Nebraska football is a finalist for elite athlete—but can they seal the deal?

Brandon Arrington has been a fan of the Nebraska football team for a while and now they’re officially in his Top 12.

There’s still a long way to go before the Huskers can even consider themselves the winner of the race to land one of the best players in the 2026 class. However, making this list definitely means that Matt Rhule and crew have a foot in the door.

Part of getting that foot in the door earlier this month was Rhule taking a visit to see Arrington on his home turf. That visit as part of the full-court press Nebraska football is putting on the wide receiver and defensive back. And now the 4-star prospect has them making the cut in his latest announcement on social media.

Nebraska football fighting off top teams for Brandon Arrington

Arrington took to X earlier this weekend and put the Cornhuskers among a list of the best teams in the country who are still duking it out for the Mount Miguel athlete. 

In addition to Nebraska, “Dash” Arrington says that Alabama, Penn State, Michigan, Texas A&M, USC, Florida State, UCLA, Georgia, LSU, Oregon, and Oklahoma. That group is going to be very hard to fight off.

At the same time, Matt Rhule and his staff have to move beyond “it’s just an honor to be here” territory and really stay in contention for the 2026 prospect for the long haul. He’s worth the effort according to 247Sports official scouting report:

“Two-Sport standout and one of the fastest sprinters in the country. Has personal best times of 10.43-100m and 20.76-200m as a sophomore and could easily double sport in college. On the grid-iron, shows the ability to play corner or receiver and should also develop in to a dangerous return man.”

At the moment, it appears that Dash is projecting out best at defensive back. That would certainly be ok with the Nebraska football team as their next step is going to be trying to lock down an official visit.