Signing Day at home a fitting touch for Southeast’s Gottula, who sticks with Huskers

Gunnar Gottula’s recruitment started at home — wearing masks, doing Zoom calls and trying to get through high school in a pandemic.

The process came to an end in the same place.

After Lincoln Public Schools canceled school Wednesday due to weather, Lincoln Southeast’s signing day ceremony didn’t take place in a theater or gymnasium.

Instead, it took place in Gottula’s home. The longtime Nebraska commit, seated alongside Southeast teammate and Northern Iowa commit Carsten Bluhm, signed his letter of intent while sitting at his kitchen table.

“It’s cool to think about,” Gottula said. “The whole staying-at-home aspect, it’s definitely cool to think about it that way.”

One of the top offensive line prospects in the state, Gottula committed to Nebraska in June of 2021 and remained committed through the coaching change. He predominately played tackle in high school but said he’s open to playing wherever offensive line coach Donovan Raiola and head coach Matt Rhule want him.

The relationship with Raiola and the rest of Nebraska’s new staff is a big part of why Gottula remained committed to the Huskers. Along with the chance to play for the team he grew up watching and cheering for, of course.

“I think young me would be proud,” Gottula said. “This was always a dream. It’s just an exciting day for me and Carsten.”

As Gottula and Bluhm readied to put pen on paper, Southeast athletic director Kara Graham quipped “weather does not stop the Knights.” Bluhm said signing at a kitchen table is a good reminder of where they came from and what they’ve gone through the last two years.

Lincoln Public Schools canceled school just after 9 p.m. Tuesday, meaning the makeshift signing day event was put together in a matter of hours.

“It’s just a really awesome experience to get to see Carson and Gunnar celebrate something that they’ve been working hard for for a very long time,” said Ryan Gottula, Gunnar’s father and Lincoln Southeast’s head football coach. “Obviously the weather didn’t cooperate for us to do it at school today, but still wanted to recognize both of those guys’ accomplishments.”

Gottula had several options, and Ryan said he’s proud of the way his son handled the recruiting process. He did his homework on all of the interested schools but at the end of the day, he found the “place he wanted to be.”

The 12th-year coach said both kids do the right things in the classroom and work extremely hard on the field. Bluhm added Gunnar Gottula is a “really likable person,” but once he steps on the field he becomes “very brutal and very physical.”

It’s no surprise either one is going on to play at the collegiate level. As for hosting Wednesday morning’s signing day ceremony, that’s a different story.

“No. We did not plan on hosting a signing event in my kitchen,” Ryan said, laughing. “But like Coach Graham said, weather’s not going to stop us. We’re gonna make sure these two get recognized and it really turned out to be a great experience.”