Nebraska football legacy prospect heads to Air Force
A Nebraska football legacy prospect from Lincoln Norris has pledged to play for the Air Force Falcons when he’s ready to head to college.
While the Huskers have been going after quite a few legacy prospects since Matt Rhule came to town, it appears that when Jax Gates picked the Falcons, it wasn’t necessarily because they won a pitched recruiting battle with his hometown team.
Gates, a defensive back from Lincoln, is the son of former Husker Jay Gates. As it turns out, the elder Gates is also a Big Ten replay official.
While the defensive back did have some offers come his way, it appears that Air Force was the only FBS school to offer him a scholarship. He also drew attention from Iowa State, North Dakota State, and Southwest Minnesota State.
I’m excited to announce that I will be committing to the United States Air Force Academy to continue my academic and football career! I want to thank God, my family, friends, teammates, and all the coaches that have believed in me and have pushed me to achieve my dreams.… pic.twitter.com/m93Q02zdcs
— Jax Gates (@jaxg8s) July 30, 2023
While Matt Rhule and company didn’t come with an official offer, it stands to reason that they wouldn’t have absolutely taken him as a Preferred Walk On considering that he does have some athletic talent that helped him stand out among in-state prospects, even if he wasn’t one of the most sought after prospects in the state.
Nebraska football legacy prospect heads to service academy
In the end, Jax Gates decided it would be a better idea to head to Air Force than pay his own way on the Huskers. It’s hard to fault him for that.
Certainly the service academies are better at making sure that someone can have a career after their playing days than almost any college football program. He’s also going to be heading to a school that has plenty of positive football history.
Gates could make quite a name for himself outside of being a Nebraska football legacy. Recruiting experts in the state have seen an explosiveness on both sides of the ball that can be nurtured and improved.