The 3-2-1: Things remain in a commit holding pattern for Nebraska after a busy June

Things remain in a commit hold pattern for Nebraska after a busy June.

In this week’s 3-2-1 column, we hit on that and more with three things we learned, two questions, and one prediction.

RELATED – HuskerOnline Live RSS Chat: June 26

THREE THINGS WE LEARNED THIS WEEK

1 – The recruiting news remains in a holding pattern

It’s been over 10 days since Nebraska landed a 2025 commitment from one of its June recruiting weekends.

With things in the dead period, you would like to see this trend change quickly. Yes, the Huskers recently added running back Mekhi Nelson to the 2024 roster, but defensive lineman Malcolm Simpson’s pledge on June 16 remains NU’s recent 2025 commitment.

Several are worth keeping tabs on, but many have also come off the board. Defensive athlete Jeremiah Jones and defensive back Bryson Webber are the next two most likely to commit to the Huskers.

It remains a mystery what direction in-state targets Chase Loftin and Christian Jones are currently leaning. Gilbert (Iowa) linebacker Will Hawthorne is another to watch closely.

Now that offensive lineman Brian Tapu is back on the market, he is also a name to watch closely. Tapu surprised everyone with his commitment to Oregon State, and he de-committed from the Beavers late Wednesday after three days.

I know this: Nebraska needs to put together results on the field this season. It will make future Junes much easier.

2 – 10 Power Four schools have taken recent commits of 2026 quarterbacks

Brian Stumpf from the Elite 11 understands the quarterback position and recruiting as well as anyone in college football. He shared a data point on Tuesday that blew me away.

“10 power conference schools have taken verbals from 2026 QBs in the last 10 days,” Stumpf said on X. “Quicker, less thorough evaluations being done, college coaches feeling pressure to get a QB to commit before they would really like to… Many more top-tier ’26 QBs will emerge with strong junior years.”

Stumpf then added: “Process is rushed. Do you want to find a guy? Or THEE guy?”

These were strong words but very accurate. So many big schools are settling on their 2026 quarterback recruits based on only sophomore or freshman tape.

Many more quarterbacks are going to emerge after their junior seasons. Dayton Raiola is a perfect example of that. He’s only being heavily recruited by a few schools, as many want to see what he looks like as a junior. If he has a big junior season, his stock could soar.

3 – Nebraska has its best sports year since 2010

I’ll admit, I never get too wrapped up in the Directors Cup standings because, quite frankly, Nebraska is never much of a factor.

However, we’ve now seen back-to-back top-30 seasons, with NU finishing 22nd in 2023-24. This was NU’s best sports year overall since joining the Big Ten in 2011-12 and its best overall since finishing 17th in the Directors Cup in 2009-2010.

The Huskers finished behind both Ohio State (11) and Michigan (15), but edged out Penn State (23) and Wisconsin (25) in the final standings.

Nebraska had seven programs that recorded top-10 national finishes during the 2023-24 year, including volleyball, women’s soccer, bowling, men’s gymnastics, rifle, wrestling, and women’s outdoor track and field.

TWO QUESTIONS THIS WEEK

1 – Does the new 2025 OL offer to Carde Smith get your attention?

We saw Nebraska make a new 2025 offensive line offer this week to four-star Mobile (Ala.) Willamson tackle Carde Smith .

He committed to Auburn on Apr. 10 but announced his de-commitment from the Tigers on Wednesday after his official visit to USC this past weekend. Today, it feels like Smith is leaning toward the Trojans after the timing of his de-commitment.

That said, there are definitely questions about how Nebraska’s 2025 offensive line class will come together. That is one position where you can’t make a sure-fire prediction on a possible commit.

2 – Should we still be concerned about QB TJ Lateef’s commitment to NU?

Earlier this week, Nebraska quarterback commit TJ Lateef was put on the spot during an interview at the Elite 11 and was asked if his recruiting process was shut down. The question caught Lateef off guard, and if you are a Husker fan, his answer sure came off as concerning.

Speaking to HuskerOnline’s Bryan Munson on Wednesday, Lateef wanted to make something clear:

“I am committed to Nebraska,” Lateef said on Wednesday afternoon. “There have been a lot of media trying to call me recently, but I am 100 percent solid to Nebraska.”

ONE PREDICTION: DB Ceyair Wright is still on track to be a Husker

USC transfer defensive back Ceyair Wright visited Nebraska this past week. Things have been radio silent since Wright’s trip to Lincoln.

However, I’m still betting on Wright ending up in Lincoln. To transfer to Nebraska, he will have to enter a graduate program, and sometimes, that process might take a little longer before things become official. He entered the portal during the spring window back in April, so there are no issues with his timeline at this point.

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 .

Never miss breaking news or another HuskerOnline article again. Click HERE to sign up for HuskerOnline’s Daily and Breaking News Newsletters.

The post The 3-2-1: Things remain in a commit holding pattern for Nebraska after a busy June appeared first on On3 .