2022 wing Denim Dawson sees NU in new light after visit

A month ago, 2022 Southern California Academy wing Denim Dawson had never even talked with Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg.

But when Hoiberg and lead recruiter Matt Abdelmassih made their way out to Los Angeles a few weeks ago to watch the 6-foot-6 three-star at an open gym, the Husker coaches let Dawson know they were very interested in his services.

A couple of days later, NU called back, extended a scholarship offer, and immediately began setting up an official visit.

That trip to Lincoln ended up being this weekend, as Dawson joined a handful of high-profile visitors for Nebraska’s “Opening Night” event and home football game – his first-ever college football experience.

What impressed him the most about his first official visit weren’t just the showcases at Pinnacle Bank Arena and Memorial Stadium.

“It was new,” Dawson said. “Me being from LA, I’m not really used to that area (of the country). But you could just tell the people in the town – everybody wears Nebraska gear, and you can tell that the town is all about their sports. That’s really good for the players.”

When he wasn’t stopping to take pictures or having fans urge him to commit to NU, Dawson was getting a full rundown from Hoiberg about how his skill set would be utilized in the Huskers’ system.

After averaging roughly 16 points and five rebounds per game last year as a junior, Dawson said the offense he ran this summer with the California Stars AAU program was almost identical to Hoiberg’s scheme.

Not only did he feel like he’d be a natural fit in NU’s five-out offense, but Dawson was also drawn to the “aggressive” on-ball defensive approach.

“Coach Hoiberg and the staff talked about development a lot,” Dawson said. “Coach Hoiberg, since he played professionally in the NBA and made a living shooting, he’s always in the gym critiquing shots and helping his players become jump shooters.

“He showed me the stats of players he helped in the league become better 3-point shooters and scorers, guys like Zach Levine and Kris Dunn, all of their percentages went up with him and his staff.”

Along with Nebraska, Dawson said he’d recently heard a lot from Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Iona, and Pepperdine. While he doesn’t have any other officials locked in yet, he’s working on setting up a trip to Iona soon.

Dawson said he still plans on committing before the November signing period, but he had no timeframe for when he would start to narrow down his list.

For now, Nebraska has the leg up with being his first and only official visit, and the Huskers set the bar awfully high.

“It definitely boosted them up,” Dawson said. “For that being my first visit, I didn’t know what to expect. But everything that they showed me made me even more excited about Nebraska.”