Three & Out: Five-star+ OT David Sanders Jr., holding pattern with 2025 linebackers, and the defensive line has a solid group in 2025 class

Three & Out is Nebraska On3’s feature in which recruiting analyst Bryan Munson gives his weekly takes on topical issues concerning Nebraska football and recruiting.

In this week’s Three & Out , Nebraska needs to get David Sanders Jr. to Lincoln this weekend, things are in a holding pattern with the 2025 linebacker targets, and the defensive line is leading the way in the 2025 recruiting class. Here is your Three & Out:

All eyes are on David Sanders Jr. this week

Nebraska hosts its last summer recruiting event this coming weekend, and there is still no word on whether David Sanders Jr. will be in Lincoln this weekend. Despite having no confirmation of taking another trip to Nebraska, there does seem to be some momentum with the Huskers regarding Sanders.

The Huskers need to host Sanders again before he commits in August to really push things in their favor, though. The Huskers have only hosted Sanders for his official visit, while the other finalists have each hosted Sanders multiple times (Georgia and Tennessee have hosted Sanders six times each, and Ohio State has hosted him four times).

Not to mention that the ace up the sleeve for Nebraska could never be played when Sanders was on his official visit. Dylan Raiola is owed a lot of credit for putting Nebraska in a position with Sanders to get an official visit. Sanders’ visit to Nebraska happened to be on the same weekend as Raiola’s sister’s graduation from TCU.

Nebraska seems to be gaining some ground on the rest of Sanders’ final teams, but imagine if Raiola had been in Lincoln the weekend Sanders visited. You would have to guess that Nebraska would have been part of Sanders’ original top six, which he announced on the list at the Elite On3 Series in May.

Had Nebraska been part of that list, it could have led to another visit before the last weekend in July or at least made the visit last weekend in July more of a certainty to visit Nebraska. It could be a very different picture for Nebraska.

Despite Raiola not being in Lincoln for Sanders’ visit or being included on his initial list of top schools, Nebraska is improving as a possible destination for Sanders. With all of the kinetic energy that seems to be building in favor of Nebraska, there is a dependency on getting Sanders back on campus this week. The Huskers need one more chance to sell Sanders on the opportunity in Lincoln to put Nebraska in a real position with Sanders, with their ace recruiter in Lincoln hosting Sanders.

Status quo with 2025 linebackers

Nebraska added a big piece to the 2025 class this past week with defensive lineman Kade Pietrzak. However, the Huskers are still waiting to hear about a couple of 2025 linebackers who officially visited Nebraska in June. Here is the latest on Omaha (Neb.) Westside standout Christian Jones and Gilbert (Iowa) linebacker Will Hawthorne .

This coming weekend, the bad news initially was that Jones was heading to Norman for the Sooners’ end-of-summer recruiting event instead of visiting Nebraska. This wasn’t a very positive sign, considering Oklahoma got that final official visit from Jones before the start of the dead period.

And things slowed down with Jones through the spring for the Huskers. After visiting Nebraska for the last home game in the fall, the Huskers didn’t host Jones again until April. Oklahoma, Florida, and USC all had their chance to host Jones in 2024 before he was in Lincoln for a visit this year.

The good news for Nebraska about Jones is that he won’t be in Norman this weekend after all. Jones is a great guy, period, and he’s using this last weekend when he could visit a school in the most unselfish way possible. Jones will be hosting a football camp for children in Omaha.

The children’s camp is testimony to being a great guy, and reading into it, you can also tell that recruiting isn’t a concern for him right now. Jones said that he would announce his commitment in September following his official visit to Nebraska. He reiterated that timeline to me again earlier this week.

As for Hawthorne, it’s a little different story, because he has said that he wanted to make his decision in July. But he’s had plenty to do this month with his broken thumb. Hawthorne broke his thumb just days before summer camp in Lincoln.

Hawthorne had surgery and is now going through the frustrating process of rehabilitation for his hand (and trust me, after doing it myself, it is frustrating). He hasn’t thought about recruiting too much until this last week.

His brother is a collegiate swimmer, and Will looked forward to getting wise counsel from his older brother about his pending decision. It gave him more to ponder. While Hawthorne has said he has a timeline, I don’t feel he will make a rushed decision, and this could extend to August.

Nebraska asked Hawthorne to visit this weekend, but he has politely declined. He is getting ready to take an end-of-summer trip with his family, and putting a recruiting trip in there before the trip next week rushes things a bit before family time.

The takeaway is if we don’t hear from Hawthorne before Monday, we probably won’t hear from him until the end of next week, at the earliest, because of the family trip. Hawthorne will be the first recruit out of him and Jones to announce his decision, with Jones saying he will follow in mid-September.

The defensive line is leading the way in the 2025 class

Want a prediction? Here’s one: Short of Nebraska adding David Sanders, Jr. in the coming weeks, Kade Pietrzak will be the top-rated recruit in the 2025 class.

It’s not a stretch to say that. He’s already the second-highest-rated player in the class. There is more of a chance to fall than to rise, but I honestly believe, after watching his film, that he will end up being the top-ranked player in the class.

There are some things to appreciate about Pietrzak that Nebraska hasn’t had in a while. A true five-technique that can go to work on a tackle and disrupt the entire game. Pietrzak can get offenses to pre-snap motion tight ends to help the tackle or keep a running back in to block or at least chip Pietrzak.

To be the No. 1 player in the class, however, Pietrzak would have to jump a fellow defensive lineman to earn that honor. Malcolm Simpson is a player that coach Terrance Knighton has told reminds him of himself.

That is some high praise considering Knighton was a four-year letter winner at Temple, a two-time defensive MVP, followed by a seven-year career in the NFL, which included making the All-Rookie team in 2009.

But what Knighton meant was that he could see Simpson not just playing like he used to but lining up and doing all the similar things that he used to do, too. Simpson has talked about Nebraska seeing him as a player who can line up inside and outside. I would project Simpson from a three-technique out to a four or even a five.

And then add in Tyson Terry , who may not have the same versatility as Pietrzak or Simpson but is projecting to a three-technique in more of a 4-3 defense or head up on the guard in a two. Either way, Tyson is limited a little more to the inside, and it is a bit of a stretch to do something similar to Nash Hutmacher . It’s possible, but it’s a bit of a stretch.

All three of the defensive line recruits, though, get after the quarterback. They can all pin their ears back and apply pressure from their three-point positions, which is exactly what Nebraska needs to keep adding to the “Death Row” defensive line room.

That room needs disrupters who can play beyond a single spot on the defensive line. Rhule, Knighton, and the Huskers have added three of that type of player to Death Row with the 2025 class.

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