2024 Husker Signee Analysis: Offensive Lineman Grant Brix

The small-town road-grader with a jaw-dropping offer list could be Nebraska’s future at right tackle

Grant Brix via X

In every recruiting class there are always a handful of commits who capture the attention of the fanbase. Dylan Raiola, as a five-star legacy who plays the most important position in sports, was always going to be one of those guys. As was Carter Nelson, a homegrown prospect who's one of the highest-rated players to come out of the state since Baker Steinkuhler carried five stars in 2008.

But this is Nebraska, home of the Pipeline, so it comes as no surprise that one of the best offensive linemen in the country who's 90 miles from campus in neighboring Iowa had Husker fans on pins and needles for months.

Grant Brix enjoyed a meteoric rise as a national recruit after heading into the summer before his junior year without a scholarship offer. Playing in a town of 1,400, Brix wasn't exactly in the flight path of college recruiters.

Logan-Magnolia coach Matt Straight knew the frame, tools and potential Brix had and encouraged him to start attending camps to get attention.

As luck would have it, Brix - who weighed around 260 pounds at the time - started his camp circuit at a Husker Friday Night Lights camp because it was the closest Power Five program to his home. He impressed the former Husker staff, but the old regime wasn't ready to extend an offer. They wanted to monitor his progress and see how his junior season played out.

---

Go here for more from Jeremy Pernell’s series.

---

It was the same story after camps at Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota and others. It wasn't until Brix visited Kansas State - his 10th and final Power Five camp that summer - that he received his first offer. Near the end of camp, Wildcats O-line coach Conor Riley walked over and took Grant into the tunnel to meet with head coach Chris Klieman, who personally extended the offer on July 30, 2022.

The camp tour didn't result in a flood of immediate offers, but it put Brix on radars and when he started his junior year in September, the offers rolled in as he earned a reputation as one of the top O-linemen in the region. Iowa State, Missouri, Minnesota, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wisconsin all offered within 10 days of each other that month.

When Mickey Joseph became Nebraska's interim head coach, one of the first offers he made was to Brix on Sept. 29, days before getting him on campus for the Indiana game.

Schools like Iowa, Northwestern, Illinois and Duke also offered before the end of his junior season, but it was during the offseason when coaches watched his junior film and went into the contact period when he became a national recruit and one of the most sought-after O-linemen in the country.

Soon prominent programs like Alabama, Auburn, Miami, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Stanford and Tennessee joined a growing list of Power Five suitors.

When Matt Rhule took over at Nebraska, Brix was the first name O-line coach Donovan Raiola mentioned as a priority target.

Brix is a three-sport star, and it was at a wrestling meet on Jan. 26, 2023, when Rhule first visited him at his high school and made it clear that he was a priority at Nebraska.

As a junior, Brix qualified for state on the wrestling mat and also finished seventh in the shot put at the Iowa state track meet, having a PR of 50' 2.5".

Brix and Rhule hit it off immediately. The initial interaction put the Huskers toward the top of Brix's list and led to several visits beginning with the massive junior day weekend March 24-26. That trip left a lasting impression. Not only did he continue to strengthen his bond with Rhule and Raiola, but he was awestruck by the strength and conditioning presentation given by Corey Campbell.

As the crucial month of June began, Brix narrowed his 20-plus Power Five offers to a final four of Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas State and Alabama. He spent the month visiting each of his finalists, first checking out the Sooners (June 9-11) then heading to see the Wildcats (June 16-18) and Crimson Tide (June 21-23) before finishing his tour in Lincoln (June 23-25).

The trip to Nebraska coincided with their biggest visit weekend of the summer, with 14 recruits in the 2024 class hitting campus. Brix - along with tight end Carter Nelson - was one of the highest-priority targets for both the coaching staff and for his peers. Brix and Nelson had built a friendship with quarterback Danny Kaelin over the months and their camaraderie continued to grow on that visit. It also gave Brix a chance to connect with several other commits, including fellow Iowan Jake Peters and Colorado lineman Landen Davidson.

Brix planned on making an August commitment and hoped a final round of visits before the dead period would help him make a decision. He visited Kansas State (July 27), Oklahoma (July 28) and Nebraska (July 30) for recruiting barbecues, but still couldn't make up his mind and decided to take things into his senior season.

During his recruitment, each of his top three had spent time as his leader. Kansas State held that distinction from late 2022 until the conclusion of his June official visits, when Nebraska and Oklahoma seemed to nudge ahead heading into fall.

Matt Rhule and Donovan Raiola visited Grant at Logan-Magnolia in mid-October during the Huskers’ bye week as Brix's recruitment heated up. After continuing to struggle to narrow down his finalists, Brix decided to take game-day visits to his top schools.

He visited Lincoln Oct. 28 for Nebraska's game against Purdue and was in Norman Nov. 11 for Oklahoma's game against West Virginia. A few days prior to his visit, on Oct. 25, Nebraska gained national attention when they parked the team equipment truck outside his school as a not-so-subtle way of grabbing his attention.

Brix later admitted his October trip was his favorite of the roughly 30 visits he had taken during his recruiting process. It proved to be a turning point. He loved the family vibe and culture inside the program.

The proximity to home coupled with Rhule’s reputation as a program builder proved to be deciding factors. Grant's friendships with Nebraska pledges were also much stronger than at any other school.

He subsequently canceled visit plans for Kansas State and instead made a return trip to watch the Huskers take on Iowa on Black Friday. Brix committed to Nebraska's coaches in the days leading up to the game and went public with the news on Nov. 28.

At 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds, Brix could project to any spot on the offensive line. Services are split on his best position, with Rivals (No. 5), ESPN (No. 8) and 247Sports (No. 20) ranking him among the top 20 tackles in the country, while On3 lists him as the No. 3 interior O-lineman in the class.

Brix finished the 2024 cycle as a consensus four-star recruit and is ranked as the No. 63 (On3), No. 80 (Rivals), No. 90 (ESPN) and No. 217 (247Sports) overall player in the country.

He was named to the Des Moines Register's All-Iowa Elite team as a junior and senior, and concluded his prep career by playing in the prestigious All-American Bowl. Established in 2000 and formerly known as the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, it's the preeminent all-star exhibition. The game has had 562 future NFL Draft choices, including 129 first-round picks participate. A whopping 217 participants have gone on to be Pro Bowl selections and 97 have been Super Bowl champs.

Brix played right guard for the West team and was highlighted for his strong play going up against some of the best D-linemen in the country.

Some colleges viewed Brix more as a guard prospect, but Nebraska has envisioned him as a tackle from the beginning, probably best suited for the right side. While the Huskers also heavily pursued five-star tackle Brandon Baker - who signed with Texas - there are those inside the program who considered Brix the top lineman on the board.

Brix has huge upside and will come to Nebraska as an absolute road grader. His tape shows a man among boys who completely dominated inferior competition. As a result, there were a lot of eyes on him in San Antonio during practices for the All-American Bowl. He didn't disappoint and his talent was apparent against his fellow all-stars.

Brix is a very good athlete. He has excellent footwork and moves well laterally. He's quick out of his stance, plays with good pad level and is explosive. He has a great motor and plays with aggression and tenacity through the echo of the whistle.

Logan-Magnolia runs the wishbone offense and attempted just 45 total passes in 11 games last season. As a result, Brix’s pass blocking will need to be overhauled, although to his credit he has looked good in camp settings during one-on-ones. He certainly has the tools. He shows good flexibility, has long arms and a nice punch so I would expect that part of his game to catch up to his run blocking. It'll just be a matter of committing his kick step to muscle memory.

With Teddy Prochazka and Bryce Benhart returning as bookends, Brix will be afforded at least a year before he's asked to be a serious contributor. As it stands now, he's probably being earmarked by the staff as Benhart's replacement at RT in 2025.

He debated the merits of graduating early for several weeks. It was actually his father who forced his hand, knowing the benefits it brings long-term to his development. Brix enrolled early and is taking part in winter conditioning and will participate in spring practices.