‘Underrated’ LB Pierce Mooberry applauds Nebraska’s practice

Back in grade school with the Junior Mustangs — coached by Pierce’s dad, Brandon — the duo played slightly different positions.

“We couldn’t move the ball because the O-line wasn’t great,” Pierce Mooberry said. “So my dad put me and Caden on the O-line. Caden was a guard and I was a tackle. Slowly, we moved out of it and got some touches.”

And now. At running back, VerMaas has averaged 11.1 yards per carry over the last two seasons for the Mustangs. Mooberry, 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, has averaged 26.4 yards per reception. And tight end isn’t the position Mooberry, a three-star 2025 prospect, is getting recruited to play at Nebraska and other schools.

At NU, he’s being pursued to play an off-the-ball role. Ditto at Kansas State, where he plans to visit Saturday, and Minnesota, which rounds out his top three headed into mid-April.

“I want to go to all the spring practices, compare them, and slowly see what happens,” Mooberry said. “See where I could play the earliest, fit in the most. I’m looking for a great culture and great coaches — which all three schools have.”

Mooberry said he’s bonded with NU linebackers coach Rob Dvoracek, who made an impression when visiting Millard North over the winter. Mooberry described Dvoracek as a patient coach who doesn’t initially get “super angry” at mistakes while remaining a stickler for details.

He’s fond of what he’s seen from Nebraska’s practice style, too, which has already received its share of publicity from the media. Husker coach Matt Rhule has six units across three fields working simultaneously so backups don’t stand around.

“It’s very fast-paced,” Mooberry said. “Everybody’s running and going. They split up into those big groups and no matter where you are on the depth chart, you get reps and you get the same chance to get better as everybody else. You can be on bottom and work your way up.”

VerMaas, a Nebraska commit, has tried to give Mooberry his space to decide.

“Recently, he’s switched it up,” Mooberry said. “He’s like, ‘You’ve got to come to Nebraska.’ We’ve talked about this since we were young, and we’d wanted to go to Nebraska. He’s like, ‘You’re coming to Nebraska.’ We’ll see.”

For now, the two get to spend one more year as Mustangs, who hired Allen Burrell after Fred Petito ended his 41-year coaching career last season.

Petito informed the team at a Sunday meeting in November. Mooberry said the decision surprised him — he thought Petito might coach one more year — but sees the program being “in good hands” under Burrell, a former Millard North assistant who’d been head coach at Elkhorn Mt. Michael.

“Coach Burrell has been great,” Mooberry said. “It’s a different culture, obviously. He brings a lot of energy — he’s an energy guy. I’ve known him a while. We’re adjusting to it, and I think everybody’s adjusting well. Everyone likes the change, and change is good.”

Under Burrell — who played receiver and ran track at North Dakota State — Millard North will move away from Petito’s famed wingbone offense — which won five state titles — toward a more balanced attack that more closely mirrors the NDSU offense that produced multiple NFL quarterbacks. It’s a system likely to favor use of Mooberry at tight end.

“He’s underrated as an offensive weapon,” Burrell said. Over two seasons, Mooberry caught 21 passes for 554 yards and seven touchdowns. Burrell thinks Mooberry could be a “phenomenal H tight end” in college; that’s the position Carter Nelson could play for the Huskers.

On defense, Mooberry will likely move from free safety — where the rangiest defenders, including Sean Fisher, typically played in Petito’s defensive system — to a spot closer to the line of scrimmage.

That suits a former offensive lineman just fine.

“I love blitzing,” Mooberry said. “I love everything that comes with being a linebacker.”