Nebraska football focuses on Texas at outset of summer camp season

HOUSTON — Nebraska signed six Texans in coach Matt Rhule’s first recruiting class. His second class, about 30 percent complete, includes three prospects from the state. Scholarship offers from the Huskers are delivered almost daily here.

Still, the work is just starting.

On Monday, in Belton (about 130 miles south of Dallas) and Tuesday in Houston, Rhule and seven assistant coaches headlined satellite camps. They met with donors and mingled with high school coaches at separate Texas events this week.

But the main purpose of the trip involved the recruits — reconnecting, meeting them, working them out, educating them about Nebraska.

“We don’t just want to talk about recruiting Texas,” wide receivers coach Garret McGuire said. “We want to live it.”

Roughly 15 million people live in Texas’ two largest metropolitan areas, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston. The Huskers are looking to find about 10 players from the state per year, give or take a couple.

“It’s early in our process of planting ourselves back in these areas,” offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield said as the Tuesday event at C.E. King High School wrapped. “So it was good just to show our colors, show our logo, meet with all these players and (high school) coaches, let them know we’re here.

“I think that’s huge, just for them to see us.”

Rhule established roots in Texas from 2017 through 2019 as the coach at Baylor. Satterfield, secondary coach Evan Cooper, special teams coordinator Ed Foley and linebackers coach Rob Dvoracek also worked for Rhule in Waco.

McGuire played for Rhule at Baylor. Tight ends coach Bob Wager coached in Texas high schools for nearly three decades before joining Rhule’s staff this offseason. Defensive coordinator Tony White was raised in Texas.

One week into June — a vital month for official visits and camps in Lincoln that began Sunday — it’s easy to see where the Huskers are focused when they’re not at home.

“Not a lot of coaches are out of state two days in a row right after an official visit (weekend), right off a camp,” McGuire said. “It shows who we are. We’re showing our work ethic. It shows the trajectory of this program. It’s not a vacation for us. We came down here to work.

“We came down here hoping to find some kids.”

Observations and takeaways from the time in Texas:

• The Huskers did, in fact, find a few players Tuesday in Houston. They extended offers to Pearland Shadow Creek defender Braylen Prude, wide receiver VanKeith Brown of Katy Jordan and Houston Willis wide receiver Romel Stevens.

Stevens is a 2025 prospect, as are receivers Andrew Marsh of Katy Jordan and Quanell Farrakhan of The Woodlands, a pair of four-star prospects who held Nebraska offers before this week. All of the receivers participated in route-running drills with McGuire as Satterfield assisted.

• McGuire’s seemingly endless energy pairs well with Cooper’s studious style. The 24-year-old receivers coach is always moving, always talking and teaching. Prospects and high school coaches are drawn to him. His passion stands out on a practice field. McGuire figures to play a key sideline role on Saturdays this fall, his first season as a full-time coach in college.

Cooper, 36, serves as Rhule’s right-hand man in directing talent evaluation. Tuesday in Houston, when a prospect caught Cooper’s attention, he jumped into action. Cooper pulled the player aside, asking him to perform drills or tasks as Rhule, Satterfield and White took notice. Cooper’s input and his eye are clearly of high value.

• Gibson Pyle, a 2024 offensive lineman from Klein Cain High School, attended a portion of the Houston camp to see Donovan Raiola and other Nebraska coaches. Pyle committed to the Huskers in April. He and committed tight end Ian Flynt of Katy Taylor come from the Houston area. Athlete Roger Gradney, the first pledge for Nebraska in the 2024 class, attends high school about 50 miles to the southwest in Altair.

• Nebraska loaded up on highly ranked visitors in March, headlined by quarterback Dylan Raiola, who committed in May to Georgia. The early spring unofficial visits produced four commitments from three-star prospects. It also increased exposure for the Huskers as the next wave of visits gets underway in June.

Visitors last weekend in Lincoln included a pair of defensive backs, Mario Buford of DeSoto (Texas) High and William Nettles of Dallas Christian, as well as offensive lineman Caleb Pyfrom of Omaha Central. Another sizable group is set to visit June 23. That weekend includes visits from committed QB Daniel Kaelin of Bellevue (Neb.) West, wide receiver Ernest Campbell of Refugio, Texas, and tight end Carter Nelson of Ainsworth, Neb. — who saw Georgia last weekend and plans a trip to Notre Dame this week.

• Rhule said he’s pleased with the progress of recruiting. “I think people are excited about us,” he said.

Rhule hears a lot of questions from parents, prospects and their coaches about what he expects from the Huskers early in this coaching transition.

“That’s a good thing because then people come for the right reason,” Rhule said. “They’re coming because they believe in the way we develop people. We’re finding the right guys for us. The biggest thing for me, I want guys who are going to come and stay.”

• A prospect who picks a school because it offers the most lucrative name, image and likeness package is likely not for Nebraska.

“We’re not doing the whole sweepstakes thing,” Rhule said. “We’re trying to find guys that want to come here and be coached for four years and be great players.”

• Camps in Lincoln resume this weekend. Nebraska will conduct a camp for specialists Saturday, a fullback camp Tuesday and its Friday Night Lights event on June 16.

Rhule said he’s prioritizing more than recruiting over the next 10 days.

“We want to evaluate young men and see if they’re future Huskers,” he said. “But we also want to support the game of football and give the young people in our state a great experience. Not everyone can play for Nebraska, but they can be a Cornhusker for a day.”

• As Rhule’s family gets settled in Lincoln in late July, the coach is set to shake things up for the Huskers. They’ll leave their dorm rooms and apartments for Selleck Hall on campus for two weeks of training camp “the old school way,” Rhule said.

Players will move in July 30 and spend those early days of camp paired with roommates who are new — and unfamiliar, in some cases.

“It can be inconvenient,” Rhule said. “But we play for each other. We play for the University of Nebraska. To be able to come together on campus, I think there will be all kinds of conversations and relationships that are built during that time.

“There will be long days. We’re going to work. We’re going to push ourselves.”

• Nebraska this week released its first edition of “The Ten.”

Look for a new list weekly through the summer. The strength staff will pick 10 players who deserve recognition, Rhule said, for their work ethic and accountability in summer training.

Strength coach Corey Campbell and his assistants are striving to create competition so that the players covet a spot on that list. The summer conditioning period, like training camp after it, should be difficult.

“The better conditioned you are, the easier things are,” Rhule said. “We’ve got to have enough volume in our conditioning so when we get to camp, we’re healthy and we’re moving well. We believe that doing hard things is important.

“We’re trying to grow the guys so that what seems really hard today should be easy tomorrow.”

(Photo of Andrew Marsh and Quanell Farrakhan: Mitch Sherman / The Athletic)