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Nebraska Football Kicker Target Trace Rudd: 'If They Offered Today I'd Lock It Up'

Trace Rudd is a five-star kicker who was on campus recently. He details his visit with HuskerMax.

Caleb Sisk

Trace Rudd on his visit to Nebraska
Trace Rudd on his visit to Nebraska / @TraceRudd3/X
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Despite a Husker winning the Big Ten Kicker of the Year award in 2020, recent history has shown Nebraska football could always use another reliable leg to put the pigskin through the pipes.

Best atmosphere I’ve experienced and crazier than I expected.

- 2026 kicker prospect Trace Rudd

Someone looking to be that guy is five-star (Kohls) kicker Trace Rudd out of Blue Valley Northwest High School in the Kansas City area. Rudd - no relation to the Husker greats of a similar spelling in Ruud - caught up with HuskerMax after visiting Lincoln for the UCLA game.

 “My visit was amazing,“ Rudd said. “I was excited to be there and it was my last game-day visit of the year. It was hard to line up the date to get there but I finally made it. I loved everything about it. The team, the fans, the stadium were all amazing. It was like nothing I experienced on my other visits.

“Huskers set the tone as soon as I walked in. I have experienced the good and the really good. The Cornhuskers setup was really good. As soon as we checked in everyone was great. The recruiting staff all make you feel like family. We went out as a group and watched the walk-in of the team and you could feel how big football was there. The families waiting just to see the guys show up was a big deal. The kids even looking at us recruits you could tell were so excited.

“I got to walk out earlier than the other recruits or commits since I am a kicker. The walk and build-up out to the stadium was crazy. A red carpet with black flag lights past the fans/ kids out to the field made me want to get my cleats on. Then I hit the field and the size of the place is crazier compared to when I'd been in there and kicked at a camp when it was empty. I was blown away. I got to hang on the field with the special team unit while they warmed up. I was juiced while talking to coaches I kept looking at all the people who came in and filled all the seats. It was crazy.  All game long the fans were top-notch. They didn’t win but you could tell people were going to stand by their team and were positive overall. Best atmosphere I’ve experienced and crazier than I expected.”

As a kicker Rudd said he looks specifically at the coaches for his position as opposed to team results.

“For me being a kicker I look at everything a little differently. I have my top 3 and I don’t have an order,“ Rudd said. “The big thing for me is the Huskers have (special teams) Coach (Ed) Foley and (special teams analyst Josh) Martin. I’ve connected with those guys and they check in with me weekly.  Now they added (former Nebraska and NFL kicker Brett) Maher. I got to small talk with him but having a guy just for kickers is big for me. Kicking is overlooked as everyone knows but these guys make it feel like a top priority. They do all the right things to be my top but as a kicker, I just have to be open and patient.”

Rudd isn’t concerned with NIL and benefits similar to NIL.

“I know why some top recruits pick the schools they pick and those reasons don’t apply to me,“ Rudd said. “Perks and benefits (NIL) that others look for or can even ask for don’t apply to me. For kickers just being told we want you here is a massive deal from any school.

Kickers tend to get recruited differently.

“I know guys who are seniors and fellow five-stars who don’t have offers and they don’t have any Power 4 schools saying they want them on their team,“ Rudd said. “Most are stuck in the PWO status and no scholarship is available to them. I have 4 schools who have stated they want me on the team and are sorting out how to get it done. I don’t consider that an offer but as a Junior that’s a massive opportunity.”

Rudd did say he would make Nebraska a priority should an offer get extended.

“Man if they offered today I’d lock it up,“ Rudd said.

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Caleb Sisk
CALEB SISK

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