2025 TE Bear Tenney commits to Nebraska: 'I loved it at first sight'

Nebraska was one of the first schools to contact Bear Tenney as a recruit. Way back in September of last year, when coaches were first allowed to directly reach out to 2025 recruits, Tenney’s first call came from the Cornhuskers.

Since then, the relationship only grew. He took a visit to Lincoln earlier this spring, and it blew him away. After some time to deliberate, he knew he wanted to don the ‘N.’ Earlier this week, he called head coach Matt Rhule to let him know he was committing, and on Thursday he made it public.

“I made the decision to commit a couple days ago,” he told On3. “Coach Rhule was excited about it, and so was Coach Satterfield, the offensive coordinator. Me and Dylan Raiola are good friends for the last couple years. We’ve been in contact, and he’s just such a good quarterback and who wouldn’t want to have a five-star as their QB? I think it’s just a great opportunity and a great fit for me.”

He and Raiola, who signed with the Huskers in December, have known each other for going on four years. The two faced off on the field a few different times, and Tenney always admired the QB playing across from him. Raiola made it a personal priority to recruit him to Lincoln.

“Me and Dylan were texting a lot, and he was pushing me to go there,” he added. “And he’s such a good player that it opened my eyes to go check it out. So I went and did that, and I have to say they have better facilities than Georgia, Michigan, Tennessee, any of those big places. I was really impressed, and they honestly just blew my mind.

… The tight ends coach walked me through their offense, and I think it’s going to be the perfect fit for me and my play style. They showed me around the whole place, and I loved it at first sight.”

Tenney is excited to play for Matt Rhule

He says he chose the Huskers over Michigan, Oregon, Utah, and BYU. The American Fork (Utah) Lone Peak standout feels like Nebraska and Rhule give him the best chance to succeed at the college level — and hopefully beyond.

“A couple days ago, we had a phone call because my dad had sent him a text saying, ‘We’re ready to take it to the next level,'” Tenney said. “He ended up calling me and asking if I was serious, and I said, ‘I’m all in, Coach.’ It was just a cool moment for me because he’s such a great head coach who just barely came out the NFL. And I’m excited to get developed by him.”

Rhule came back to the college ranks after a stint with the Carolina Panthers, and Tenney believes that experience is something he can tap into as he develops throughout his career.

“Him having NFL experience from a coaching and development standpoint is a big deal,” he said. “And I think he’s going to know how to handle tight ends with his experience in the league. So I feel like he’ll know how to use me in the offense and get me better and better each year.”

Playing with Raiola, who he thinks will be the Huskers’ next great quarterback, is an added bonus.

“With Dylan as the quarterback, I think we’ll be a great duo,” he said. “I’ve seen at some camps, we played against each other in high school and he’s just such a talented player. I think me and him would mesh really well with our chemistry.”

Tenney is the No. 731 overall prospect in the 2025 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He ranks as the nation’s No. 41 tight end and the No. 7 recruit in Utah.