Nebraska trending for 4-star TE Carter Nelson

Rebuilding Nebraska into a national championship contender has been the goal for Matt Rhule and his staff since coming to Lincoln. After finishing with the No. 29 class during the 2023 recruiting cycle, the Cornhuskers currently have 17 pledges and the No. 23 class in the 2024 cycle.

Landing elite talent both in and out of the state will be key for Rhule as he looks to building a top-20 class. A pledge from the state’s top recruit in four-star tight end Carter Nelson would go a long way in inching the Cornhuskers to that top-20 spot.

Following recent industry updates, Nebraska holds a commanding lead in Nelson’s recruitment. The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) has the Cornhuskers with an 81.1% chance to land Nelson’s pledge.

HuskerOnline’s Sean Callahan submitted a pick Saturday afternoon for Nelson to Nebraska with a confidence level of 60%.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder has visited Nebraska more than any other school up to this point in his recruitment and was back on campus June 23 to kick off an official visit weekend. He’s also visited Georgia and Notre Dame this month for official visits.

Nebraska has been after Nelson for a time now and have repeatedly made it clear to him that he’s a top priority in their class.

“I would say that it felt different,” Nelson told On3 following his December trip. “It was a fun trip. The coaches just made everyone feel at home.”

Nelson is the No. 57 overall prospect and No. 3 tight end in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 1 player in Nebraska.

How Nebraska’s class currently stands

In his first full cycle with the Cornhuskers, Rhule has Nebraska on pace to finish where ahead of where they were in 2023. They’re also in a good position to finish with one of their best classes in recent memory.

Of the 17 pledges they currently have, three of those recruits are ranked as four-star prospects.

The three four-star prospects headlining the class are Altair (Texas) Rice Consolidated safety Roger Gradney, DeSoto (Texas) cornerback Mario Buford and Bellevue (Neb.) Bellevue West wide receiver Dae’vonn Hall.

Along with Hall’s pledge, Rhule has done a good job of competing the state’s top talent home. Four of the state’s top 10 prospects have already committed to Nebraska and three others are trending the Cornhuskers’ way.