Nebraska adds Texas DL Riley Van Poppel to 2023 class

The 2023 class has been a little lopsided offensively for Nebraska. Out of seven commits there was only one recruit projected to play on defense heading into this weekend, but now that one defensive commit has some company. The Huskers have added four-star defensive lineman Riley Van Poppel to the commitment list following his official visit to Nebraska.

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“I committed to Nebraska on Saturday,” Van Poppel said. “We had the visit all day Friday and Saturday and through that you get a little down time. We went to dinner at Firethorn Country Club in Lincoln. Everyone was eating dinner and that is where it took place.

“They had the driving range open for us and we were all hitting balls.  While we were doing that I rounded up coach Frost, coach Chinander and coach Dawson. I was going to get Applewhite, but he was busy. And I did it right there on Saturday night.”

The official visit was big for Van Poppel with coming to his decision to commit to Nebraska. But he admits that there is a feeling that hasn’t worn off since the first time he visited Nebraska unlike the other schools he also visited.

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“When I went up there for the first time it was for a junior day. And when I have gone to those before it’s the same ol’, same ol’. But when I went to Nebraska it was different.

“They brought me in a little earlier. I got a personal meeting with coach Frost. I am going into the position meetings and not a lot of recruits got do that. This process is a gut feeling is what I always say and obviously you have what you think, but it comes down to a gut feel where you are supposed to be.

“I left Nebraska with that feeling on March 5^th and it hasn’t left me since. On the other trips that I would go on the feeling would come home with me and stay for a few days and it would leave. This official to Nebraska was something I had in mind and I was ready for it. I knew that they were a front-running school for me.

“Getting around them again, being around all of the guys and my mom being up there for the first time as well as learning about the program more in-depth was great. I went to my parents’ hotel room on Saturday and told them I wanted to do it, we had a conversation and I pulled the trigger.”

Riley had both of his parents guiding him through his process. His father was a first-round MLB Draft Pick for the Oakland Athletics, Todd Van Poppel, and his dad was instrumental in understanding what’s important and talking with Riley about recruiting.

“He had a lot to share with me,” Van Poppel said. “Not just him, but my mom too. He has been through it all and he was my process on a much larger scale. In the recruiting process you have guys that are honest and genuine and then you have the guys that give the same sales pitch to everyone.

“He warned me about those things. He also wanted me to think about my decision and not just pick the school with the coolest jerseys. There is a lot more that goes into it. And this is not just about the next four years it’s more than that. This is more than just about the game.”

The trip this weekend was the first for his mom’s to Nebraska. She could see a real fit between her son and the program. She also saw how genuine the staff was not just with her or her son, but with the entire family.

“She loved the authenticity of the coaching staff,” Van Poppel said. “Going up there it’s more than just about football it’s also about academics. They know that it’s important to me and my parents. They both care about that.

“The Nebraska staff was great to me. They were great to my parents. They were great to my brother who was there. She could see how real they were and felt the family environment. She knows that I am comfortable there and that Nebraska fits me and I fit them.”

The Huskers want to be more serious about recruiting the state of Texas. It was huge for Nebraska to get Bryan Applewhite to come to Nebraska from TCU and one of the first guys that Applewhite zeroed in on was Van Poppel.

“When coach Applewhite came to Argyle the first time he was just a week on the job for Nebraska,” Van Poppel said. “I think him being from TCU he knew about me a little bit. He came down to find me from Nebraska. I think that is so cool. They want to get more into Texas.”

Van Poppel committed on Saturday and he is announcing it on Monday. There is a reason for that. He wasn’t going to let any of the schools that had been recruiting him read about his commitment. He was going to call them all and do it the right way.

“My mom and my dad were big on me doing this process the right way,” Van Poppel said. “Those schools and those coaches that recruited me and showed me love needed me to be honest with them. I called them and let them know. I didn’t want them to see it on Twitter.

“I am done with recruiting. I am going to set my phone down and I am going to go to work. I am looking forward to getting up to Nebraska a year from now. I know this fall on my bye week they have a home game so I will be up there that weekend and probably a few other times.”

Van Poppel has thought about enrolling early, but hasn’t made a firm decision on if he would like to graduate early and enroll early or finish out his senior year in Texas.

Van Poppel becomes the eighth known commitment for the Huskers in the 2023 class. Van Poppel is rated as an IOL by On3, but Nebraska sees the 6-foot-4 and 265-pound Van Poppel playing on the defensive line as a tackle.

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