With Nebraska’s addition of Four Star defensive lineman Malcolm Simpson over the weekend, the Huskers jumped nine spots in the overall recruiting rankings. This Galveston, TX product is exactly what Rhule is looking for in his recruits. A raw, young talent with a very high ceiling. This 6’3” 255 pound defensive lineman out of Texas could wind up being an impact player for the University of Nebraska in the coming years. A Ball highschool assistant coach was quoted while raving about ball “ he’s an excellent player, prospect and even a better person” attributing to Rhules mentality of recruiting individuals to build the family atmosphere.
As far as skills go, Simpsons highlight film is full of dominant plays. Moving around the entire defensive line, Simpson can play nose guard or defensive end. This Texas product reminds me very much of Randy Gregory with his speed and dominance on the line. Needing to focus on his first step and handwork, both things that can be fixed. When a lineman dominates the way Simpson did at the high school level he is able to get away with a lateral first step, but in the Big Ten that will need to be a habit that gets broken. Working on his hand work will need to be a target of this staff as well, as Simpson is used to relying on his speed and strength to get through blockers. Both small changes could make all the difference for this young four star talent in the 2025 class.
Switching gears from commit to soon to be commits, two of the biggest names out there right now for the Huskers are Dawson Merritt and Michael Terry. Both athletes have had a rollercoaster recruiting journey so far. Four Star Linebacker out of Overland Park, KS Merritt projected to land at Alabama, and Five Star athlete (WR) Michael Terry out of Texas projected to attend Texas. As of late Nebraska looks to have drawn in Dawson Merritt, son of Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Dave Merritt, away from the Crimson Tide. Michael Terry may also be leaning back towards the Huskers after taking his official visits to Texas and Texas A&M. Merritt is also reportedly peer recruiting Terry to join him at Nebraska as a part of this 2025 recruiting class.
With recruiting really picking up before the Huskers head into fall camp I expect to see at least one more addition to the ‘25 class this week, possibly two. If Nebraska can pull off both Merritt and Terry they will be well on their way to a Top 10 recruiting class this cycle. Rhule and company have seemingly found their stride on the recruiting trail, lets just hope they can close on some of these major targets.
