Only in the fishbowl that is Nebraska football would the 85-man scholarship limit be an offseason topic for fans.
I chuckled watching Matt Rhule’s traditional signing day press conference when he addressed the topic. “People have stopped me on the street like, ‘Coach, how are we going to do this, scholarship-wise,’” Rhule said. “(I’m like) It’ll happen, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”
Welcome to Nebraska, coach.
With Corey Collier no longer listed on the roster, by my math, Nebraska is at 103 scholarships just in case anyone reading is “that guy.”
I personally love Rhule’s approach. If there’s someone available that you think is talented enough to help your roster, whether it’s a recruit or transfer, you bring him in and let the chips fall where they may. In today’s college football, between graduation, attrition, the transfer portal and NIL, coaches will make the numbers work.
Iron sharpens iron. Let roster competition either elevate players to another level – or encourage them to find another team. That might seem harsh to some, but that’s what elite teams do.
That mindset led to the Huskers adding Philadelphia (Pa.) Neumann-Goretti defensive back Kahmir Prescott after the early signing period, when the staff reassessed their board to see if there were any players available they wanted to target.
Go here for more from Jeremy Pernell’s series.
Prescott had been on Nebraska’s radar since December 2022 and was one of the top safety targets of the coaches early in the cycle. He’s been regarded as one of the top defensive backs in the Northeast since receiving offers from Power Five programs in the region like Penn State, Pittsburgh and Boston College while he was still a sophomore.
Along with the Huskers, who extended an offer on April 5, Prescott would eventually earn additional Power Five offers from Cincinnati, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan State, Syracuse, Texas A&M and West Virginia, but would have assuredly accumulated more had he not shut down his recruitment in April.
Prescott took spring visits to see Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers and Wisconsin, and was also in Lincoln for the Red-White spring game on April 22. Three days before his Husker visit, on April 19, Prescott announced a top five of Wisconsin, Penn State, Nebraska, Michigan State and Pittsburgh.
Prescott was joined by his mother and stepfather, and the trio had a great visit. They got along really well with Matt Rhule and defensive backs coach Evan Cooper, and Kahmir was particularly impressed by a presentation given by strength and conditioning coach Corey Campbell.
He left Lincoln and spoke of coming back in the fall to experience the gameday environment. That visit never happened. Prescott would later admit he was already a silent commit to Wisconsin by the time he visited Nebraska and his relationship with the Badger staff was too strong to overcome.
Wisconsin had identified Prescott early and made him one of its top defensive back targets for this cycle. The Badgers’ defensive coordinator, Mike Tressel, also utilizes a base 3-3-5 system and saw Prescott’s skill set as a great fit. Tressel wanted Prescott to play field safety and nickel in his system.
Kahmir made his Wisconsin commitment public on April 27 and returned to Madison for his official visit June 2-4, essentially shutting down his recruitment for the next seven months.
A regular standout on the 7-v-7 circuit and at camps, he was recognized as one of the top performers at the Under Armour camp series held in Baltimore in mid-May. He solidified his reputation as one of the region’s top players by distinguishing himself among a loaded group of prospects who came to take part in the camp from all over the area: Maryland, D.C., Virginia, New Jersey, Michigan, Massachusetts, Delaware, Florida and West Virginia.
Wisconsin and Prescott parted ways as the early signing period approached, with Prescott officially decommitting on Dec. 7. Whether it was a numbers crunch with the Badgers or a concern over eligibility we might never know, but it certainly wasn’t because of a lack of talent.
A handful of schools reached out immediately when Prescott came back on the market, with Syracuse and Buffalo making the biggest push. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Prescott decided to hold off on signing and take his recruitment into February to see what other opportunities would present themselves after the dust settled from the early signing period.
That decision helped Nebraska make a play in January.
The staff’s background and connections in Philadelphia played a key role in getting Prescott in this class. Kahmir grew close to his primary recruiter at Wisconsin, safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler – who’s also from Philadelphia – and being able to relate to coaches and players in the Husker program helped make Prescott comfortable.
Rhule and several members of the coaching and support staff coached at Temple in Philadelphia. Evan Cooper, who played and coached at Temple, was Prescott’s main contact with the Huskers, and the two bonded over their shared backgrounds. It also helped that a quartet of players – defensive lineman Elijah Jeudy, defensive back Rahmir Stewart, offensive lineman Micah Mazzccua and running back Maurice Mazzccua – are from Philly. Kahmir already knows Elijah and Micah, and his coach at Neumann-Goretti told him all about Rhule’s accomplishments as coach at Temple.
Prescott announced his commitment to Nebraska during the traditional signing day, Feb .7. He will be one of the four known members of this class – along with Evan Taylor, Xander Ruggeroli and Kamdyn Koch – who will be NIL-funded premium walk-ons.
Prescott played his first three seasons at Philadelphia (Pa.) Northeast High School. He was named 6A first-team all-state and 6A Public League MVP as a junior after being an all-purpose standout for the Vikings. He finished with 35 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, four QB hurries, four interceptions (two of which were pick-sixes) and six pass breakups as a defensive back, while doubling as a rusher and receiver on offense, scoring touchdowns via fumble return, interception returns and kick and punt returns as well.
He began the season as a cornerback but was moved to free safety so the coaches could take advantage of him roaming the middle of the field where he could capitalize on his physicality and ability to read and diagnose plays quickly.
In January 2023, Northeast head coach Eric Clark left to be the cornerbacks coach and co-special teams coordinator at Division III Eastern University in Pennsylvania. Prescott ended up transferring to Neumann-Goretti for his senior year and made an impact in all three phases for the Saints, earning 3A first-team all-state accolades.
Along with being a standout on the gridiron, Prescott participates in track, where he recorded personal-best times of 10.99 seconds in the 100 meters, 22.62 seconds in the 200 meters and 7.03 seconds in the 55 meters. He is also part of the 4×100, 4×200 and 4×400 relay teams. His speed certainly stood out on film.
While some teams recruited him as a wide receiver, Prescott is a hard-hitter who will come to Nebraska with the athleticism and versatility to play almost every position in the secondary for Evan Cooper.
He could probably play boundary corner, but he’s best suited as a safety and could play any of the three spots in Tony White’s system: field safety, boundary safety or rover. At both Northeast and Neumann-Goretti, Prescott played the deep middle, going sideline to sideline. He also played in the box as an overhang safety and was used as a nickel and cornerback.
This was an excellent late-cycle pickup for Nebraska. He might technically be a walk-on, but with NIL and Rhule’s creativity, you better get used to Power Four-caliber players joining the team in unique ways. Outside of Mario Buford and Roger Gradney, you could easily make the case Kahmir Prescott is the third-best defensive back in this class. He’s going to make a name for himself on this defense.
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