One of Matt Rhule’s biggest tests as Nebraska’s new football head coach wrapped up much of the recruiting class of 2023 at the start of National Signing Day. This gave him less than a month to work his magic.
With a whirlwind of 24 hours behind us, let’s review the new crop of Cornhuskers heading into the holiday season.
Strategist
Jeff Sims (transfer from Georgia Tech)
The Sims were listed as one of Nebraska’s top targets to watch once candidates rush to transfer portal. The addition of the former Georgia Tech starter further underscores Rhule’s switch to his familiar fast offense. With Casey Thompson this spring, Sims immediately jumps to the front of a competition to lead the 2023 Big Red Charge.
Rating: A
To come back
Quinten Ives
Ives was recruited by Nebraska running backs coach EJ Barthel during his days at UConn. Like other offensive skill positions after Scott Frost, this room continues to evolve. But Ives provides options for running and catching the ball out of the backfield. Pair it with a speed demon like Ajay Allen, and defenses are blown on reading recon reports. The position still needs to be solidified, but Ives is extremely promising.
Category B
Wide Receivers
Jaidyn Doss, Josh Fleeks (transfer from Baylor), Jaylen Lloyd, Brice Turner
With Trey Palmer heading to the NFL, Rhule had to address a corps lacking in consistent point guards and leadership. Josh Fleeks meets his former Baylor head coach as the wide reception room gets an immediate injection of ample acceleration with the likes of Doss, Lloyd and Turner.
Rating: A
offensive line
Mason Goldman, Gunnar Gottula, Brock Knutson, Sam Sledge
After one of Nebraska’s poorest offensive line performances in recent memory, Rhule remained exclusively in-state. Look for the Big Red to target a few more seasoned names to keep things up front as the young guns acclimate to college play.
Category B
defensive line
Elijah Jeudy (Texas A&M transfer), Jason Maciejczak, Maverick Noonan, Riley Van Poppel, Dylan Rogers, Princewill Umanmielen, Vincent Carroll-Jackson, Kai Wallin
We see Rhule’s Texas connections at work with a quartet of Lone Star State defenders. Wallin also provides unique experience from American River (Calif.) Community College. The group is full of crown jewels and a testament to the efforts of new coach Terrance Knighton.
Rating: A+
linebackers
Chief Borders (transfer to Florida), Eric Fields
Borders brings exuberance, enthusiasm and swag to a second defensive tier that needs an identity. Fields drew comparisons to some of the fastest linebackers the program has ever produced. Rhule himself even told reporters they would know his name for years to come during a press conference introducing the new Nebraska signers.
Losing Ernest Hausmann to Michigan didn’t do the blackshirts a favor, but the Huskers got the most out of those two locations. Borders can plant his flag right away as Fields looks to outshine Hausmann’s spotlight.
Rating: A+
Defensive backs
Dwight Bootle II, Corey Collier (transfer to Florida), Syncer Safeeullah, Rahmir Stewart
Nebraska’s Floridian flair continues with Collier, fellow Miami Palmetto High School Bootle and IMG Academy product Safeeullah. Stewart shows that several Husker staffers can leverage the relationships made during their days at Temple to give the Big Red a presence on the East Coast.
Category B
Special teams
Long snapper: Marco Ortiz (transfer to Florida)
Kicker: Tristan Alvano
Alvano was a staple and continues a long tradition of Cornhusker State kickers. Whether he will become the next Brett Maher is yet to be known, but his field goal to win the 2022 Class A Nebraska State Championship game bodes well. Another transfer to Florida, Ortiz provides special teams coordinator Ed Foley with a potential keystone to success at all phases of kicking and kicking.
Rating: A
Athlete
Malachi Coleman
The no. 1 local perspective, Coleman’s ceiling is very high. After Frost was fired, he opted out and received offers from Deion Sanders’ ever brighter Colorado program. Ultimately, Rhule avoids the optics of losing the state superstar and gets the desirable job of figuring out how best to use him on either side of the ball.
Rating: A+
summary
Rhule has had less than a month to assemble his coaching staff and sign a long list of potentially effective contributors. While Transition Classes are typically hard to rank, the quality of athletes here should be exciting for Husker fans. For a first period, it’s hard to argue that Nebraska could have done much better.
Overall: A+
Written by Brandon Cavanaugh, member of the Athlon Contributor Network. Be sure to follow him on Twitter (@Bcav402). to contact him, Click here.
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