Nebraska trending with 4-star DL Malcolm Simpson

Nebraska hosted a massive list of recruiting official visitors — nearly 20 in total — over the weekend in Lincoln. That group included a number of blue-chip prospects, with few higher on the Huskers’ board than Galveston (Texas) Hitchcock four-star defensive lineman Malcolm Simpson.

NU extended him an offer last month, and he quickly worked to set up an official visit.

“Coach Knighton from Nebraska came to my school, we talked, and he offered me face-to-face,” Simpson told HuskerOnline. “It was surprising to have a coach from Nebraska give me an offer personally. That has never happened before, and I really appreciated that.”

Simpson made it to campus on Friday, and coming out of the visit on Sunday, things look to be trending up between him and the Huskers.

Late Saturday night, HuskerOnline.com recruiting insider Bryan Munson logged a pick in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) for Nebraska to land Simpson.

That prediction puts Nebraska as the overwhelming favorite right now, as Simpson doesn’t currently have any other scheduled official visits on the docket. Texas Tech, Kansas, USC, and Baylor are among the other contenders in the race to get him committed.

Huskers’ history, tradition stand out to Simpson

But even in just a short time, the Huskers and Knighton have made a big move with him.

“What I know about Nebraska is that Nebraska used to be way better than Alabama or Georgia,” Simpson said. “They basically used to be Alabama and Georgia combined. I heard about their defensive lineman, Princewill Umanmielen, and he was ridiculous. He was a freshman All-American.”

Knighton also said that he sees some of himself in Simpson and shared as much. Simpson says that Nebraska sees him as a player who will line up at different spots in their defense.

“He sees me as a player who has good potential,” Simpson said. “They see me moving around. He told me that I reminded him of himself when he was in college. … They like me playing the four, five, seven, and the line. I am going to have to get comfortable with playing a little bit of everything at the next level. I have no choice.”

The 6-foot-3, 255-pound Simpson is the No. 293 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 country’s No. 23 defensive lineman and the No. 44 recruit in the Lone Star State.