Nebraska has 2 commits in its 2026 class. Our Big Board identifies other targets

Some programs, like Florida State, Penn State and USC, have been busy building recruiting classes — each of those schools have six commits in their ’26 class. Others — like Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma State — are in no rush and have a completely empty recruiting class at the moment.

Nebraska had not yet gotten on the board heading into the month of September, but the Huskers have landed a pair of impactful commits since.

The Oct. 9 update of the HuskerExtra recruiting big board includes details on the players who’ve been removed and an updated Top 25 list of uncommitted 2026 prospects on Nebraska football’s radar.

Nebraska’s first commitment came from a player who was ranked as the program’s No. 2 overall target on the initial big board: quarterback Dayton Raiola. Considered a three-star prospect by most major recruiting services, Raiola has put up some impressive highlights while playing for Buford (Georgia) this fall.

Nebraska has also landed a player who Raiola may throw passes to in the future, wide receiver Dveyoun Bonwell-Witte. A dynamic athlete out of South Dakota, Bonwell-Witte committed to Nebraska on Sunday.

None of Nebraska’s other top 2026 targets have committed elsewhere, but four players have fallen off the board in favor of other options: running back Brian Bonner, defensive lineman Tajh Overton, tight end Camden Jensen and athlete Brandon Arrington. All four players still have interest from Nebraska.

No. 1-5: Offensive lineman Jackson Cantwell, wide receiver Vance Spafford, running back DeZephen Walker, tight end Isaac Jensen, offensive lineman Hudson Parliament.

Nebraska remains in a good position with the nation’s top offensive line recruit, Cantwell, who’s visited Missouri and Georgia in recent weeks. Cantwell also notably signed with national sports agent Drew Rosenhaus’ representative agency, perhaps with an eye toward the eventual NIL deal he’ll land from his future college team.

Spafford jumps up the board having narrowed his list of schools to five with Nebraska still under consideration. Arizona, Georgia, Mississippi and Washington also made the cut for a high-level four-star recruit who’s in the midst of a monster junior season.

It’s an all-offense top five in this edition of the big board with Walker, Jensen and Parliament all having visited Nebraska this season.

No. 6-10: Defensive back Keenan Harris, defensive back Jayden McGregory, quarterback Michael Clayton, linebacker Jase Reynolds, offensive lineman Felix Ojo.

Harris is the biggest riser on the board off the back of his visit to Lincoln for Nebraska’s win over Rutgers. The safety prospect could be one of the first defensive targets to decide on the Huskers, while McGregory remains a top priority in the secondary as well.

Clayton drops five spots on the board as a result of Raiola’s commitment. It’s difficult to know exactly what the future holds for him and the Huskers — will Nebraska want to take a two-quarterback class? And will Clayton want to be a part of it, or will he look elsewhere? For now, he remains a top 2026 target.

No. 11-15: Defensive lineman Bryce Perry-Wright, defensive lineman Kevin Ford Jr., defensive lineman Hunter Higgins, linebacker Kaedyn Cobbs, offensive lineman Deacon Schmitt.

From off the board one week to a prime position the next, Perry-Wright has replaced Ford as Nebraska’s top defensive line target. A high-level recruit who plays for the same high school as Dayton Raiola, Perry-Wright took in NU’s win over Rutgers as a visitor.

The Huskers had plenty of traction with Ford over the summer but haven’t been able to get him on campus yet as the four-star prospect has visited Florida, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M instead; he falls as a result. Higgins, a visitor for the Colorado game, is on equal footing as the other two linemen as a priority target for the Huskers.

Cobbs visited Lincoln for the Colorado game, while Schmitt was on hand for NU’s win over UTEP. Schmitt has earned several new offers since, including one from the Buffaloes.

No. 16-20: Tight end Ian Premer, defensive back JJ Dunnigan, defensive lineman Titan Davis, defensive lineman McHale Blade, wide receiver Mike Brown.

Having reignited its recruiting efforts within the state of Missouri, Nebraska is hoping to get Davis on campus sometime this fall. The four-star defensive lineman out St. Louis DeSmet is a key target on defense alongside Blade, another top Midwestern recruit.

No. 21-25: Offensive lineman Gregory Patrick, offensive lineman Breck Kolojay, tight end Matt Ludwig, linebacker Colsen Gatten, wide receiver Paris Melvin Jr.

There’s not been much traction between Nebraska and Kolojay since he attended the program’s junior day, and a recent offer from Ohio State will be hard to ignore. For now, he keeps a host of other offensive line targets off the board — with the exception of Patrick, a four-star prospect out of Michigan.

Patrick included Nebraska in a top nine list of schools he released this summer and will look to visit Lincoln in the coming months.

Nebraska has many targets at tight end, with Jensen and Premer ranked higher on the board, but Ludwig’s visit to Lincoln for the Northern Iowa game shows he’s still one of the program’s top targets. Melvin is emerging as another wide receiver target while Gatten, a linebacker recruit from Pennsylvania, visited campus last weekend.