Nebraska football loses battle for Will Hawthorne to familiar foe
The Nebraska football team needs to find a way to break its recruiting losing streak, especially as a big commitment date is approaching.
At least for now, the Huskers continued to be locked in some rather bad juju as they were defeated in a recruiting battle against a mid-tier Iowa State squad. The one thing that makes the loss in the race for Will Hawthorne more palatable is that it was a decision where he decided to stay closer to home than anything else.
There’s no place like home 🌪️ pic.twitter.com/lhkH9st1Yz
— Will Hawthorne 3⭐️ (@WillHawthorne10) August 8, 2024
Hawthorne announced on Thursday he picked the Cyclones and while that certainly makes sense, it’s still frustrating to lose out on the Gilbert, 3-star linebacker. It’s another player that seemed like Nebraska football could have snuck in and stolen, but couldn’t close the deal.
Nebraska football recruiting losses keep piling up
Over the last few weeks, Hawthorne spoke often about how impressed he was with the resources at Nebraska. He understands the changing landscape in college football and the Big Ten and SEC, and can be perceived to be a step above the rest of the sport.
It turns out that while the Cornhuskers were clearly getting their foot in the door enough that he was looking long and hard about going to school away from home, in the end, there simply wasn’t enough of a pull.
Hawthorne, according to 24/7Sports, is rated as the No. 71 overall linebacker and No. 5 overall player in Iowa for the 2025 class. In his junior season, the talented defender recorded 63.5 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He also rushed for 774 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 5.9 yards per carry, but will be a linebacker at the next level.
Adding insult to injury, this is yet another player that Nebraska football and Iowa State have gone head to head on and the Cornhuskers have come out the loser. Earlier this cycle, Alex Manske was identified as a top target for Matt Rhule and company. However, the Cyclones were also able to convince him to stay home. NU needs to figure out a way to get someone to come to Lincoln soon.
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