2024 Husker Signee Analysis: Defensive Back Braylen Prude

Prude's career path at Nebraska could end up mirroring that of DB-turned-linebacker Javin Wright

Braylen Prude via Twitter

Matt Rhule's recruiting approach is akin to an NFL scouting operation. There's a heavy reliance on analytics regarding athletic traits and verified testing numbers.

The strategy is forward-thinking, and it requires coaches to be adept at determining where a kid might end up playing his best football, even if it's a position he doesn't currently play.

Luckily, that's right in the Rhule's wheelhouse. The Nebraska football head coach has a knack for projecting a player's best position based on his body type and skill set. I think that strategy is going to lead him to moving Pearland (Texas) Shadow Creek defensive back Braylen Prude down a level.

Prude began his prep career at Missouri City (Texas) Fort Bend Hightower but hadn't received much attention from college programs through his first three seasons of high school ball. He didn't pick up his first offer until Division II Lane College offered in May 2023, and his only other offer prior to the Huskers getting involved was from FCS Eastern Illinois.

Trying to get more notice, he decided to transfer to Houston-area powerhouse Shadow Creek for his senior season. The move had an even more profound effect. It immersed him in a program with an extremely talented roster to help push him as a player. It also exposed him to a state championship-caliber coaching staff that helped develop his game.

---

Go here for more from Jeremy Pernell’s series.

---

Matt Rhule's affinity for camps and getting his eyes on players, coupled with his determination to build a pipeline into Texas, was the perfect recipe for finding Prude. The Houston area is a particular focus, and Pearland is a southern suburb of the Houston metro area.

Nebraska's coaches took notice of Prude at the Houston Christian University satellite camp they co-hosted on June 6. He immediately caught their eye with his 6-foot-4, 185-pound frame. During his early signing day press conference, Matt Rhule told the story of how Prude grabbed his attention. "Braylen Prude, 6-foot-4, gets up at the camp on my watch and runs 4.42. And you're like, 'Run that again," Rhule said. And? "And he ran that again."

After Prude turned heads with his 40 times, D-line coach Terrance Knighton, who has strong connections in the Houston area, followed him to each station to watch him in every drill. Soon, defensive backs coach Evan Cooper pulled him aside to personally put him through drills. When the camp broke off to begin one-on-ones, after the first rep, Husker coaches had seen enough. They offered him right there on the spot.

We saw a pattern last June with the players this staff unearthed on the camp circuit. They got them on campus for an official visit as soon as possible to try and lock them down. Prude was no exception, coming to Lincoln June 16-18. He loved the coaching staff and liked the proposition of being on the ground floor of a rebuild. It also meant a lot to him that Rhule was the first Power Five coach to believe in him.

He committed during the trip, publicly announcing his decision on June 18, and he never wavered.

Braylen is the son of former LSU defensive back Ronnie Prude, who was part of the 2003 national championship team. He played a half-dozen seasons as a professional in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens and in the CFL with Sacramento and Edmonton.

Prude is an intriguing prospect and a trademark Matt Rhule recruit. He's got a long, lean frame with impressive functional athleticism. He's also a multi-sport athlete who finished second at the UIL District 23-6A meet with a personal best 49.47-second 400 meters. He'll continue his track career this spring by participating in the 200 meters, 400 meters, the 4x200 and 4x400 relays and possibly the long jump.

Rhule believes in his staff's ability to develop and is comfortable taking someone like Prude who is clearly an under-the-radar prospect who's just scratching the surface of what he could become. There's a lot of potential here and Rhule is banking on his ability to tap into it.

Prude played as a hybrid safety/outside linebacker this past season at Shadow Creek, earning first-team all-district honors. He is physical and showed excellent range and a nose for the ball, which has to encourage coaches since he stood out playing a role that he will likely project to with the Huskers.

Prude has been compared favorably to current Husker linebacker Javin Wright, for obvious reasons. They have very similar frames coming from high school and both played primarily in the secondary before arriving in Lincoln.

On Nebraska's Football Signing Day Show in December, defensive coordinator Tony White described Prude as "a guy who can cover like a DB, but a guy who plays kind of that outside linebacker role - that hybrid type deal very similar to a Javin Wright."

I think you can expect Prude's career path to mirror that of Wright's.

In the meantime, while he grows into the same hybrid linebacker role that Wright occupies, what will be his best spot? Rover? The staff would like to get him around 215 pounds this season. Heck, who knows how his body will mature and grow? With his frame, he could actually continue to bulk up and end up playing the Jack or edge spot with a similar build to Jimari Butler or Princewill Umanmielen.

This seems like a long-term play with Prude contributing on special teams for a few years while he grows and develops into his frame. Even so, you have to like his potential.