‘All great people': How Nebraska football built a 2025 recruiting class from within its 500-mile radius (2025)

The roots of the Nebraska football team’s 2025 recruiting class grew close to home.

Of the 19 players currently committed to Nebraska, 13 hail from within the 500-mile recruiting radius the Huskers aim to lock down every year.

Six players come from within the state’s borders, two from Missouri and two from Kansas. The Huskers also landed the top-ranked recruit in three nearby states— North Dakota, South Dakota and Colorado— and earned commitments from some of the best talent in Kansas City.

From Littleton (Colorado) defensive back Tanner Terch, who played his high school football 496 miles away from Memorial Stadium to Lincoln Southwest’s Jackson Carpenter, who’s separated from his future school by just over 6 miles, something unites each and every incoming Husker from within the 500-mile radius.

“I’m yet to meet with someone or interact with someone who’s not just an amazing guy in our class,” Terch said. “I talked to Dawson (Merritt) the other day and (Isaiah) Mozee, and they’re all great people. I think we’re going to have a pretty special class which is a perfect mix of those highly touted recruits and then those people who just want to come in, be a dog and work.”

United by locality and personality, where Nebraska’s incoming 2025 commits differ is the path they followed to Lincoln.

Particularly among NU’s six in-state commits, their connections within the program date back several seasons with junior days, unofficial visits and trips to Lincoln which stacked up over the months.

Millard North’s Caden VerMaas, Omaha North’s Tyson Terry, Bishop Neumann’s Conor Booth and Carpenter all committed into the class before Nebraska landed its first out-of-state pledge: Terch.

An accomplished high school wide receiver and the highest-ranked recruit in Colorado, Terch plans to play defensive back for the Huskers. While secondary coach John Butler wasn’t on staff when Terch committed, he’s since gotten close with the “old-school football guy” who he looks forward to playing under.

Despite the position change in his future, Terch was a key recruiting target for Nebraska as a result of his athleticism, potential and attitude.

“If I showed up on campus and Coach Rhule told me he wanted me to play left guard, I’d put on 200 pounds and play left guard; I’ll do anything and that’s just kind of who I am as a person,” Terch said.

Having signed defensive back Rex Guthrie from the same Coloradan high school in 2024, the Nebraska coaching staff already had made inroads within the area— elsewhere, it had to forge them quickly.

Offensive assistant Jamar Mozee, a former high school coach in the Kansas City area, turned around Nebraska’s fortunes within the city. His son Isaiah, a four-star wide receiver prospect, flipped to Nebraska, and so did four-star linebacker Dawson Merritt and offensive lineman Juju Marks.

Running back Jamarion Parker, a dynamic runner from the St. Louis area, also joined NU’s 2025 class as the result of the work director of player personnel Keith Williams put in along the recruiting trail.

And up north, position coaches helped get the job done. Winner (South Dakota) offensive lineman Shawn Hammerbeck visited Lincoln multiple times to get a good look at what his future position coach, Donovan Raiola was building— and he saw himself as a part of that process.

“I really enjoy watching the offensive line, they’re very physical and they move people up front,” Hammerbeck said. “They play smashmouth football and I think that’s what really excites me.”

Proximity to Lincoln helped Hammerbeck make multiple visits and establish relationships, a benefit which also aided West Fargo (North Dakota) Sheyenne defensive lineman Kade Pietrzak in his recruiting process.

The Huskers were among the first programs to offer Pietrzak and begin recruiting him. Oklahoma and Kansas State were front-runners, too, but when defensive line coach Terrance Knighton and head coach Matt Rhule showed their belief in Pietrzak, he felt like returning the favor.

“Nebraska's defense has always been really powerful, and it’s going to continue to be that way,” Pietrzak said. “I think I fit in well to the defensive line scheme.”

As Wednesday’s National Signing Day approaches, the anticipation of their future has risen among Nebraska’s incoming commits. Pietrzak and Hammerbeck will enroll over the summer while Terch will arrive on campus as an early enrollee soon after he puts pen to paper.

“This has been a dream of mine ever since I started playing football, so it’s really cool to finally be there and have something set in stone,” Terch said. “I’m just ready to go.”

Whether arriving in January or June, Nebraska’s 2025 recruiting class is already a tight-knit group aware of the opportunity and expectations in front of them.

“The culture up there’s changing,” Terch said, pointing to the unity of the recruiting class he was early to join.

On Wednesday, that group will be united one more time— signing their letter of intent to officially become Husker football players.

“The 2025 recruiting class for Nebraska is great,” Hammerbeck said. “I can’t wait to get to work with these guys every day and see their potential, because I think it could be something special.”