Jeremy Pernell Ranks Nebraska Football’s 2023 Signees

Malachi Coleman, re-recruited by coach Matt Rhule, tops the list

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Matt Rhule and his Nebraska football staff must have survived the last 9½ weeks living off Red Bull and adrenaline. Just an astounding effort by the new Husker staff closing out the 2023 class. They signed 27 high school players and a juco standout for good measure. Nineteen of the 28 signees were added after Rhule got to Lincoln. Twenty if you include Malachi Coleman, which I'm inclined to do. Coleman decommitted five days after Rhule was hired and intended to flip to Georgia until Rhule did his thing.

If you were one of the fans who wondered how Rhule would do on the recruiting trail after being away from the college game for three years... I think it's safe to say those concerns can be put to bed.

Lost in the excitement surrounding the 2023 class is the foundation already being laid for 2024 and 2025. The staff has extended dozens of offers to future classes and spent most of January focusing on the upcoming cycles.

Also take into account the coaches have added 11 players from the transfer portal, with more likely once the portal reopens in May. By the time this team starts fall practices, half of the scholarship players will be in their first years in the program. Talk about a roster flip.

I really like that Rhule has added so many new guys. The Huskers have over 100 scholarship players right now, and before you ask, there won't be an issue getting down to 85. Coaching changes inevitably result in heavy attrition. Plus, Rhule doesn't know his roster yet. He doesn't know yet who will be a cultural or schematic fit. I like that he's going to let competition this spring help whittle the roster down.

After watching this staff work, it's hard to critique much of what they did. I would temper expectations a bit, though. Yes, it's only natural to be brimming with optimism this time of year. But I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't play devil's advocate.

Everyone should keep in mind statistics overwhelmingly show that transition classes have a much higher miss rate than normal classes. Even in a normal recruiting cycle, history has shown us that recruits who are added in the last month or two - kids whom coaches have the shortest relationships with - are far more likely to not pan out for various reasons. Well, 70% of this class falls into that category.

Even so, you have to like that Rhule has been through this before. His transition class at Baylor had one holdover from the previous staff. One. Rhule ended up signing a class of 27 after being on the job for two months. He hit on a lot of guys. NFL guys.

I look at these players and see where Rhule followed his blueprint. He didn't compromise for the sake of taking someone. He made sure each of these signees met the same physical and athletic metrics he would look for had he discovered them last spring. With that being said, let's take a look at who he brought in.

The Huskers signed 28 players to their 2023 class. They hail from 13 states: Nebraska (8), Texas (6), California (2), Pennsylvania (2), Tennessee (2), Colorado (1), Florida (1), Georgia (1), Missouri (1), New Jersey (1), New York (1), Oklahoma (1) and South Dakota (1).

The rankings

1. Malachi Coleman (WR) Lincoln, NE
2. Princewill Umanmielen (Edge) Austin, TX
3. Riley Van Poppel (D-line) Argyle, TX
4. Cameron Lenhardt (Edge) Staten Island, NY
5. Eric Fields (LB) Ardmore, OK
6. Ethan Nation (CB) Roswell, GA
7. Rahmir Stewart (DB) Philadelphia, PA
8. Demitrius Bell (WR) Nashville, TN
9. Maverick Noonan (Edge) Omaha, NE
10. Jaidyn Doss (WR) Raymore, MO
11. Vincent Carroll-Jackson (D-line) Harrisburg, PA
12. Dylan Rogers (LB) Cypress, TX
13. Ismael Smith Flores (TE) Crowley, TX
14. Gunnar Gottula (O-line) Lincoln, NE
15. Kai Wallin (Edge) Sacramento, CA
16. Brice Turner (WR) Bay City, TX
17. Kwinten Ives (RB) Beverly, NJ
18. Dwight Bootle II (DB) Miami, FL
19. Sam Sledge (O-line) Omaha, NE
20. Jason Maciejczak (D-line) Pierre, SD
21. D’Andre Barnes (DB) Aurora, CO
22. Sua Lefotu (D-line) Bellflower, CA
23. Brock Knutson (O-line) Scottsbluff, NE
24. Jaylen Lloyd (WR) Omaha, NE
25. Jeremiah Charles (WR) Arlington, TX
26. Mason Goldman (O-line) Gretna, NE
27. Syncere Safeeullah (DB) Nashville, TN
28. Tristan Alvano* (PK) Omaha, NE
    * Specialists aren't included in rankings.

Tomorrow I'll begin my position-by-position breakdowns with a look at placekicker Tristan Alvano.

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Related: HuskerMax 2023 recruiting central

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