Nebraska football goes deep into Nittany Lion territory for linebacker prospect

The Nebraska football team is once again venturing into territory usually controlled by Penn State for its latest linebacker offer.

Since Matt Rhule first arrived in Lincoln, it’s been clear that he’s wanted to make inroads into his old home turf. He did that when he went after one of the best quarterbacks in the 2025 class in Stone Saunders.

It may not have worked out regards to Saunders as the quarterback committed to Kentucky, but that doesn’t mean the Nebraska football team is going to stop recruiting in that area. The latest proof of this is an offer to 2026 linebacker Colsen Gatten.

The offer to Gatten also signals that even when the Huskers are busy getting ready for the regular season, they’re not ignoring preparing for future installments of the program. The question now is whether Nebraska football got its foot in the door early enough that it can win over recruits from Penn State and other Big Ten rivals.

While Gatten is obviously still quite young, he’s already got some of the best schools in the country coming after him. The Nebraska football team is the latest offer but Pittsburgh, Penn State and Wisconsin have already given him a scholarship offer.

Nebraska football target could be versatile player

It’s possible that the Cornhuskers being the latest school to give an offer could help them in the race for Colsen Gatten. Things had been quiet on that front since June.

One of the most interesting wrinkles in Gatten’s development is where he might play at the college level. Although schools are mainly looking at Gatten as a linebacker, he’s told Pittsburgh Sports Now that he’s able to play both tight end and H-Back on offense.

Gatten is someone who is seen as being able to cover quite a bit of ground with his 4.5 speed. He’s also said to have good hip movement.

Now the Nebraska football team is hoping to find some movement up the charts for Colsen Gatten.