Nebraska Football: Blaise Gunnerson commitment fortifies future defense

Nebraska Football got another big commitment on Tuesday.

In what has been a busy couple of days for Nebraska Football in terms of recruiting, they picked up another big commitment on Tuesday afternoon. 2020 three-star strong-side defensive end Blaise Gunnerson committed to the program. He made the announcement on Twitter earlier in the day.

Originally from Kuemper Catholic, Gunnerson is the 34th overall strong-side defensive end in his class, and the second overall player in the state of Iowa per the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

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Gunnerson received a lot of attention from Midwest schools. In addition to Nebraska, he also received offers from Iowa State, Iowa, Kansas State, and Minnesota. He took a couple of visits over the last couple weeks, visiting Nebraska June 14 and visiting Iowa State June 21. Eric Chinander and Jovan Dewitt were his primary recruiters for the Blackshirts.

This is another big get in the 2020 Nebraska Football recruiting class. So far, it seems like the program has a lot of tough, gritty kids that should be able to make an impact. They are not flashy names, but they do allow for Nebraska to be able to compete. Sometimes the three-star recruits have a bit more to offer than the four and five-star recruits. With seven recruits overall, the class is ranked No.  62 in the country and 12th overall in the Big Ten per the 247Sports Team Rankings.

His pass-rushing ability is something that should be able to help Nebraska Football tremendously. We don’t know what the defense is going to look like yet in terms of the future. However, Gunnerson is certainly capable of contributing to this team and allowing them to have a player that quarterbacks should be afraid of.

So far, the Nebraska Football program has made it clear that they want him at outside linebacker. Given his size and strength, that may not be a bad fit at all. As he told Allen Trieu of 247Sports, hard work will definitely be needed.

"“Nebraska wants me at outside linebacker,” he explained. “They want a bigger guy at that position who can also rush the passer. Especially against the heavy run offenses in the Big Ten where you have to be able to do both. They have compared me to guys in the past like Trev Alberts. I personally believe that I have a chance to play early. They aren’t very deep at that position. However, it won’t be given to me. A lot of hard work will need to be done. Ultimately I think I can be a diverse player for the Husker defense. I have the ability to rush the passer with speed or power, and can drop into coverage.”"

I like his enthusiasm, and I like the fact that he is willing to work hard. Scott Frost and his staff got another great commitment with Gunnerson. I have a feeling they are not done either. The staff has made it clear that they will do whatever they can to make sure they are successful.