Nebraska’s high-profile visitor; NU appears in early Top 25 football polls

Michigan State defensive back Jaden Mangham, who had 53 tackles and four interceptions last season, plans to visit NU early next week.

Multiple recruiting services reported that, before Mangham looks at Nebraska, he’ll visit Ohio State, and Michigan will get a visit after he sees Nebraska.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder — who has two full seasons and a four-game redshirt season still available to him — could play cornerback or safety, and once had the Huskers in his final group when, as a four-star recruit, he committed to the Spartans out of high school. In a 20-17 MSU win over the Huskers last November, he had seven tackles and an interception.

Nebraska’s top cornerback in 2023, Quinton Newsome, exhausted his eligibility. In the winter, NU signed FCS transfer Blye Hill, who surged to the top of the depth chart alongside returning starter Tommi Hill.

Blye Hill hurt his knee in the spring game, and while coach Matt Rhule did not view his injury as a season-ending event, Hill also has a redshirt year left. Like Husker safety Marques Buford did last year, Hill could in theory appear in the final four games of the season and retain his year of eligibility if rehab doesn’t go according to plan.

Mangham’s addition could either add a safety to the secondary — allowing Malcolm Hartzog to rotate back to cornerback — or allow NU to test Mangham himself at corner.

Nebraska may be able to offer more immediate playing time to Mangham than Ohio State, where four defensive back starters return and the fifth spot in OSU’s 4-2-5 scheme is expected to be filled by Alabama transfer Caleb Downs, who had 107 tackles as a freshman. Michigan, rebuilding after five defenders got picked in the 2024 NFL Draft, may have more available playing time, as well.

Thus far, the Huskers have added one transfer, Montana linebacker Vince Genatone, who is joining the program as a premium walk-on.

Grand Valley State linebacker transfer Jay’viar Suggs — who had a Nebraska scholarship offer — trimmed his list to Michigan, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Florida State, Kentucky and USC on Tuesday. NU also expressed interest in Colorado transfer running back Dylan Edwards, who quickly committed to Kansas State.

Former Nebraska lineman Ru’Quan Buckley announced a transfer to Michigan State this week. Buckley, who played sparingly for the Huskers, will return to his home state, where he can play offensive or defensive line.

Monte Harrison, a wide receiver commit in Nebraska’s 2014 class, will officially leave professional baseball and walk on to Arkansas’ football team, according to an ESPN report.

After getting picked in the second round of the 2014 MLB draft Harrison, a four-star football prospect out of Lee’s Summit (Mo.) West High School, chose to play pro baseball instead of college football. He eventually made the majors for 50 games and 57 at-bats — the last of those with the Angels — hitting .176 with two home runs.

Former Husker corner Cam Taylor-Britt will host a youth football camp inside Memorial Stadium July 7, he announced on X. Parents interested in enrolling their kids in the camp can visit octanecamps.com. Taylor-Britt enters his third year with the Cincinnati Bengals’ NFL team.

Three college quarterbacks, including current Husker Daniel Kaelin, will host a quarterback development camp with former UNO quarterback John Teiglund. The camp runs May 25 and 26 at Bellevue West High School. Oklahoma State quarterback Zane Flores — a Gretna graduate — and Nate Glantz, who spent last season at McNeese State, will also work the camp alongside Teiglund, a Warren Academy instructor. Parents interested in enrolling their kids in the camp can visit warrenacademy.com.

Iowa has landed a transfer quarterback to compete with still-on-the-mend returning starter Cade McNamara.

Northwestern’s Brendan Sullivan, who threw for 714 yards and six touchdowns last year, announced his transfer to the Hawkeyes. Sullivan’s last appearance last season came against Iowa.

He’ll be at least Iowa’s No. 2 QB, and perhaps the starter if the oft-injured McNamara, who missed the last nine games of Iowa’s 2023 season, struggles to fully recover from his second torn knee ligament. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz in March described McNamara as “really limited” in his mobility just six months removed from surgery.

McNamara’s replacement last season, Deacon Hill, led Iowa to a Big Ten West title, but he completed just 48.6% of his passes. He entered the transfer portal April 23.

Two national college football analysts, including Fox Sports Joel Klatt, have Nebraska in their post-spring Top 25. Klatt has NU ranked 22nd nationally — two spots ahead of Iowa — while 247 Sports’ Brandon Marcello has the Huskers at No. 25, five spots behind the Hawkeyes.