The Nebraska football team's 2026 recruiting class was already less than impressive. Now, with the decommitment of offensive lineman Leon Noil, it's downright ugly.
Noil is the Rivals Industry Ranking No. 90 interior OL prospect in the 2026 class out of powerhouse New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr. He is the No. 29 overall recruit from the state of Louisiana in this recruiting cycle. Before reopening his recruitment, Noil made a visit to Starkville. Mississippi State has been coming on strong for the 3-star OL with Jeff Lebby playing a key role.
While the Bulldogs are certainly closer to home for Noil, losing this kind of a recruiting war to an also-ran SEC program still comes as a shock to Nebraska backers. It adds to the questions that surround just what head coach Matt Rhule and his staff's plans are for a class that can sign on the dotted line in just a few weeks.
Nebraska football recruiting took another hit with Leon Noil's decommitment
The 2026 class was always expected to be small, but the 10 commits the Huskers currently have are even smaller than they were geared up for.
According to the Rivals rankings, Nebraska is currently ranked No. 71 in the country. Should the ranking hold, it would be the first time they've finished outside the Top 50 in the Rivals team rankings since 2003. It would also be the worst ranking NU has seen since it finished No. 74 in 2002.
The 2026 class ranking is also quite interesting when looking at Nebraska's 2027 class, currently ranked inside the Top 5 among most recruiting sites.