Nebraska football a frontrunner for Kansas State legacy safety

While the Nebraska football team doesn’t really ever see old rival Kansas State on the football field anymore, the two programs still do battle in other ways. That includes fighting each other for some of the best recruits in the region.

These days, that fight includes a legacy prospect for the Wildcats, who sees the Huskers making some serious headway in pulling him from the Sunflower State. James (JJ) Dunigan Jr. might still be looking at going right down the road from his Manhattan, Kansas home, but NU has certainly given him something to think about over the last few weeks.

“My recruitment has been picking up even more and it’s going good,” Dunnigan recently told Sports Illustrated. “Nebraska, KU, and K-State have stood out among most schools recruiting me so far.” That’s got to be good news for Nebraska football, who is looking to close out the 2025 class with a little surge.

“Nebraska is towards the top of my schools of interest,” Dunnigan added. The most interesting thing there is that he wasn’t always someone who was getting a ton of Power 4 offers. It took Colorado State offering for other FBS teams to really look at what Dunigan could do.

Nebraska football has work cut out for it

Being among the favorites certainly doesn’t mean the Huskers have this sewed up. JJ Dunigan is the son of former Kansas State player James Dunigan Sr. It’s going to be hard to get the 2026, 3-star safety away from home and away from his father’s legacy.

At the moment, On3 has the Wildcats with a 58.6 percent chance of landing the prospect. The Nebraska football team is a close second with a 31.2 percent chance. Kansas is pulling up the rear in what appears to be a three-team race with less than a 10 percent chance of hauling Dunigan in.