The Nebraska football team’s latest 2025 commit is a well-rounded athlete whose ideal position remains to be seen.
Nebraska sees a future difference-maker in Murray (Kentucky) athlete Jeremiah Jones, and the three-star recruit sees a future home in Lincoln. Jones announced his commitment to Nebraska on Monday one week after his official visit, choosing the Huskers over home-state school Louisville.
Nebraska now has 14 commits in its 2025 recruiting class.
Under head coach Matt Rhule, Nebraska has targeted many recruits based on traits such as speed, agility and length, with positional versatility being another key skill to look for. Jones checks all the boxes as a 6-foot-5, 205-pound prospect who has played all over the field in high school.
“The thing that makes Jeremiah a special football player is his versatility,” Murray head coach Melvin Cunningham said. “The ability that he has to play both sides of the ball and be effective wherever he lines up, that’s his best asset.”
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Jones’ sophomore season was spent at free safety before playing primarily wide receiver and outside linebacker last fall. However, a need to get the ball in Jones’ hands led to Cunningham moving the all-around athlete to quarterback for four games.
Jones threw for six touchdowns, ran in three scores and caught two touchdown passes while totaling over 1,200 yards of offense as a junior. Also a highly productive defender, Jones has totaled 140 tackles and seven interceptions over the last two seasons.
The downside of Jones’ constant positional shuffling is that he’s not been able to fully focus on learning just one position. However, that experience also means that he sees the sport of football differently than others.
Cunningham calls Jones a “student of the game” because of how he excels at studying film and then applying the lessons on the field.
“I remember last season we were in the middle of one game when he walked up to defensive end and then right away drops out in coverage, picks off a pass and takes it back 99 yards. He came on over and I was like, ‘What were you doing?’” Cunningham said.
“He said, ‘Coach, they line up in the same formation and run that same play every time; I knew it was coming.’ That’s just what he can do.”
The lack of a well-defined position may have impacted Jones on the recruiting trail, where Florida State targeted him as a tight end or big-bodied wide receiver recruit. Kentucky had spoken to Jones about a future move to inside linebacker, while fellow in-state school Louisville felt that outside linebacker was Jones’ best fit.
A future at wide receiver isn’t out of the question, but a role in the Husker secondary or at outside linebacker appears likeliest for Jones at Nebraska.
The Husker coaching staff has a proven track record of bringing in promising football players who may need time and development to find their best on-field fit — and Jones is set to be the next athlete to go through that process.
“I don’t think we’ve seen the best of what he has to offer,” Cunningham said. “People don’t realize that Jeremiah’s young, he’s a 17-year-old, so as he matures, I think the best is yet to come. He’s going to be a steal for Nebraska and a really good football player.”
Meet Nebraska football’s 2025 recruiting class
TJ LATEEF
IM HOME! #GBR 🌽🔴 https://t.co/SxaTIIrgxM
— TJ Lateef (@TJ_Lateef9) May 12, 2024
🌟🌟🌟🌟
Hometown: Orange, Calif.
The specs: Quarterback, 6-1½, 185 pounds.
Takeaway: TJ Lateef’s Hudl highlight film has a lot of dimes in it — on some tough concepts.
A slot fade throw dropped right into the bucket. A 17-yard out thrown toward the sideline, where only his receiver can grab it. A laser seam thrown into zone coverage that looks a lot like Dylan Raiola’s throw to Alex Bullock in the spring game. The deep crosser thrown away from the safety over the top and beyond the corner.
Lateef appears to be in a well-conceived system — Lutheran’s head coach, Rod Sherman, once led Valor Christian in Colorado — but he’s smooth in his delivery and execution.
Good footwork. Quick decisions. It’s a good picture.
* — All star rankings are based on Composite
MALCOLM SIMPSON
It breaks my heart that they didn’t believe in me! NEBRASKA DID LOL 🤞🏾🤞🏾#LockedIn #DeathRow #GBR #Family #Blackshirts https://t.co/E1xNLzs1XB
— Malcolm Simpson (@Malcolm63573618) June 17, 2024
🌟🌟🌟🌟
Hometown: Hitchcock, Texas.
The specs: Defensive lineman, 6-3, 255 pounds.
Takeaway: Malcolm Simpson displays strengths as a pass rusher on film, with the defensive lineman having lined up in several positions across his high school career. He has the strength to move opposing linemen as an interior rusher and has also been effective when lining up on the edge.
In order to play Big Ten football, Simpson may need to develop physically — but his strength and ability to use his frame effectively is a key trait the lineman already possesses. Learning effective pass rushing moves from position coach Terrance Knighton should be a top priority for Simpson as he develops.
JAMARION PARKER
Go Big Red 🌽!!! https://t.co/bYGU8FNQ75
— Jamarion Parker (@JAMARIONPARKER_) June 5, 2024
🌟🌟🌟🌟
Hometown: St. Louis.
The specs: Running back, 6-0, 185 pounds.
Takeaway: Nebraska now has two running back commits in its 2025 class: Jamarion Parker and Wahoo Neumann’s Conor Booth. Considering NU missed out on a high school back a year ago, adding Dante Dowdell out of the transfer portal instead, a two-back class makes sense.
Both players are electric runners, and it’s Parker’s breakaway speed that stands out on his junior film. Averaging 11.2 yards per carry during a season where he ran for 22 touchdowns, Parker’s vision in the backfield often helps him cut to the edge and accelerate past defenders.
In order to be effective in college, it’s likely he’ll need to add weight and prove his physicality between the tackles. Nebraska will want to keep Parker’s track and field speed in play due to his breakaway ability that few can match.
HOUSTON KAAHAAINA-TORRES
🌟🌟🌟
Hometown: Honolulu.
The specs: Offensive lineman, 6-3, 290 pounds.
Takeaway: Houston Kaahaaina-Torres is a prospect with all the tools needed to play anywhere along the offensive line. At the high school level, he’s often worked as a tackle, but his long-term projection is as a guard or center.
Those positions are a great fit for Kaahaaina-Torres given the excellent footwork and lateral quickness he displays on his junior film. Both in pass protection and run blocking, Kaahaaina-Torres displays quick hands and an eagerness to leverage his frame against opposing defenders.
As such, Nebraska may have just landed its starting center of the future in the three-star commit.
BRIAN TAPU
1000% committed #GBR 🌽🌽 pic.twitter.com/y4RQEbb1oJ
— Halafihi Tapu (@briantapu) June 28, 2024
🌟🌟🌟
Hometown: Salt Lake City.
The specs: Offensive lineman, 6-7, 295 pounds.
Takeaway: Brian Tapu’s potential at the position is easy to see, and it’ll be up to offensive line coach Donovan Raiola to get the most out of him. With long arms and a powerful frame, Tapu is a natural fit for offensive tackle where he can use his leverage to keep opposing defensive linemen from rushing the passer and stopping the run.
Footwork and dealing with pass-rushing moves are some of the finer areas of offensive line technique that need developing for Tapu, but his physicality and fluidity of movement is already in a good place.
Nebraska coaches love finding long-term projects on the recruiting trail, and Tapu is certainly a player who could look much different after a year or two of development than he does now.
CADEN VERMAAS
🌟🌟🌟
High school: Millard North.
The specs: Athlete, 6-0, 190 pounds.
Takeaway: Matt Rhule and his staff put a good press on Caden VerMaas before his recruiting profile got bigger. And it was bound to do so, given what VerMaas did in just eight games his sophomore season as a running back/defensive back. When kids commit to Nebraska before their junior year, rival offers tend to stay quiet.
VerMaas could play a slot corner spot or he could play rover in NU’s system. His size is similar to current Husker Isaac Gifford – who is currently playing rover – and VerMaas, at least on offense, may be more explosive. He runs with fluidity and, on a football field, can outrun most guys to the end zone. In games he played last season, he stood out.
JACKSON CARPENTER
Dreams to Reality‼️🎈#committed #GBR pic.twitter.com/dlpm16VIYc
— Jackson Carpenter (@Jcarpenter06_) April 13, 2024
🌟🌟🌟
High school: Lincoln Southwest.
The specs: Athlete, 6-2, 185 pounds.
Takeaway: A wide receiver prospect, Jackson Carpenter earned a Nebraska offer in January and kept the Huskers as one of his top options alongside Kansas. A trip to campus for a spring practice was enough for Carpenter to finalize his decision ahead of a return visit for the Spring Game.
The son of former Nebraska tight end/fullback Tim Carpenter, Jackson recorded 28 catches for 549 yards and seven touchdowns during his junior season at Lincoln Southwest.
He also brings more in-state speed. Nebraska already has sprinting receivers like Jaylen Lloyd (Westside) and Malachi Coleman (Lincoln East) and Carpenter fits in with that bunch. With his frame, he’ll fit nicely as an outside deep threat in NU’s offense. Nebraska’s not taking Carpenter just to take him — he fits the speed profile.
BEAR TENNEY
🌟🌟🌟
Hometown: American Fork, Utah.
The specs: Tight end, 6-6, 245 pounds.
Takeaway: A consensus three-star prospect according to all four major recruiting services, Bear Tenney grew up with basketball as his first love. He started playing tackle football as a freshman, loved it, and got his first offer back then from Arizona.
As a sophomore at Chandler (Arizona) Hamilton High School, he caught 11 passes for 95 yards. Last year at Lucas (Texas) Lovejoy High School, he had 27 grabs for 278 yards.
By then, he’d accumulated offers from all over the country, including Michigan and Oregon. As an “aggressive player” with a big catch radius and an ability to “go up and get the ball,” Tenney had options, and time. But his relationship with Dylan Raiola and an unofficial visit to NU’s campus won him over.
TYSON TERRY
Boom! Staying Home! 🌽#commited @Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/QQMSx43gGC
— Tyson Terry🧨 (@tyson_terryyy) June 9, 2023
🌟🌟🌟
High school: Omaha North.
The specs: Defensive lineman, 6-2, 280 pounds.
Takeaway: Tyson Terry is as strong as they come, having won three Class A state titles in heavyweight wrestling. The 6-2, 280-pounder is an absolute force on the defensive line, with that elite strength often enabling Terry to simply bull rush past opposing offensive linemen. While the defensive tackle takes plenty of snaps closer to the interior of the line, he’s also an excellent pass rusher.
Terry played varsity football immediately as a freshman, and has now recorded 212 total tackles, 38 for loss, and 12½ sacks in his three-year high school career. Going after a player of that caliber within the state’s borders was a no-brainer for Nebraska — and the Huskers could reap the benefits in years to come.
BRYSON HAYES
🌟🌟🌟
Hometown: Maize, Kan.
The specs: Wide receiver, 5-11, 180 pounds.
Takeaway: Bryson Hayes is a blazer, having just run a 10.69-second 100-meter dash this spring. His speed shows on tape, but Nebraska likes verifiable numbers and his 10.69 does the trick. The Huskers have made a point of recruiting fast guys to play wideout — sophomore Jaylen Lloyd ran a 10.47-second 100 in high school — because of the ways speed can change the gravity (and thus the geometry) of a defense.
Hayes may project to an inside receiver role — like Lloyd — thanks to his work in traffic catching contested balls that turn into a touchdowns after good runs. Of Hayes’ 79 grabs — for 1,544 yards and 18 touchdowns — many involve catch-and-run situations that show off Hayes’ slippery agility. Nebraska wants to improve its quick game, and Hayes flashes the skill of knowing where to go after a short pass — it changes play to play, based on the blocking — and how to take on larger defenders.
PIERCE MOOBERRY
🌟🌟🌟
High school: Millard North.
The specs: Athlete, 6-4, 200 pounds.
Takeaway: At Millard North, Pierce Mooberry had played safety — similar to former Mustang/Husker Sean Fisher — so he can see the game from 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage, pursue downhill, play deep coverage, and all the rest. But he’s likely destined for the off-the-ball linebacker spot or Jack linebacker spot for the Huskers. The Jack can take on many forms — it still seems a little line-of-scrimmage based, given MJ Sherman mostly plays it like an end — but Mooberry has coverage skills that can put him anywhere around the ball. Watch out for the sneaky potential of him playing tight end, too; he’s good there.
CONOR BOOTH
Go Skers!! 🎈🌽 #GBR pic.twitter.com/2C6810pMQv
— Conor Booth (@ConorBooth23) August 27, 2023
🌟🌟🌟
High school: Bishop Neumann.
The specs: Running back, 6-1, 215 pounds.
Takeaway: Conor Booth was an ultra-efficient runner during his sophomore season as a fullback. He averaged 13.4 yards per carry and scored 20 total touchdowns. As a junior, he transitioned to running back in a new offense, toting the ball for 2,159 yards (10.6 per carry), caught eight passes for 185 yards and scored 35 total touchdowns in 10 games.
He packs a punch as a runner, but he has decent breakaway speed and has shown the ability to make defenders miss at the Class C level. Obviously, Booth isn’t playing the best defenses in Class A — nor does he enjoy, say, Elkhorn South’s offensive line.
Booth is a catcher and an outfielder with a 6.69-second 60 time and an exit velocity of 98.6 miles per hour, according to Prep Baseball Report. Baseball prospects are hard to project but Booth appears to be a nice add for Will Bolt’s baseball team, too.
TANNER TERCH
🌟🌟🌟
Hometown: Littleton, Colo.
The specs: Athlete, 6-2, 185 pounds.
Takeaway: Albeit in a down year for Colorado overall — the state had 20-plus three-star prospects in 2023 and 2024 according to 247 and only has six this cycle — landing the top-ranked recruit is still indicative of NU’s presence within the state.
A three-sport athlete who also plays basketball and runs track, Tanner Terch is another example of Nebraska’s preference for landing big, quick athletes along the recruiting trail who it can develop over time.
He could be a future member of the receiver room. Terch could perhaps play in the secondary due to his ball skills and lanky frame, but a 55-catch, 876-yard junior season on offense indicates his talent as a wide receiver.
Terch is a sharp route-runner with a quick release off the line of scrimmage. His 6-2 frame helps him shield opposing defenders from the ball, and Terch also has a big vertical leap which helps him make contested catches.
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