Key in-state targets, big group of OLs highlight busy upcoming junior day for Huskers | Recruiting

The gathering of football recruits from the next two cycles and beyond coincides with the Huskers’ third practice of spring ball so far and gives recruits and their families a chance to see NU in action.

The Huskers are expected to see a couple of their verbal commits from the 2023 class on campus in offensive lineman Gunnar Gottula (Lincoln Southeast) and defensive back Dwight Bootle (Miami), along with several other coveted players.

Here are some of the key names for the 2023 class that hold offers so far:

Athlete Malachi Coleman (Lincoln East): There might not be an uncommitted player in the 2023 class more important to the Huskers than Coleman, the dynamic two-way athlete. The 6-foot-5, 190-pounder has continued to see his recruitment soar — 247Sports recently bumped him up to the No. 139 overall player in the class and he is now a consensus four-star prospect — and could end up being either a wide receiver or an edge rusher. Coleman’s profile is going to continue to rise. NU has receivers coach Mickey Joseph involved in the recruitment along with Barrett Ruud and likely others.

Edge Maverick Noonan (Elkhorn South): At 6-4 and 230, Noonan joins Coleman at the top of the list in terms of uncommitted in-state prospects. The Elkhorn South standout began February by picking up a scholarship offer from Stanford to add to a collection that involves the Huskers, Iowa, Minnesota, Iowa State and several others. He’s a legacy player at NU — the son of Danny Noonan — but the Huskers have a lot of competition for his services.

Cornerback Shawn Battle (Philadelphia): The three-star standout at Neumann Goretti High has offers from a big set of schools, including Penn State, Oregon, Texas A&M, Tennessee and others. Battle (5-11, 180) is being recruited primarily by Travis Fisher and Erik Chinander.

Defensive lineman David Borchers (Eldridge, Iowa): The 6-3, 270-pounder is being recruited by the Huskers as an interior defensive lineman and he told the Journal Star that nobody’s currently recruiting him harder than NU. Borchers already has an official visit set up for the Red-White Spring Game weekend in April. He said he also may visit Missouri this spring, but the Huskers at the moment look to be in good shape here.

Cornerback Donovan McIntosh (St. Louis): A 6-3 defensive back, McIntosh picked up an offer from the Huskers in late January as part of a nice collection that also includes Arkansas, Kansas State, Kansas and others.

Offensive linemen Paris Patterson and Brandon Henderson (East St. Louis, Illinois): Patterson (6-6, 320) is considered a four-star prospect by Rivals and a three-star by 247Sports. He also holds offers from Tennessee and Iowa State at this point. Patterson told the Journal Star he’s also hearing from Alabama, Auburn, Louisville, Mizzou and others. Henderson, listed at 6-5 and 320, and is a three-star prospect who holds offers from NU, Iowa State and Illinois.

Offensive lineman Logan Reichert (Raytown, Missouri): A massive tackle at 6-7 and 345 pounds, Reichert is considered the No. 92 player in the country by Rivals and a three-star prospect by 247Sports. The Kansas City area is another where NU has struggled to land players from recently, but the Huskers have a ton of offers out in this cycle. Reichert, who told the Journal Star that Bill Busch is leading NU’s recruitment of him, is going to have plenty of options himself. In February alone he picked up offers from Auburn, Mississippi and Duke. In January, he picked up USC, Oregon, LSU, Oklahoma, NU and others after attending the All-American Bowl combine.

Reichert, Patterson and Henderson are just two of several uncommitted offensive linemen expected to be on campus. That group also includes 6-8, 300-pound Ethan Thomason (Fort Collins, Colorado) and 6-7, 265-pound Calvin Clements (Lawrence, Kansas). Other offered 2023 players slated to visit Lincoln include defensive lineman Riley Van Poppel (Argyle, Texas) and tight end Zach Ortwerth (St. Louis). NU hasn’t yet offered three-star athlete and Utah verbal commit Mateaki Helu (Tooele, Utah), but he’s slated to visit, too.

Van Poppel told the Journal Star he hears from Chinander, Mike Dawson and Bryan Applewhite, and that the list of schools recruiting him also includes TCU, Cal, Vanderbilt, Colorado and SMU.

NU will also have several in-state prospects on campus who do not yet have offers, like kicker Simon McClannan — considered one of the best in the country for his class out of Millard South — and Creighton Prep defensive lineman Rocco Marcelino.

Among underclassmen, some of the key expected attendees are Bellevue West four-star wide receiver Daevonn Hall and Kansas City edge Jayshawn Ross in the 2024 class and 2025 defensive lineman Tyson Terry (Omaha North). Hall and Terry each already have offers from the Huskers. Ross (6-4, 220) hasn’t announced an offer publicly, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him land one this weekend considering he’s already got them from Penn State, Iowa, Iowa State and others.