When Nebraska football fans talk about the ongoing rebuild of the roster, the position group that doesn’t get discussed enough is tight end. The team returns its top two guys in juniors Thomas Fidone II and Nate Boerkircher, but that’s basically it.
The only other returnee is Ismael Smith Flores, a late addition to the 2023 class. Smith Flores was always a long-term play on potential having only played one season of high school football. He comes into next season still a complete unknown after redshirting and not seeing the field.
One of the first targets of the 2024 class was Katy (Texas) Taylor High School’s Ian Flynt, who had received preliminary contact from the previous staff. Nebraska’s director of player personnel and recruiting, Vince Guinta, was retained by head coach Matt Rhule and offered Flynt on Dec. 21, 2022.
Guinta had helped identify Flynt as a target for the 2024 class and brought his film to Rhule after he took over the program. Rhule okayed the offer even before he had finalized hiring a tight ends coach, that’s how impressed he was with his film and athletic profile.
Flynt had been steadily gaining notice in the Lone Star State since being one of the standouts at a Texas A&M camp in June 2021, following his freshman year as one of a handful of freshmen to play varsity at Taylor.
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He followed that up with more impressive showings on the camp circuit as a sophomore in 2022. He was chosen MVP of The EXOS Select 50 showcase held at Frisco Wakeland High School in April. He looked fluid as a receiver, which made an impression since it was his physicality as a blocker that had gained notice on the field. He did great in drills and tested well with a 33-inch vertical, 81-inch wingspan and 10.5-inch hands.
Later in April, he was mentioned as a standout at the ESPN Elite Underclassmen Camp held in the Houston metro area that featured numerous FBS-bound prospects spread across a handful of recruiting classes. That July he impressed Brent Venables and his staff during their inaugural camp season at Oklahoma.
With early offers from Kansas, Houston, UTSA and Rice, Flynt spent the fall of his junior season in 2022 taking unofficial visits to Clemson, Michigan, Oregon and Kansas State as those programs began showing more interest.
Also a standout on the track team, that summer at the 2022 University Interscholastic League Texas state track and field championships, he threw the discus 166′ 3″ as a sophomore, taking sixth place in 6A. He has PRs of 49′ 7″ (shot put) and 173′ 11″ (discus).
It should come as no surprise that Flynt excelled at track and field. His parents both attended Nebraska and met each other while they were students in Lincoln before both transferred to Azusa Pacific to continue their track careers.
Flynt’s mother, Dagmar Pesakova, had an outstanding career as a thrower in the 1990s after coming from the Czech Republic. She set a NAIA national record in the discus and almost made the Olympics in 1996. Similarly, his father, Darren, walked on to the track program at Nebraska initially before finishing at Azusa Pacific where he won a national record in the hammer throw.
Ian’s sister, Amelia, transferred to Nebraska in January 2023 after attending Cal-Berkeley as a freshman, where she set a freshman record in the shotput (54′ 2.75″) – a mark that ranks second in program history. Amelia finished eighth in the shotput (52′ 1.25″) at the Big Ten Indoor Championships in February 2023.
Flynt was at Nebraska with his parents taking an unofficial visit on Jan. 13 while they helped Amelia get situated in Lincoln. When they went to the football offices to go on their tour of the facilities, it was actually Matt Rhule who welcomed them and conducted the start of the tour which left an impression on the family.
Ian also visited Kansas the following day, Jan. 14, on the way back home to spend time with Lance Leipold and his staff. Shortly after that, he was at Houston and the coaches rolled out the red carpet for the No. 1 tight end target on their board.
Despite those schools having a substantial head start building a relationship, Rhule and his staff gained ground in a hurry. After the initial visit to Lincoln, Flynt had regular talks with several Husker staffers, giving him a clear vision of what it would be like to join the program.
By early spring, Flynt had received additional Power Five offers from Purdue and Washington State and was getting attention from Clemson, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, TCU, Arizona State, Auburn, Wisconsin, Louisville, Kansas State, Texas, Texas A&M and UCLA.
In March, Flynt took a visit to Louisville and was back in Lincoln for the March 24-26 junior day event. He was one of the first recruits to arrive and was with Grant Brix on Friday morning, sitting in on spring practice meetings and watching a lifting session. He had come into the weekend knowing Nebraska was out in front of everyone else. He came away convinced.
A month later, Flynt watched the entire Red-White Spring Game on TV and took notice of how often the Huskers were in 12 personnel. He liked how much tight ends were involved in the offense and that helped seal the deal. He called Matt Rhule a few days later on Aril 24, and committed.
He returned to campus for his official visit June 23-25 and was in attendance for the teams win over Northern Illinois on Sept. 16, the first home game under Matt Rhule.
Around the time Flynt committed, he went in for a planned minor back surgery that ended up costing him the first five weeks of his senior season. He is completely healthy now. Flynt enrolled and is taking part in winter conditioning and will participate in spring practices.
Flynt fits the mold of a traditional Big Ten throwback in-line tight end and the room could use guys with his skill set. His pass-catching opportunities were limited in high school, but he showed on the camp circuit that he’s not inept in that area, although blocking is certainly his trademark as a prospect.
His strength on the track carries over into football. He generates a lot of power as a blocker and at 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds, there are some who feel his best long-term position could be as an interior O-lineman.
Flynt was named all-district as a junior and senior and is rated a four-star prospect and the No. 1 tight end in Texas by Rivals, while 247Sports (No. 3) and On3 (No. 6) also consider him one of the best tight ends in the Lone Star State.
It will be interesting to see how Flynt develops in the coming years. Will he stay at tight end or will be continue to grow under Corey Campbell’s tutelage and end up playing for Donovan Raiola down the line?
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