As hard as Matt Rhule and the Nebraska football program have been working to get guys to commit these past few weeks, sometimes it is just as hard keeping guys in the building. The Cornhuskers were given a bit of a punch to the gut as they lost 4-star cornerback CJ Bronaugh, who decommitted from the program yesterday.
Bronaugh committed to Nebraska in November of 2024 and was a big part of the Class of 2026 in Lincoln. The 4-star cornerback's speed and keen ability to find the ball on defense are what made him such an enticing prospect for not just Nebraska but many other programs such as Florida State, Arkansas, Kansas, LSU, Michigan, Florida, and others.
Even though Bronaugh just decommitted yesterday, he is already projected to commit to the Florida Gators soon. Clearly, Bronaugh's speed is used in areas other than just the field, as the young Florida native may already have his next spot picked out. The Gators would be much closer to home for the Winter Garden, Florida kid.
On3’s @SWiltfong_ has logged an expert prediction for Florida to land 4-star CB CJ Bronaugh🐊
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) June 18, 2025
Bronaugh recently decommitted from Nebraska.https://t.co/BFzB2rrHT0 pic.twitter.com/hJUssjIXXr
Nebraska 2026 recruiting class takes huge hit
Nebraska's 2026 recruiting class was already small to begin with before Bronaugh decommitted yesterday, and now with him gone, it just became smaller. Earlier this week, Rhule was able to land a commitment from offensive lineman Hayden Ainsworth to bring the class to six recruits, but now with the loss of Bronaugh, they are back down to five.
The Cornhuskers could get some good news in a couple of days when tight end Luke Sorensen makes his announcement about where he intends to play, and it seems like it will be Nebraska.
With the loss of Bronaugh, Nebraska's ranking when it comes to recruiting fell from No. 71 to No. 74 according to 247Sports. Rhule needs some big wins on the recruiting trail to raise those rankings and to build the class of 2026 at Nebraska.