Nebraska’s incredible start has Fred Hoiberg in the hunt for program’s 1st 5-star

Nebraska men’s basketball has never signed a five-star recruit. The Huskers have also never made it past the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and before this season had never won 20 games-straight before. Fred Hoiberg already broke one of those barriers, starting the season 20-0 before Tuesday night’s loss to Michigan, and he’s hoping to smash through the others in the coming months. 

Nebraska is +500 to make the Final Four after falling to Michigan, which gives the Huskers a good chance of seeing the second weekend. That will be decided in March. Hoiberg’s recruiting battle will likely get settled after that, but it starts much sooner. 

2027 five-star Dawson Battie has scheduled just two upcoming unofficial visits, and his first trip will be to Lincoln on February 1. Then, the 6-foot-8, 210-pound power forward from Dallas will head to Austin for a visit with the Longhorns on March 7. 

Nebraska set to host 2027 5-star Dawson Battie for unofficial visit

The highest-ranked recruit in Nebraska basketball history is Bryce McGowens, a 2021 four-star recruit. McGowens spent just one season in Lincoln before leaving for the NBA, and averaged 16.8 points across 31 games for the Huskers. The next three highest-ranked recruits are all upcoming in the 2026 and 2027 classes: 2026 four-star small forward Collin Rice, 2026 four-star shooting guard Jacob Lanier, and 2027 small forward Ty Schlagel. 

Hoiberg, along with the arrival of the NIL and revenue-sharing era, has clearly elevated the level of high school players that Nebraska can attract. The Huskers are becoming a real force on the recruiting trail, and it seems that this year’s hot start is cementing the program’s emergence. 

Hoiberg has taken a while to build up the Nebraska program, but this breakthrough could change everything, especially if it helps him to land more elite recruits like Battie. It won’t be easy to earn a commitment from a player of Battie’s caliber, but for a program like Nebraska, which has eight NCAA Tournament appearances in its history, to find itself in the mix is a great sign. 

Hoiberg will likely still rely on development, the Transfer Portal, and international additions to build out his roster, but his recent recruiting wins have demonstrated a shift to high school recruiting when many coaches are heading in the opposite direction. Nebraska is well-positioned to exploit that newly created market inefficiency. 

Battie also holds offers from Kentucky, Auburn, and Virginia, along with other relevant Power 4 programs, and his impressive basketball lineage means he’s anything but under the radar. Battie’s father played for Temple, and his older brother Dillon was a 2024 Temple signee. His uncle, Tony Battie, played at Texas Tech and was the No. 5 pick in the 1997 NBA Draft. He played 14 years in the NBA.