'Late' Nebraska football loses out on top tackle target despite a good fight
For a little while, Nebraska football fans dreamed about hauling in the top offensive tackle in the class of 2025. There was a time when David Sanders Jr. looked like a Huskers lean. And then things started to go south.
On Saturday, it sure sounded like a door slammed shut. Sanders announced his commitment and it wasn’t the Cornhuskers. The tackle decided to commit to the Tennessee Volunteers instead. In the long run, it was hardly a shock he went elsewhere.
What is clear is that while the Vols had the trump card, the Nebraska football program did make real inroads. For the second straight year, the Huskers were real players for one of the best players in the class. And as it turns out, they might have only lost because they didn’t get in the race fast enough.
Nebraska football was ‘too late’ in pursuit of David Sanders
“Their coaches did an amazing job, they were a little late to the party in my opinion, but Dylan Raiola did a phenomenal job getting me on campus and showing me a great time,” Sanders said while announcing his commitment. “Coach Rhule’s a phenomenal head coach and I think they’re gonna have a great future ahead of them.”
The Volunteers seemingly came out of nowhere to some, but the offensive tackle made it clear Josh Heupel and company have been the leaders in the clubhouse for a while now.
“The Volunteers, they’ve been on top for a long time. Coach Heupel and that coaching staff, they’ve done an amazing job with me and my family in just having that support and showing that love from the beginning of the recruiting process to now.”
In the grand scheme of things, the recruiting loss is a frustrating one because the Cornhuskers have not been red hot on the recruiting trail the last few months. Landing Sanders would certainly have changed the narrative big time.
On the bright side, what Nebraska football getting as close as they did, perhaps even finishing second, shows that Matt Rhule and his gang are getting their feet in the door. They just need to stop it from slamming shut next time.