it was always going to be a hard pull because, you know, these Florida schools are going to get a firsthand look at him rather quickly

So, you know, wide receiver is not necessarily a position of need

but it would have been nice to add either Mills or, you know, even a guy like Terry

who you're kind of unsure where he stands in terms of Nebraska

I know he said he really liked it here and the visit was great, but, you know, a lot of them say that

So overall, I'm not too worried about the wide receiver position. I am a little bummed on Dawson Merritt, though

I mean, it's hard to say no to Alabama, but I think that makes the Christian Jones visit this weekend

or, you know, in the next couple days even more important, even more important

And so I think, you know, they will get a linebacker is my prediction

And, you know, I would feel I feel good about Christian Jones coming to Lincoln, but we'll see

I know he's taking a couple visits and, you know, I think there has been some question in the past as to

whether he's worthy of his, you know, ranking. I've watched his highlights and, you know, seen a little bit of his film

and I believe he's a really good player. So there may be some misses in this recruiting cycle

Don't freak out. This is what happens when you recruit with some of the bigger programs

And as it stands right now, it's not like the cupboard is bare

We have a solid foundation for the 2025 class, and I think that's something to kind of keep in mind, too

because by the time last season started, the 2024 class was pretty wrapped up

And so as we look towards 2025, I think it's going to be, you know

I think we're probably going to see a couple of commitments and then maybe, you know

some more action, you know, towards the fall. But overall, it's a pretty solid class

And, you know, just like last year, you know, players want to see what this team is going to look like

And if Nebraska starts winning, and I feel like we've said that quite a lot over the last couple of years

then that will pick up recruiting as well. Yeah, and Raheem Hutchins, Jr., is another receiver to know

So, I mean, if things don't go the way Nebraska wants with, like, Mills and Corey Sims and those guys

I think he's the next guy up because they do have some receivers already in this class. So it's not like they're desperate for them in terms of, you know, the numbers or whatever

So keep an eye on him. He's supposed to take a visit. He's got the top three of Nebraska, Houston, and Memphis

So I feel like this is a situation where Nebraska, you know, is trying to figure out whether to take him or not

And so if he does end up being a take scholarship-wise compared to, you know, some of the other guys that they miss

he is still another player to kind of be aware of. But, yeah, Christian Jones is another, you know, important prospect

149 overall in the 24-7 composite rankings. Nebraska's the crystal ball leader right now

You know, I feel like he's taken a visit to Auburn or USC

I'm not sure. Yeah, 24-7 says he has him go into USC and Auburn

So I'll have to double-check which place he actually went last weekend. And then visiting Nebraska and then Oklahoma after this

I think it's USC. I think it's USC, Oklahoma, and Nebraska are the top three teams, I want to say

So, you know, out of those three, I mean, I still feel pretty good

You know, Oklahoma is probably the one that worries me a little bit more. But, you know, Nebraska I think has recruited him really hard

He talked about, you know, in-state recruits like about a year ago and how Matt Ruhle's kind of prioritized that

So it's kind of the same thing with Lofton. You know, he's a national recruit, and they're, you know, taking their visits and, you know, doing all that stuff

But I still think at the end of the day, you know, getting him on camp, they're still going to have to say no to Matt Ruhle

And I just feel like he makes it really hard to do that with everything that Nebraska is offering and all the in-state stuff, the in-state poll

So, you know, push come to shove. I think Nebraska is going to get – I still think this month they'll get Christian Jones and Chase Lofton

Maybe not this calendar month, but I think those visits will seal the deal, and they'll get those – I think they'll get those two guys

They'll get all their in-state targets. Roman Ziebert, maybe not. Maybe they won't get him

But I definitely think those top two guys. It's not like I'm overly confident

I just haven't seen anything from the other places to tell me that, you know, he's going to go elsewhere

Like Dawson Merritt, there's been expert projections to Alabama, and, you know, that kind of always worried me

And he doesn't have that in-state tie, you know what I'm saying? So I think that does make a big difference

But in terms of Lofton and Jones, I'm still feeling Nebraska as of right now

Jones visited USC this weekend, and he's going to visit Oklahoma June 21st through the 23rd

So we're sandwiched in the middle. You know, in terms of recruiting, I always like it when Nebraska has the last visit on a recruits kind of recruiting, you know, visit tour

But, you know, I think – I still think Nebraska has a chance to – you know, I think they have a better chance of, like I said earlier

landing Jones than they do Lofton. I would love both. You know, positionally, we are better set up at both the tight end and linebacker positions to where, you know

the cupboard is not going to be completely bare if we miss on either

I don't think we'll miss on either, but it's just – it goes back to having depth and being prepared

And just in his first year, Matt Ruhle and his coaching staff did a nice job of stalking the cupboard

and, you know, making sure that there was depth at positions and also recruiting at a high level in the meantime

Yeah, and they, you know, went – they worked a bunch of camps this weekend, so there's a ton of new offers that went out

I want to say that there's been like 15, probably over 15 offers

So not really going to go through all of those, but they did offer some more quarterbacks

They've been – they actually have hosted, I think, Will Anderson, who I want to say is Daniel Kalin's

He came up and started after Daniel Kalin. But at any rate, so that'll be interesting

In 2026, quarterback recruiting, they definitely need to get going because they're behind the eight ball

There's no question about that. They're behind the eight ball with 2026 quarterback recruiting

You know, Notre Dame, a bunch of other schools have already taken quarterbacks

I mean, a lot of schools have got guys on campus for visits, top targets. Nebraska is just in this jumbled mess of like 20 quarterbacks that they've offered

So they really need to start drilling down and focusing in on two or three or four guys because, I mean

I know that they've obviously got, you know, three elite 11 quarterbacks in the last two classes

but they're behind the eight ball with 2026 quarterback recruiting. There's no bones about that

I'm not too worried yet. I mean, you know, I think we – again, we have a lot of talent in the quarterback room right now

I get trying to be, you know, keep adding for the future and keep recruiting, but I think they'll get it done

I think they'll get it done. I would be a little bit more worried had T.J. Lateef not committed

Then there would be a definite scramble. I'm not too worried about the position right now. Like you said, they do seem to have, you know, a thousand quarterback offers out

but I wouldn't be too worried about the 2026 quarterback recruiting quite yet

Yeah, I mean, I just look at it, you know, with each class, and I just know you want to have – you know

you want to have your quarterback in – like, you know, if you're going to next summer

still needing a quarterback, then you really have lost the ball and – or dropped the ball

And it just – the timelines are getting so accelerated right now. I think a lot of the top 10 – I mean, a few of the top 10 quarterbacks in 2026 have already made their decisions

and they're already, you know – so I'm just saying if they want to get a good – if they want to get one of those good players, they really got to get going

And – but I think they're trying to figure things out. I think they're trying to evaluate, you know, Dayton Rayola, who's coming for a camp, Will Anderson

And, yeah, there's not as much pressure to get a highly ranked guy, but, you know, I just still think �

you want to get as – I don't think that Georgia, you know, is going down there being like, well, you know, we already got 80 top 100 players, let's just get – you know

they're trying to get the best players every single time. Well, Georgia is also an easier sell

I mean, they can afford to do that. Well, yeah, I'm just saying I think that's the way that you should recruit

You get the best players that you can possibly find, you know, whenever you can

And then – Yeah, for sure. You let them sort out the rest when they get there

Yeah, for sure. But at the same time, we were 5-7 last year. We don't have as much – we don't have as much pull

So I think, you know, like you kind of mentioned there, you know, they're probably evaluating Dayton

They're probably evaluating Will Anderson. So I think, honestly, for the 2026, you know, cycle, taking their time

and evaluating the options they have is going to be important. Yeah, I mean, I think so

But, like, you know, a lot of the top quarterbacks, you know

these summer visits are really important and, you know, we're getting into June. And, you know, you got to get some of these kids on campus

So, I mean, that's all I'm saying. I think they just – they need to – you know, they kind of lucked out with TJ Lateef

in that that kind of worked out late, you know. But you usually got to get going a little bit earlier

So we'll see how that works out, how that priority works out

And who knows? They may already be working on something that we don't even know about. Yeah, potentially it could be

And, yeah, I do like Anderson and Rayola, but, you know, there's a reason why Dayton Rayola is unranked right now

So he's got a lot to prove out there as well. So all right

Well, with that, I think we'll wrap up the show there, you guys. So please make sure again to hit the Like button, subscribe to the channel

check out HuskerBigRed.com, and as always, Go Big Red. Go Big Red

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