Zion Anderson might not have known all that much about Nebraska football before he visited Lincoln last weekend, but he reportedly loved what he saw once he hit campus. One of the top athletes in the 2028 class now has the Huskers near the top of his list, according to Rivals.
NU being "firmly in the mix" for Anderson means that it's outpacing schools like UCLA, USC, and Georgia. Considering the Long Beach Poly star is a California native, that's already a pretty massive win for Matt Rhule and Co.
Nebraska made some serious noise for the 4-star athlete that most programs see as a receiver or tight end at the next level. He's ranked the No. 5 athlete in his class by the Rivals Industry Rankings. He's also the No. 131 overall player and the No. 8 player in his state.
Zion Anderson now has Nebraska football firmly in the mix after his Lincoln visit
One way in which the Huskers might stand out is that they have him lining up as a cornerback if and when he sets foot on the field in Lincoln. USC is looking at him on the offensive side of the ball, which could ignite a recruiting battle with the Trojans on multiple levels.
Anderson saw that the Huskers had to offer this past weekend, and it seems as though any gains Lincoln Riley's squad made were wiped out. That's not to say that USC couldn't surge back into the lead. The athlete had some glowing things to say about his visit to the Trojans at the end of March.
“I had a great experience, it was overall a great trip,” Anderson told Sports Illustrated. “I love the facility. They took me on a campus tour, and they got what I like and what I look to major in. Coach Savage, I love him, I been knowing him for a while. I met him at a camp when he was at Colorado State, I like how he coaches.”
Should Nebraska win this recruiting battle, it would also mean overcoming family ties. Zion Anderson is the nephew of former USC receiver Travon Patterson, who played for the Trojans in the mid to late 2000s and also came from Poly.