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Nebraska aims to capitalize on huge recruiting weekend for Michigan game

There aren’t many places like Nebraska when it comes to college football tradition and support from their fans.

A big game Saturday like the one on tap this weekend in Lincoln is truly special.

As head coach Matt Rhule and his third-year staff continue to rebuild this proud program, they have a big opportunity on the field that will carry over to the recruiting trail with another storied program in Michigan coming to town.

The Huskers head into this one 3-0. And with the full support from the administration and donors, they’re looking to sign one of the top recruiting classes in the country in the 2027 cycle to help restore this program as a championship contender.

The blue-chippers in the stands on Saturday could help Nebraska get there.

Nebraska has the Rivals Industry’s No. 3 ranked recruiting class early in the 2027 cycle. Over the weekend offensive lineman Matt Erickson became the latest to commit joining the nation’s No. 2 safety Tory Pittman and No. 9 quarterback Trae Taylor. All three will be back inside Memorial Stadium helping recruit their peers.

They won’t be able to turn in a circle without seeing an elite player.

The list starts with the Rivals Industry’s No. 1 ranked overall recruit Kennedy Brown. The Houston (Texas) Kingswood five-star has already taken game visits to Clemson and Tennessee this fall and this trip to the Huskers campus has been on the radar for awhile now. Nebraska is a team to watch for Brown.

The Huskers will welcome a special group of defensive backs in the No. 4 and No. 5 cornerbacks in JuJu Johnson and Duvay Williams along with the nation’s No. 7 safety Corey Hadley. Two more four-star defensive backs slated to visit include Rivals300 cornerback Bryson Brown and safety Semaj Stanford.

The Huskers are the early Rivals Prediction Machine favorite for Johnson.

“Some eye-catcher things is their facilities and the connections they have,” Johnson has said in the past.

USC is trending early for Williams but Nebraska is considered their biggest challenger.

“Nebraska made me feel really welcome,” Williams said after his summer visit. “Like I’m a top priority for them. I had a chance to show what I can do on both offense and defense, and the coaches were really locked in. Coach Addison Williams especially took time to show me what they have to offer, and you can tell they really want me there.”

Nebraska has been on Hadley since January and Brown is looking forward to getting back into town for this one.

This will be my first game day visit with them. I attended a spring game and the energy was electric, so I can only imagine what the real game will be like on Saturday.

The Huskers have been on Stanford since two summers ago.

“The facilities are amazing, and more important the coaches are amazing,” he’s said before. “They made me feel like I was at home. All the coaches knew me so it felt like I mattered and they took time to recruit me.”

The Rivals Industry’s No. 4 receiver Matthew Gregory is another headliner. He’s built a strong rapport with receivers coach Daikiel Shorts as they pose a threat to Penn State. The No. 8 running back Isaiah Rogers has the Huskers in his lead group as well. Nebraska has been on him since May 2024.

More key names include the No. 7 defensive lineman in the country Jamar Thompson, four-star offensive linemen Will Slagle, Lucas Rhoa and Jackson Roper, offensive lineman Mason Halliman and linebacker Kobe Rhymes.

“I get excited to be in Lincoln for a few reasons,” Roper said. “Not only was Coach Rhule the first college coach I ever spoke with but he sure seems to have Nebraska moving in the right direction. There’s an excitement building around this program and when you couple that with great coaches and an amazing atmosphere it’s an opportunity I wouldn’t want to miss!”

“I’m really excited to see them play and see how the Nebraska offensive line plays in person and how they’re coached and extremely excited to see the facilities, and for sure excited to talk to Coach Donny,” Halliman said.

Elite 2028 recruits visiting include Rivals No. 1 defensive lineman and No. 4 prospect overall Marcus Fakatou and four-star offensive lineman Carter Barrett. Fakatou saw Nebraska in the summer.

“It’s impressive,” Fakatou said. “I really like their recovery facility and they had a cool walk-through room! I’ve never seen that before. Lincoln reminded me of Anchorage, Alaska where I was born and raised, and the people were amazing!”