Who’s Next To Commit, Wide Receiver Board Breakdown

Nebraska’s long commitment drought came to an end over the weekend with the commitments of Lincoln (Neb.) Southwest three-star wide receiver Jackson Carpenter and Maize (Kan.) High three-star wide receiver Bryson Hayes in back-to-back days. The Huskers are up to five commits in the 2025 class and gaining momentum heading into the spring game.

With Hayes and Carpenter in the boat, here’s a look at three names that could be next to join Nebraska’s 2025 class, as well as a breakdown of the remaining wide receiver board

Orange (Cali.) Lutheran four-star quarterback TJ Lateef is Nebraska’s top target at the position and is making an official visit for the spring game later this month. The Huskers are battling Colorado for his commitment, with schools like Arizona, Auburn and Ole Miss also lurking in the mix. Lateef’s recruitment is trending towards coming down to the Cornhuskers and the Buffaloes. Matt Rhule and Glenn Thomas have Nebraska trending here heading into his official visit. Could experiencing a “game day” atmosphere at Memorial Stadium be enough for Lateef to shut his recruitment down?

San Francisco (Cali.) St. Ignatius three-star offensive lineman John Mills made an unofficial visit to Nebraska earlier this month and will return for the spring game on an official visit. The Huskers are battling Texas and Washington for the gargantuan 6-foot-6, 315 pound lineman, with the Longhorns in particular looking like a threat. Still, the fact Nebraska will get him on campus twice in a month is telling of their position with Mills. He’s got official visits planned to Austin and Seattle in late May and June, with schools like USC and Florida also in the mix to receive a visit. However, it’s not uncommon for recruits to commit before taking all their official visits and cancel future visit plans. Nebraska’s been on the wrong end of that a couple times this 2025 cycle, this could be an opportunity to turn the table.

Millard (Neb.) North three-star athlete Pierce Mooberry is one of four in-state prospects with an offer from Nebraska that has yet to commit, and he feels the closest to being ready to shut down his recruitment. Nebraska sees the versatile athlete as a linebacker in their scheme and he likes the way defensive coordinator Tony White would use him in the scheme. He’s got a strong relationship with linebackers coach Rob Dvoracek and has his teammate, Nebraska three-star athlete commit Caden VerMaas peer-recruiting him as well. He was on campus for a practice this spring, could return for the spring game and will make an official visit to Nebraska, the lone official visit he’s scheduled to date, in June.

With the commitments of Jackson Carpenter and Bryson Hayes, it’s time to re-evaluate Nebraska’s wide receiver board.

Hayes is Nebraska’s top slot target, with his commitment, expect Nebraska to slow down pursuit of other slot targets like Alvin (Tex.) Shadow Creek three-star Rahim Hutchins Jr, Bryan (Tex.) Rudder three-star Jaquise Martin and Fort Bend (Tex.) Ridge Point three-star Dane Jones. That’s not to say those three are off the board completely, but Nebraska likely won’t take more than one inside receiver, as they’re prioritizing the size and speed combination in the 2025 cycle. The addition of Carpenter doesn’t affect the receiver board much as the local legacy commit has some positional versatility and will need development before he’s ready to see the field no matter which position he plays.

Nebraska’s top two wide receiver targets for some time has been Homestead (Fla.) High four-star Cortez Mills and San Antonio (Tex.) Alamo Heights four-star Michael Terry III. However, the Huskers are fading in Mills’ recruitment with Miami and Clemson surging. Nebraska will get Mills on campus for an official visit where they’ll have a chance to potentially regain some momentum but multiple sources indicate this recruitment is coming down to the Hurricanes and Tigers. Terry is more of a wild card, Texas is seen as the favorite because he grew up rooting for the Longhorns but his recruitment isn’t open-and-shut. Nebraska has recruited him consistently for months, before Texas seriously entered the conversation and sources indicate that if Terry chooses to leave the state, the Huskers would be in prime position to land him. Consistency, development and relationships are key for Terry and Nebraska has checked a lot of boxes. His recruitment will ultimately come down to whether or not the Huskers can overcome his desire to stay home and suit up for his childhood favorite team. He’ll be making an official visit for Nebraska’s spring game. He’s also scheduled official visits to Oregon and Texas A&M, with a Texas official visit in the works as well.

The Huskers remain in pursuit of elite national recruits like Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North four-star wide receiver Isaiah Mozee, Houston (Tex.) North Shore four-star Quanell X Farrakhan Jr. and Katy (Tex.) Jordan four-star Andrew Marsh, but until/unless they visit Nebraska in the near future, they can’t be seen as serious contenders in any of the three recruitments at this point. Mozee and Marsh are nationally pursued and appear nowhere close to a decision, while Farrakhan Jr. is down to a top three of Texas A&M, Alabama and Nebraska, with multiple sources indicating the Huskers are running third.

Four realistic targets have emerged for the Huskers this spring. St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Brothers College four-star Corey Simms is a legacy recruit set to make an official visit in June. Nebraska is battling Missouri, USC and Michigan, among others. The Huskers will have to overcome the in-state Tigers, who are trending in Simms’ recruitment. He’s a top priority at outside receiver. Carrollton (Tex.) Ranchview three-star Terry Shelton is a two-sport standout that Nebraska is battling Kansas, Texas Tech and Houston for. He’ll be making an official visit for the spring game. Nebraska is in a fierce battle with Missouri, USC and Oklahoma for Dallas (Tex.) Lancaster three-star Emmanuel Choice, who will also be visiting Lincoln for the spring game. Huskers will have to overcome the Sooners, but have staying power in Choice’s recruitment. A lower-ranked outside receiver target Nebraska feels they’ve identified early is Willis (Tex.) High 6-foot-6 wideout Romel Stevens. Stevens’ place on Nebraska’s board is relatively fluid dependent on when/where some of the aforementioned targets commit. If dominoes start to fall out of Nebraska’s favor, don’t be surprised if interest between Stevens and Nebraska heats up quickly.

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