The Weekly Rundown: Matt Rhule’s great 2024 roster build

As head coach Matt Rhule puts the finishing touches on Nebraska’s roster, we weigh in on some of his June moves.

We hit on that and more as we start your Monday with The Weekly Rundown column.

RELATED – Steven Sipple: Rhule emphasizes Gramstad’s “infectious” attitude; Nebraska to go back into dorm; and coach eyes deep football dive

Sure bets

You have to feel good about these things right now:

56 potential roster additions for 2024: Matt Rhule continues his great roster build of 2024. If all the final transfer pieces and 2024 high school additions come to fruition, the Huskers are looking at 56 newcomers on its 2024 roster.

That is simply remarkable. They are on pace to have 46 true freshmen additions and 10 transfers potentially on the 2024 roster if all goes to plan. I have a hard time thinking that many college football teams have added 46 true freshman players to their rosters, especially in year two of a head coach.

It’s crazy to think about the way Rhule and his staff have flipped this roster and how much they pushed things even up to this week.

Finding a quality fourth QB option: On Rhule’s great roster build for 2024, he added a fourth newcomer at quarterback in Jalyn Gramstad . He’ll join Dylan Raiola , Daniel Kaelin and walk-on Bode Soukup as new 2024 quarterback additions.

Gramstad’s story is almost straight out of a movie. He was working a summer job at a golf course in Orange City, Iowa, as the reigning NAIA national player of the year at Northwestern. He wanted to pursue his dream, so he got in his car after a morning shift at the golf course to attend NU’s post-graduate camp. 10 days later, he was in Lincoln and on the Husker football team.

Gramstad gives Rhule that allusive fourth quarterback NU has been missing—a guy good enough with great experience but understands Nebraska’s situation.

The much-welcomed dead period: As Nebraska’s final June official visitor weekend ended on Sunday, I can only imagine the weight off the coaching staff’s shoulders.

June is unlike any month in college football, with three weeks of camps, players arriving on campus to begin workouts, and hosting a good majority of your official visitors. Hopefully, Rhule and his staff can take the next couple of weeks to catch their breath.

Surprises

These were my surprises of the week:

RB Mekhi Nelson’s path: I’ve covered Nebraska recruiting for quite some time, and the possible addition of Wilkes Barre (Penn.) running back Mekhi Nelson is one of the more unique stories I’ve seen play out.

Nelson did not get the opportunity he wanted out of high school, so he planned to attend a prep school and re-classify to 2025. Once Nebraska saw he could get in as 2024 with no issues, they invited him to camp to work out after offering a scholarship in May. The 6-foot, 190-pound Nelson ran 4.48 seconds in the 40-yard dash. The next thing you know, he was back in Lincoln this week for an official visit. He is still in Lincoln, which is a positive sign.

He has a scheduled announcement today to make his future plans official. Once again, credit Rhule and his staff. They will find a way to make things happen if you can play.

OL Brian Tapu’s commitment to Oregon State: When offensive lineman Brian Tapu visited Nebraska last weekend, our communication with him led us to believe he was a commit and was only a matter of days from going public.

Then, all of a sudden, his tune changed. He walked back his initial words to us and traveled to Oregon State for his official visit. It was a surprise to see him pick the Beavers over the Huskers, especially if you know the current landscape of college football comparing the Big Ten to what resources Oregon State will have at their disposal by 2025.

Wisconsin landing edge Nicolas Clayton: Another surprise recruiting development was Gainsville (Fla.) F. W. Buchholz edge Nicolas Clayton picking Wisconsin. Nebraska was Clayton’s first offer.

The Huskers fired their shot early on Clayton, and several others followed with offers. What’s surprising to me is that he turned down Florida State, which is 127 miles from Gainsville, to attend Wisconsin—1,007 miles from Gainsville. Credit Wisconsin here for winning the battle against FSU, NU, and others to land Clayton.

The jury is still out

Questions still surround these things:

Can Ceyair Wright win a starting CB job if he picks Nebraska: Another big recruiting development over the weekend was Nebraska hosted USC transfer cornerback Ceyair Wright , who saw action in 23 games with 11 starts for the Trojans. All signs point to Wright ending up in Lincoln. He has two years to play two.

The question is, can Wright win the starting cornerback job with Blye Hill’s injury situation? I would give him the early edge to win today, assuming he picks Nebraska.

LB Will Hawthorne: The Huskers are trying to pluck Gilbert (Iowa) linebacker Will Hawthorne away from Iowa State. He was in Lincoln this weekend for his official visit. Rhule and the NU staff made it known to Hawthorne how big of a priority he is. They want his skillset in their defense.

Nebraska feels like he would be a great fit in the Big Ten Conference. Today, this one is too close to call.

In-state targets Chase Loftin and Christan Jones: Meanwhile, on the in-state recruiting front, Nebraska hosted Millard South tight end Chase Loftin and Omaha Westside linebacker Christian Jones over the last two weeks.

Now, the Big Red must wait. What will the timelines be for both of these players? Jones was on an official visit to Oklahoma this past weekend.

This has my attention

Moving forward, this has my attention :

DB Bryson Webber: Things look to be in a great spot with Nebraska and Missouri City (Texas) Ridge Point cornerback Bryson Webber . The Huskers were the first to offer the 6-foot-3, 185-pound cornerback, and that should pay off with a commitment, it appears.

ATH Jeremiah Jones: This was one of the more surprising adds to the visit weekend. Murray (Ken.) athlete Jeremiah Jones can play multiple different positions. He, too, looks like a strong possibility for the Big Red.

Nebraska’s new training table provider: NU’s new training table deal was approved at this past week’s Nebraska Board of Regents meeting.

The Huskers are set to work with FLIK Hospitality out of New York , which has agreements with several NFL teams. Nebraska will be its first college program they work with. NU will pay FLIK $6 million annually to provide food for its training table. Former athletic director Bill Moos once said that you can’t put cheap fuel in a sports car and expect high-level results.

In 2022, Nebraska’s reported food costs were $3.8 million , according to an Associated Press report. At that time, Husker athletes consumed 2,220 pounds of beef each month.

Recruiting movement nationally: What will this week bring for Nebraska and teams across the country? You have to expect a flood of commitments nationwide now that we are in the dead period and official visits won’t start back up again until September.

Sean Callahan can be reached at sean@huskeronline.com and is heard daily at 6:45 am and 5:05 pm on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during the football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha during the fall, and each week, he appears on Nebraska Public Media’s Big Red Wrap-Up Tuesdays at 7 pm .

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