It was an eventful weekend in Lincoln as Nebraska hosted eleven official visitors over the weekend, including one transfer in USC cornerback Ceyair Wright. Here’s a rundown of intel I’ve gathered coming out of the weekend, I’ll add some updates in the replies as I get them as well.
*** Overall, it was an overwhelmingly positive weekend, Nebraska kept the visitors busy with activities all weekend and the commits that visited played a big role in peer-recruiting the uncommitted visitors. The Huskers made up a lot of ground in some recruitments, and cemented themselves at the top of others. I’ll say this much, there’s still work to be done in some recruitments but it wouldn’t surprise me if every visitor this weekend ends up committing to Nebraska eventually, even those who aren’t making a decision in the imminent future.
*** Nebraska exceeded expectations with Fort Bend (Tex.) Ridge Point three-star cornerback Bryson Webber. Nebraska was the first offer for him and Evan Cooper’s belief in him was a key reason he made the visit, even as his recruitment took off. The Huskers are now in his top group, but I’m quite, quite wary of TCU’s presence here, the Horned Frogs have proximity and a couple strong relationships working in their favor. He’s aiming to make a decision in early July. More on him later today/tomorrow
*** Millard South four-star tight end Chase Loftin is still on campus as he spent Saturday back in Omaha for his mentor, Yano Jones’ funeral. For those that don’t know, Jones was a coach and mentor for a lot of in-state football players including Loftin, Malachi Coleman, Daniel Kaelin, Luke Lindenmeyer and many, many more. His loss has been felt throughout the state and his leadership will be greatly missed.
*** On Loftin, I’ve heard positive updates on the visit, there’s some real confidence coming out of Lincoln that the four-star will end up in Nebraska’s class. Texas A&M and Florida State remains the biggest threats, but Nebraska getting the final visit could be enough for the Huskers to officially cement themselves as the top program in his recruitment.
*** Gilbert (Ia.) High three-star linebacker Will Hawthorne loved his time in Lincoln, he’s really come to embrace the city and community. He had a “really, really good” visit and now heads home to make a difficult decision that’s coming down to Iowa State and Nebraska. Ultimately, I think Nebraska’s chances here comes down to whether or not he can turn down the opportunity to suit up for the team that’s just a few miles from his hometown. He grew up following the Cyclones and that staff has told him he’s the only linebacker they’d take in the 2025 cycle, which obviously means a lot to him. Path to playing time could be more viable at Iowa State as well. Still, Nebraska did a fantastic job making this recruitment close, especially considering they only offered two weeks ago. Coming out of the weekend, the Huskers look to have some momentum here, but the in-state Cyclones are fighting hard to keep him home. He’s headed home now, with a decision expected in the near future. I’ll have more on him later today.
*** I’ll have more on Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Louis three-star center Houston Kaahaaina-Torres likely tonight or tomorrow, but early returns from his weekend have been extremely positive. He’s headed home now, with a tough decision to make, but Nebraska’s long-standing presence in his recruitment, his relationship with offensive line coach Donovan Raiola and the opportunity to come in and compete for the starting center spot early has the Huskers in a good position here.
*** Nebraska really impressed Murray (Kent.) High three-star athlete Jeremiah Jones, this is one I was really curious to see what the Huskers could do considering in-state Louisville had long been seen as the favorite in his recruitment. Coming out of the weekend, Nebraska not only made up serious ground on the Cardinals, but are now the team to beat with a decision date set for early July. I don’t think this one is done just yet, Louisville is quite aggressive with NIL and could put up an offer to keep Jones home that the Huskers might not be willing to match. As things stand though, the Huskers are coming out of the weekend as the top school in the versatile three-star’s recruitment.
*** Haven’t gathered much on USC cornerback transfer Ceyair Wright’s visit, but have heard generally encouraging tidbits on the time he spent in Lincoln. Nebraska has a need for depth at the position and Wright would figure to not only provide that, but immediately compete for the second cornerback spot opposite Tommi Hill. I did catch up with some sources on USC’s end to figure out where things went wrong between former top-150 prospect and the Trojans. By every regard, Wright flashed consistently in practice and solely off practice tape was one of, if not the best, defensive back at times on the field. He redshirted his first season but the staff felt he’d be hard to keep on the field. He played in every game in 2022 as a RS freshman, starting 11, and had 28 tackles, one interception and two passes deflected. An actor off the field, sources did note that it felt like he wasn’t solely locked in on football, part of the reason he was eventually jumped on the depth chart in 2023 and left the team mid-season. That was a distraction in Los Angeles, but wouldn’t be a distraction in Lincoln. The fact Nebraska brought him in for a visit and the fact that he’s pursuing football as seriously as he is currently, says a lot about where his priorities are right now. Acting remains in his future plans, he does have an established resume already, he played the son of LeBron James in the 2021 movie, “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” and has also appeared in “2 Broke Girls,” “Training Day,” “Life in Pieces,” “Instant Mom” and “Grown-ish.” But, for now, it appears he’s locked in on football for the foreseeable future, which is obviously a good thing for the Huskers should they land his commitment.
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