The Nebraska football team continued its less-than-positive run on the recruiting front this month when it lost the battle for defensive lineman Valdin Sone. If there is a bright side here, it's that it felt as if the Huskers were a long shot to land the European player in the first place.
At the same time, Sone is the latest top-tier prospect who picked another school, after the Huskers started the month looking like they were in line for a big July. Sone had officially included the Cornhuskers in his final list of favorites, though the Georgia Bulldogs, the eventual winners of the recruiting battle, were long thought to be the favorite.
Nebraska football loses out on coveted D-line target Valdin Sone to SEC power
On Friday morning, Sone decided between Nebraska football, Auburn, Florida, and Georgia. That the Huskers were among the favorites in a group that was all SEC all the time otherwise was impressive in its own right.
Sone has seen his profile grow over the past couple of months. He participated in the Navy All-American Bowl, recording a quarterback pressure in the game. The four-star was born in Sweden and is a firm run defender with good size, standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 310 pounds.
After official visits to Nebraska and Florida, the monster four-star defender took his official visit to Georgia on June 20. After that, he took a few weeks to really think about where he wanted to go next. The Huskers hoped he might land in Lincoln, but that hope appears to have dimmed.
The Nebraska football team has now lost out on five straight targets that were on their board. Devin Jackson, Darion Jones, Jacob Eberhart, Calvin Thomas, and now Sone have all picked other schools. This comes after a hot start as they landed both Larry Miles and Leon Noil to start things off. Matt Rhule and company will need to figure out a way to turn things around, as their 2026 recruiting class is not very good at the moment.