Nebraska Football: Defensive back commit pulls surprise flip to Kansas State

While Nebraska football coaches notched a big win on the field this weekend, they also suffered a loss on the recruiting front in Callen Barta.

If Saturday was one to savor, then this Sunday is one to try and forget, considering the Nebraska football team has lost one of its top recruits in the 2024 class, at least for now. Callen Barta, a 3-star defensive back out of Topeka, Kansas, announced that he was decommitting from the Huskers and instead committing to the Kansas State Wildcats.

Barta’s message was short and sweet. It showed a picture of him in a Kansas State uniform with the caption, “I’m staying home.” The decision can be seen as both a bit of a surprise but also one that recruiting analysts saw coming this weekend, even if they didn’t have a massive heads-up.

Barta committed to the Nebraska football team back in June. It just so happened that was the same day he was offered by the Huskers. It now appears that was more about being the only Power 5 school to come calling than his devotion to Nebraska football.

Last week, Barta got the offer he’d apparently been waiting on. The Wildcats finally came with an official offer on October 16. The defensive back then took an official visit this past weekend. The 3-star prospect liked what he saw enough in Manhattan that he pulled the trigger.

Nebraska football loses out on commit

On Saturday, not long after Callen Barta had started his visit to the Little Apple, it became clear the Nebraska football team had lost a commit. Several recruiting analysts starting putting in Fancasts and Crystal Balls predicting he was Kansas State bound.

Of course, the loss of Barta is blunted a bit for Nebraska football since they did pick up the commitment of Omaha Westside star, Caleb Benning on Friday. He too, is “staying home.”