Three & Out: Akana’s recruitment and more from the in-state front

This is HuskerOnline.com’s feature in which Sean Callahan and Bryan Munson give their weekly takes on topical issues concerning Nebraska football, baseball, and recruiting.

Today in our next installment of “Three and Out,” we discuss the potential impact of Keonilei Akana’s transfer, a couple of new in-state names to watch and Dan Jackson recruiting the state of Nebraska again.

I would have thought that the Mateaki Helu decommitment and recommitment story would easily be the strangest story of the week. That was until a volleyball transfer happened which will undoubtedly have an impact on a heralded recruit.

Hello Tausili Akana.

You don’t want to believe that Nebraska is snake-bitten, unlucky or whatever you want to call it, but then something happens and you have to wonder. Something like a current Nebraska volleyball player, who has a four-star outside linebacker recruit for a brother, announces her transfer on the heels of her brother completing his third visit to Nebraska.

Were there any signs? Did he say anything throughout the interview that to make me think that it was anything other than just another visit to Nebraska?

Not in my opinion. However…he did have an interesting answer to a question that I chose to leave out because it was a bit incomplete and he came back to clarify what he really meant to say.

I asked him if there was anything, a year later from the first spring visit that he made to Lincoln, that he learned from his sister about Nebraska?

He said, “She really just said take it in. It gets cold. It gets very cold out here. The upside is still better than the downside.”

I would never guess that the weather was the biggest reason his sister is leaving Nebraska. It was an interesting comment though considering it was the first thing that he said in his response and then he finally brought up the fans from Nebraska.

So is that it? Will Nebraska ever host Tausili again? Gut feel for me says that they won’t. He had a hard time putting himself back in Lincoln without there also being a volleyball function for his family to come to and see his sister.

Add to the list of things not in Nebraska’s favor any longer was the departure of defensive line coach Tony Tuioti to Oregon. Tuioti is Akana’s uncle and said this weekend how much he would have liked to be coached by his uncle at Nebraska.

It was bad news already with uncle Tuioti leaving Nebraska but that seemed recoverable for the Huskers. However, with sister leaving school in Lincoln it seems too much for Nebraska to overcome.

-Bryan Munson

During the Rivals Camp Series event in Indianapolis this past weekend, several top prospects from around the Midwest took part in the event.

There were a couple of in-state players that made a name for themselves at the event on Saturday.

HOL take: After speaking to Rivals.com’s Clint Cosgrove, it’s hard to believe Omaha Creighton Prep’s Rocco Marcelinno has just one FBS offer at this point.

The 6-foot-5, 244-pound defensive end was outstanding at the event. He’s more than likely going to be ranked as a three-star prospect after his showing when the next ratings come out.

Cosgrove, who has worked in both Division I coaching and scouting before he took his job with Rivals, said he would be very surprised not to see Marcelino land some Power Five offers here soon.

HOL take: You may refer to him as Teddy’s little brother, but 2024 Elkhorn South defensive end Henery Prochazka definitely made a name for himself in Indianapolis.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Prochazka received an invite to the National Underclassmen Showcase in Atlanta after his showing in Indy.

Look for Prochazka to keep growing and potentially pick up some Power Five offers as early as this summer.

There are now three players in the state of Nebraska who hold offers from Vanderbilt. It would seem a bit arbitrary that a school 750 miles away and in a different conference would have so much of an interest in kids from Nebraska.

That is until you realize Dan Jackson is now on the Commodore staff and it makes sense.

Vanderbilt and Nashville already have a lot going for them. Through the lens of a 17 or 18 year old kid from Nebraska it’s especially easy to see all of those things. Add to that someone on the football staff at Vanderbilt that is from Omaha and is known as a good recruiter.

Jackson has been a bit of a thorn in the side for Nebraska going back to his time at South Dakota State. Some folks might scoff at this point, but there were a number of players that the Huskers used to nab as preferred walk-ons that South Dakota State started to steal and take to Brookings.

The Huskers now have to face off with Jackson trying to get recruits from Nebraska to follow him to an SEC football team in Nashville. Jackson hasn’t had an edge ever with Nebraska to add to his recruiting pitch and now he can say he does.

Recruits from Nebraska holding offers from Vanderbilt already:

Additionally, Daniel Kaelin has visited Nashville recently as well. Vanderbilt hasn’t offered Kaelin yet.

Continue to look for Jackson to do what he does so well: recruit the state of Nebraska. It will be very interesting with Malachi Coleman and Danny Noonan if having a coach like Jackson on the staff at Nashville can get either of them to take an official visit.

-Bryan Munson