On300 CB Mario Buford commits to Nebraska

After visiting all across the country and, in particular Big Ten country, Mario Buford‘s decision is in.

Buford, the No. 20-rated cornerback in the On300 for 2024, committed to Nebraska on Thursday. The decision to pledge to the Huskers over conference rivals Michigan State and Penn State comes just days removed from his official visit back to Nebraska.

The Huskers have been front and center in Buford’s recruitment since before his days on the DeSoto (Texas) High School varsity football team. After all, Mario’s older brother Marques Buford is a member of the Nebraska secondary.

Ever since Matt Rhule arrived on the scene in Lincoln, the Huskers have been trending with the On300 defensive back.

“This new staff has recruited me harder than any other school,” Buford told On3. “They have definitely shown they’re interested in me and want to coach me. This coaching staff feels like they want to make an impact. When I went to practice, I watched them practice and the way they keep the pace up, keep their confidence levels up.”

“It was never the players at Nebraska being bad,” he continued. “A few years ago, they lost all those games by a few points, and now they’re working on the little things and I think it’ll be great for me development-wise.”

Buford was in Lincoln as recently as June after return visits in late March since Rhule took over the program. His familiarity with the university dates back even further.

Buford was always bullish on the Huskers and his family ties to the football program. Rhule’s presence in recent months was the catalyst, especially when it came to the timing of his decision.

The DeSoto (Texas) High School canceled the remainder of his Big Ten official visit schedule after getting another glimpse of Rhule’s program up close.

“It feel like I had seen everything I needed to in order to make a sound decision on where I see myself for the next three or four years,” Buford started.

“It’s still fresh,” Buford continued on the Rhule era in Lincoln. “My brother definitely says that he’s come in and made an impact at Nebraska. He’s bringing ‘GBR’ back to what it used to be in its prime. They’re definitely hungry for it and they definitely want to win.”

“It’s a different energy than before,” he continued. “The other coaches there wanted to win, but the drive and the energy was just so low. Their record was hurting their confidence … I wanna go somewhere I can win more trophies.”