Nebraska did a nice job of hitting the majority of its needs in this recruiting class. Positions that weren’t addressed, like running back, were transfer portal priorities and taken care of in January.
Another position that wasn’t addressed heading into December was inside linebacker. The team received great news when John Bullock decided to run it back for another season, and then the team added former Syracuse starter Stefon Thompson through the portal last month.
But the staff wants to build through the high school ranks, and the class didn’t have a true linebacker committed. While there are a few guys coming in as defensive backs that I think will ultimately move down a level – I’ll cover those three tomorrow – the team needed someone who already thrives at the position to plug into the room.
Nebraska’s coaches had targeted a number of blue-chip linebackers this cycle and gotten visits from several, including four-star prospects Dylan Williams (signed with Oregon), Kamar Mothudi (signed with Oregon), Tyanthony Smith (signed with Texas), Elijah Newby (signed with USC), Thomas Heiberger (signed with Wisconsin) and Michael Boganowski (signed with Oklahoma).
They struck out on their top targets but continued to monitor the landscape in the hopes of adding a true linebacker to the class.
They caught a break in early December. An academy coach in the Miami area who had an existing relationship with defensive backs coach Evan Cooper and then-staffer Phil Simpson contacted them to let them know they needed to check out tape of Miami Central High School standout Vincent Shavers Jr., a longtime Miami commit who was being squeezed out because of a numbers crunch.
The staff loved his film. Texas and West Virginia also reached out, but the Huskers moved quickly. The staff made contact on Dec. 13 to extend an offer and line up an in-home visit for the following day.
Go here for more from Jeremy Pernell’s series.
Nebraska sent its entire defensive staff, along with Phil Simpson to Miami to meet with Vincent and his family. The initial meet-and-greet went great, and the two sides finalized an official visit for the upcoming weekend of Dec. 15-17, laying the groundwork for an eventual commitment.
Shavers officially announced his decommitment from the Hurricanes on the day his visit started. Vincent and his family loved their time in Lincoln. They had dinner in Rhule’s suite that was catered by one of the chefs from Casa Bovina, a highly regarded restaurant in Lincoln. Vincent’s father loved Rhule’s personality and hit it off immediately with the Husker head coach. Vincent also vibed with Rhule and clicked with future position coach Rob Dvoracek too.
Shavers left Lincoln ready to be a Husker. He announced his commitment and signed with Nebraska on the first day of the early signing period, Dec. 20.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Shavers collected nearly 30 offers, including Power Five tenders from Arizona State, Cincinnati, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Syracuse, Tennessee and Texas.
He earned them during a prep career that began at Miami Gardens (Fla.) TRU Prep before spending his sophomore and junior years at Monsignor Edward Pace High School in Miami, and ultimately at Miami Central for his senior season. Shavers played both running back and linebacker during his first three years of high school, spending more time on offense as an underclassmen. He finished his career with over 170 tackles, more than 30 tackles for loss and 23 sacks.
He originally committed to Miami on May 19, 2023, over Rutgers, Maryland and UCF. He was recruited to play the Will linebacker spot in Lance Guidry’s 4-2-5 system.
Shavers has been a known quantity in the south Florida area ever since his freshman season, when he was selected to play in the annual FBU Freshman All-American Bowl, played in Naples, Fla. The event included three days of practices and culminated with the game inside the Paradise Coast Sports Complex. Ironically, he played on the same team (Adizero) as future Husker signees Dae’vonn Hall and Mario Buford.
Shavers would go on to be a regular standout on the camp circuit over the next several years, often being singled out as one of the best overall participants. At the Under Armour Next Football Camp Series held in Orlando on March 5, 2023, Shavers put up the following testing numbers: laser-timed 4.69-second 40-yard dash, 4.41-second shuttle, 31.7-inch vertical and a 78.1″ wingspan.
Shavers has spent a lot of time as a stand-up edge rusher and could project as a Jack linebacker, but I think his best position will be as an inside linebacker. His athletic traits and frame suggest he could fill a role in this defense similar to Luke Reimer’s.
Like Reimer, I think Shavers could get to the 225-pound range, keeping his speed and athleticism and thriving in defensive coordinator Tony White’s system. He’s a twitchy defender who has shown strong coverage skills and high-end closing speed, both on the camp circuit and on his prep film.
A Rivals four-star recruit, Shavers was named defensive MVP of the 2023 Dade vs. Broward Game, a Florida all-star showcase played a couple of days after he signed with the Huskers.
Shavers enrolled early and is taking part in winter conditioning and will participate in spring practices. The linebacker room is fairly wide open, especially in 2025. Depending on where the staff puts junior Mikai Gbayor – at Jack or inside – the projected starters are seniors John Bullock and Javin Wright, with junior transfer Stefon Thompson and redshirt freshman Dylan Rogers the presumed top backups. Don’t be surprised if Shavers comes in and makes an immediate impact and positions himself for a starting job in 2025.
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