The Nebraska football team is off to a hot start to its 2027 recruiting class, and getting named among the Final Five for offensive tackle Mason Halliman is just the latest evidence of its hot streak.
Halliman is the 16th-ranked player from Illinois and 44th-ranked player at his position, per 247Sports. In addition to the Huskers, he recently named Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Auburn as the final contenders.
Mason Halliman puts Nebraska football in his Top 5 schools
Despite Illinois being his home-state school, Halliman is far from a lock to end up in Champaign. Although he has visited Iowa three times in the past seven months and last week was on hand in Lincoln when Nebraska hosted Michigan, according to On3.com, Halliman has yet to make a trip to Champaign.
In fact, considering that Halliman was hosted by Husker QB commit Trae Taylor and had an "amazing" visit according to insiders, it looks like NU might need to be considered the frontrunner. That both he and Taylor hail from Illinois could end up helping the quarterback reel in more protection up front.
That doesn't mean fans should count out the Hawkeyes. Iowa was one of Halliman's first visits and was his first Big Ten offer. He has a former teammate there, Josh Janowski, as well. He lists offensive line coach George Barnett as one of his best relationships.
Auburn could also be a thorn in the side of the Nebraska football program's plans for 2027. The Tigers just offered in August, but they have quickly worked their way into Halliman's top group, and he is looking for a chance to go down and visit.