Nebraska offer caps ‘hectic’ recruiting period for Gretna’s Mason Goldman

Goldman hit the gym, helped lead Gretna to a Class A state championship and worked hard to get his film — and his name — out to coaches on the recruiting trail.

Even after earning first-team Super-State honors as one of the best offensive linemen in the state, Goldman hadn’t heard back from many colleges as a 235-pound offensive lineman.

Then, Goldman put on 30 pounds and the colleges started calling.

FCS program South Dakota State extended Goldman his first offer last October, followed by Idaho in January and Eastern Michigan in February. South Dakota, Eastern Illinois and Northern Iowa all offered Goldman in the spring, but he hadn’t quite broken through to the FBS level yet.

That changed over the summer. By making his rounds at team camps, Goldman showed coaches he was just as strong and agile at offensive tackle even with the added weight.

“I think my play has remained kind of the same, but I did put on 30 pounds since last year and my overall size and muscle has grown a lot,” Goldman said. “That’s helped me a lot with both running and pass blocking.”

While his recruiting process was slow at the beginning, Goldman said it’s been “hectic recently.”

That began in the summer, when Wyoming, Memphis, Kansas and Arizona State all extended offers to Goldman. And when he hit the field for his senior season with Gretna, Goldman’s play only led to even more attention around the Midwest.

Missouri offered Goldman on Oct. 3, soon followed by Kansas State and Nebraska offering him on back-to-back days last week.

“It’s been really exciting because I’ve never had that many offers, especially big ones like Nebraska and Kansas State, come in so quickly,” Goldman said. “Having two offers in two days was really exciting for me.”

Now that he stands at 6-foot-6 and roughly 260 pounds, Goldman is closer to the size needed to play offensive tackle at the FBS level. He’s already proved himself to be a consistent and dependable starter for Gretna, which is in the midst of an undefeated regular season.

Goldman also rotates along the defensive line, with a total of 22 tackles and one sack to his name so far this season. While Gretna has state championship aspirations, Goldman’s coaches have been preaching the importance of not looking too far ahead — and Goldman is taking the same approach with his recruitment.

After attending two Nebraska games already this season, Goldman will take time to explore his options. Kansas has been pushing hard, while game-day visits to Oklahoma State this Saturday and Iowa next week will help Goldman along his process.

Even after working hard to put on weight, there’s still work left to do. When Nebraska offered Goldman a scholarship, the Huskers did so with the idea of continuing his time at offensive tackle — so long as he can continue to bulk up to get ready for Big Ten football.

That sounds just fine to Goldman, a lifelong Husker fan who feels blessed to have interest from Nebraska.

Five of Nebraska’s 13 commits in the 2023 recruiting class are in-state products, with potential for two more to join in Goldman and Lincoln East’s Malachi Coleman. Sam Sledge (Creighton Prep), Gunnar Gottula (Lincoln Southeast) and Brock Knutson (Scottsbluff) account for three of those commitments along the offensive line.

With a Nebraska offer of his own, Goldman now has the chance to join them.

“It’s great because it’s nice to know that the school I grew up loving and have been a fan of since my childhood actually sees something in me, and wants me to be a part of their team,” Goldman said.