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What’s ahead for Nebraska football after relatively quiet June








Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule speaks during a news conference on June 20 at Hawks Championship Center.




Nebraska football isn’t done on the 2025 recruiting trail.

June didn’t produce the number of commitments the Huskers were after, but there were signs of what is to come. Nebraska hosted two official visit weekends for 2025 prospects, landing five commitments to bring its current recruiting class to 13 members.

That was a stark contrast to last June when a series of camp workouts and new offers led to Nebraska adding 12 commits in one month.

NU is still waiting on decisions from many of its recent visitors, but its June efforts were not as wide-ranging and unpredictable as in the past. The Husker coaching staff were selective in the new offers they extended at camps and added fewer official visits that were not scheduled prior to the summer.

In the end, the Huskers landed several key commits while missing out on others. Here are the details to know from a vital month on the recruiting trail.

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The wins

Of the five commits Nebraska added in June, running back Jamarion Parker stands out as the biggest recruiting win. The four-star running back had high-level interest from many SEC programs, including an offer from Alabama, but landed in NU’s 2025 class as the Huskers’ first commit out of St. Louis since 2016.

Add in the fact that Nebraska added running back Mekhi Nelson to its roster as a 2024 addition, and the Huskers’ efforts at the position stand out as a success.

Nebraska succeeded in landing one of its in-state targets, Millard North linebacker Pierce Mooberry, a dynamic future defensive athlete for the Husker to develop. The Huskers also added linemen on both sides of the ball: Texan defensive lineman Malcolm Simpson and offensive lineman Brian Tapu provided key pledges for NU at positions of need within the class.

Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Louis offensive lineman Houston Kaahaaina-Torres then followed with a commitment on the final day of the month.

The misses

No recruiting miss stings more than four-star linebacker Dawson Merritt’s commitment to Alabama.

The high-level prospect out of the Kansas City area has all the makings of an impact pass rusher or all-around linebacker, and Nebraska came incredibly close to landing his commitment. NU identified Merritt as one of its top 2025 targets early on, developing a strong relationship which kept the Huskers in it to the end.

Other targets such as tight end Reiman Zebert (Stanford), defensive back Antonio Branch (Penn State) and wide receiver Corey Simms forged stronger connections elsewhere, leading them to prioritize different schools.

It was a difficult month in the trenches, though, as Nebraska missed out on many of its top offensive and defensive line targets.

On the defensive side of the ball, Nebraska did add one commit in Simpson — but not until Jaylen Williams (Michigan), Jayden Loftin (Tennessee) and Michael Riles (Oklahoma State) all committed elsewhere.

Nebraska was among the front-runners for offensive line recruits Broderick Shull (Auburn) and John Mills (Texas) but missed out on both prospects who’d visited campus multiple times prior to making their decisions.

A key in-state target at tight end, Millard South’s Chase Loftin, also committed to Florida State over Nebraska.

The upcoming decisions

It’s possible that even during a month with no visits and recruiting contact, Nebraska in July could match or exceed its June commitment total. That’s because of the many recent visitors who are set to announce their college choice in the coming weeks.

Murray (Kentucky) athlete Jeremiah Jones will then pick between home-state school Louisville and Nebraska on Monday, with the Huskers currently being in a strong position to land the three-star athlete.

Also announcing on Monday is Homestead (Florida) wide receiver Cortez Mills, a four-star prospect who has visited Clemson, Florida, LSU, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

Missouri City (Texas) Ridge Point cornerback Bryson Webber is set to make his announcement within the next week with Baylor, TCU and Utah as the frontrunners alongside Nebraska.

Other timelines are less certain as Nebraska waits on the decision of players such as Gilbert (Iowa) linebacker Will Hawthorne, who also has key interest from Iowa State.

What’s next

Some uncommitted 2025 recruits will decide in July while others may extend their recruitment into the fall.

Teams generally prefer to have the majority of their recruiting class built prior to the fall so that coaches can prioritize their efforts during the season. So how long will Nebraska wait for decisions from its key recruits?

With Merritt now off the board, Omaha Westside linebacker Christian Jones is perhaps the Huskers’ top defensive target. San Antonio Alamo Heights athlete Michael Terry, a five-star recruit, leads the way on the offensive side of the ball.

The Huskers are still interested in adding additional offensive linemen into their 2025 class, with Winner (South Dakota) lineman Shawn Hammerbeck and Las Vegas Bishop Gorman’s SJ Alofaituli and Alai Kalaniuvalu yet to make their decisions.

And could Nebraska perhaps flip previous recruiting targets who committed elsewhere? One such player to keep an eye on is Lee’s Summit (Missouri) North wide receiver Isaiah Mozee, an Oregon commit who visited Nebraska in June.

For all of the Huskers’ efforts over the past month, NU’s 2025 recruiting class is far from finished with more developments to come on the recruiting trail.





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