2024 Bellevue West quarterback has memorable night with two major offers

2024 Bellevue (Neb.) West quarterback Daniel Kaelin had a Memorial Day weekend he’ll never forget.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Kaelin added offers from both Florida State and Nebraska on Monday evening.

He is one of just a handful of local in-state players to ever receive a Power Five football offer this young, joining the likes of Beatrice’s Cameron Jurgens and Bellevue West’s Daevonn Hall, who were also offered during their freshman year of high school.

“It was definitely a surprise,” Kaelin said. “It was just a normal day. It kind of just happened. I don’t even know how to describe it. I talked to Coach (Mario) Verduzco and Coach (Kenny) Dillingham. It was pretty crazy.”

Kaelin wasn’t even the starter on the varsity this past season for the Powerhouse Thunderbirds, who now had five different prospects on their 2020 team with major college football offers.

As a freshman, Kaelin saw plenty of game reps as West’s No. 2 quarterback, as well as starting at the junior varsity level.

Where he really made a name for himself though was on the national camp stage. Earlier this month he was one of the bigger standouts at the QB Collective Camp at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

From there, the word traveled pretty fast.

“With Florida State, it had to do a lot with my performance at the QB Collective Camp,” Kaelin said. “I did pretty well there, and a lot of the coaches from that camp have been getting my name out. They said they have heard a lot of good things and (Dillingham) said he was really excited about me, and decided to offer me.”

Nebraska had also been kicking the tires on Kaelin this spring and was very close to offering. Their offer followed FSU’s less than an hour later.

“We were actually going to get some ice cream and celebrate getting my first offer, and then (Coach Mike) Huffman gave me a call and said I needed to call Coach Verduzco,” Kaelin said. “The rest is history.

“They have seen my tape and they said they see a lot of potential in me. Huffman also told them I’m just extremely smart and I love game. They are just excited about me, and they know I’m a guy that’s going to come in and work hard. They just really like where I am at right now and they see a lot of potential.”

This summer, Kaelin has a busy camp schedule lined up, starting with Iowa State on Tuesday. From there he will go to the Lindenwood Mega Camp (June 4), Florida State (June 6), North Carolina (June 12) Vanderbilt (June 13), Oklahoma (June 26) and Kansas State (June 27).

“Such an exciting night for Daniel and his family,” Huffman said. “He has put himself in this position by working his craft tirelessly and nationwide. His fluidity of his throwing movement combined with his QB IQ led him to be a top prospect in the area. I’m excited to watch him continue to excel in the years ahead.”