Nebraska's battle for in-state offensive lineman comes down to Geep Wade vs Iowa

Nebraska legacy prospect Barrett Kitrell knows where his friends and neighbors would love for him to go to college. However, for now at least, the 3-star offensive lineman isn’t ready to pull the trigger. That doesn’t mean Husker or Hawkeye fans will have to wait long. The Ashland-Greenwood star is close to making a decision. But first, there needs to be a real frontrunner, and for now, he believes Nebraska and Iowa are essentially tied for his services.

"They’re definitely neck and neck, I don’t even really know at this point who’s ahead of who,” Rivals analyst Tim Verghese reported earlier this month. At the same time, the way he speaks about the Cornhuskers really feels more like he wants to make sure that if he puts on the Scarlet & Cream instead of the Black & Gold, he made the decision because he knows it’s the right call, and not because the aforementioned friends, family, and neighbors want him to.

Kitrell recently credited Nebraska offensive line coach Geep Wade as a massive reason why the Hawkeyes didn’t run away with the recruitment. Kitrell said he wasn’t recruited much by former Husker offensive line coach Donovan Raiola. But Wade changed things almost immediately after he took the job.

“He’s a really personable guy,” Kitrell told the Omaha World-Herald. “He’ll come down to Ashland and visit me. And during our visits to Nebraska, he’ll show us, ‘these were our linemen before, this is what we’ve done with them.’ That o-line has made some great progress. He’s really been good to me and my family in the process.”

Geep Wade gives Nebraska football major boost with Barrett Kitrell

He’s also on record as being quite impressed by the Iowa coaches. He loves that the program is one that’s seen as developmental first. That’s a big deal to a player from a small school who does have a few Power 4 offers but isn’t lighting up the lists with his rankings. Kitrell is ranked as the No. 935 player nationally, No. 79 at IOL, and No. 8 in Nebraska for the 2027 class.

In addition to the Huskers, he has offers from Eastern Michigan, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Minnesota, South Dakota State, Tennessee, and Wyoming. That offer from the Volunteers was once considered a bit of a worry. However, it looks like the SEC school didn’t get into his final considerations. The offensive lineman has made it clear he’ll announce his commitment soon and that it will be either Nebraska or Iowa.

Considering the Cornhuskers have their tentacles in the Kitrell family, it feels as though this could be a big win for Geep Wade and Matt Rhule. His father, Barry, played fullback for the Huskers. Four older brothers — Blake, Bo, Brett, and Bryce — starred on the gridiron and in workouts. Bo walked on there to play fullback, for NU too. Blake went to Tulsa and Washburn while Brett and Bryce played at Ohio. None of them went to Iowa. That would be untrod ground for Barrett Kitrell.

Coming off a visit to Nebraska, he’s expected to announce his commitment any day now. Husker fans hope Iowa doesn’t get another win against Matt Rhule and Co.

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