LINCOLN, Neb. — A consensus top-five player in the Class of 2026 and the No. 1-rated prospect at offensive tackle, Jackson Cantwell visited Nebraska a year ago to watch the Huskers face Michigan.
The Wolverines led 28-0 at halftime en route to 45-7 victory.
“They did tell me that they needed some time to get their footing,” Cantwell said, recalling his conversations last year with Nebraska coaches. “They needed some time to get things going, establish their culture.”
The son of two former U.S. Olympians with family roots in Nebraska on his mother’s side, Cantwell returned last weekend. This time, the Huskers led 28-0 at halftime, ultimately dispatching Colorado 28-10. A frenzied atmosphere contributed to a memorable experience for Cantwell.
“I can see it getting established,” he said. “I can see the vision for what they were talking about a year ago. What they’re trying to do, it’s becoming a reality, slowly but surely.”
Fourteen games into the Matt Rhule era, Nebraska football is waking up.
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Recruits like Cantwell, a five-star talent out of Nixa, Missouri, and four-star linebacker Christian Jones of Omaha Westside, the top 2025 prospect in Nebraska who committed to the Huskers on Monday over Oklahoma, feel it.
Nebraska is gaining national attention not for its missteps or another dose of offseason hype, but instead for its product on the field, featuring a rock-solid defense and freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola.
Rhule’s vision is coming into focus.
“We are always relevant here,” he said, “but I need to be relevant in all 50 states.”
The environment on Saturday night, with the seats full an hour before kickoff and 6.3 million viewers on NBC, rivaled anything seen at Memorial Stadium in the generation gone by since Nebraska played regularly for national championships.
Drones and a light show ushered in the fourth quarter.
“It’s nothing I’ve ever seen before, nothing I’ve ever been a part of,” said senior wide receiver Jahmal Banks, who played for the past four seasons in the ACC at Wake Forest.
The environment in Nebraska is BANANAS@CoachMattRhule has those boys BUZZIN#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/OyoVPN9354
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 10, 2024
Rhule has embraced former Nebraska linebacker Will Compton, the 34-year-old recent NFL retiree who stars on the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast. College players, recruits and a young audience are captivated.
“Pretty cool, for sure,” Cantwell said.
Compton visited the Nebraska locker room Saturday with his co-host, former Michigan and NFL lineman Taylor Lewan. They basked in the sideline spotlight before kickoff Saturday as a Compton hype video flashed on stadium big screens.
Troy Dannen’s 10-year-old son, William, recognized Compton and asked to get a photo with him.
“That’s the stuff that actually starts to have a generational impact,” said Dannen, the Nebraska athletic director.
Will Compton and Taylor Lewan were in attendance during Nebraska’s 28-10 win against Colorado. (Dylan Widger / USA Today)
Rhule arranged for world champion boxer Terence “Bud” Crawford to speak to the team on Friday night. A lifelong Omahan who often displays his passion for the Huskers, Crawford is a hugely popular figure in Nebraska football country.
In his message, Crawford implored the Huskers to embrace the underdog role and to carry a chip on their shoulders. He led the Huskers out of the tunnel on Saturday. Rhule gave him a game ball after the win.
“We want our guys to know that we have celebrities here in Nebraska, too,” Rhule said in a veiled shot at Colorado after the win moved Nebraska to 2-0 for the first time since 2019.
The Huskers have endured a dark stretch of seven consecutive losing seasons and a 24-year drought without a conference title.
Almost overnight, it’s cool again to like Nebraska. And it didn’t happen by accident.
Nobody does it like Nebraska. pic.twitter.com/bIbXfWZ1wY
— Nebraska Huskers (@Huskers) September 8, 2024
Susan Elza, Rhule’s chief of staff, connected with Crawford after his representatives contacted Nebraska’s event management and operations team. Crawford wanted to attend the Week 2 game in Lincoln.
When Rhule heard of the request, “it was 1,000 times yes,” Elza said. The coach had admired Crawford from afar. The Huskers gathered as a team to watch Crawford’s light-middleweight title fight last month.
Rhule got on a call with Crawford’s camp. His people didn’t seek any attention for the champ. But Rhule wanted to get him involved. They worked an arrangement.
So Rhule talked during the days ahead of the Colorado game to Nebraska players about lessons in football to gain from Crawford’s patient but devastating style in the ring. On Friday when the Huskers returned to their hotel after viewing a movie, Rhule got in front of the team and talked more about Crawford.
Bud was waiting outside the doors with Elza and entered the room to a roar. Defensive end Jimari Butler said he was starstruck by Crawford.
“Our players were locked in,” Elza said. “He talks real talk. It was amazing.”
Rhule’s hands touch everything inside the program.
“I think what makes him unique,” Elza said. “You’re going to have head coaches that are just outstanding on the field. But they let everybody else do all that. He has a gift. But I also think it’s just who he is.”
Dannen talks with Rhule daily. After Week 1 of this season, Dannen, hired as AD in March, sat down with Rhule to discuss the Memorial Stadium experience. The 40-7 Nebraska win against UTEP marked Dannen’s first football game in Lincoln.
“It’s not his job to pull a playlist out,” Dannen said. “It’s not his job to say ‘We should do this in a timeout.’”
But Rhule wants to be involved.
“How do we win the game and then how do we set ourselves to win tomorrow?” Dannen said. “Matt is as close to anybody in understanding what motivates the guys in that locker room. What do they want? What are they talking about? What are these kids on the recruiting visits coming in and talking about? He knows more than anybody.”
His first two games as the Nebraska AD confirmed for Dannen what he believed he knew about Nebraska and its fans.
“It was spectacular,” Dannen said. “I don’t know how that atmosphere is bettered. If your fan base can help influence the outcome of the game and you have things going on the field, you have everything necessary.
“I understand why it was so hard for anybody in the past to come in here and win when things were really rolling.”
From 1991 to 1998, Nebraska won 47 consecutive games at home, the fifth-longest streak in college football history.
I don’t think people are ready for Nebraska to be Nebraska again…Played there twice…If they actually get this thing going………Laawwwd!!!!!!
— Joel Klatt (@joelklatt) September 9, 2024
Cantwell’s father, Christian, won a silver medal at 2008 Beijing Olympics in the shot put after a seven-time All-America collegiate career at Missouri. Jackson’s mother, Teri (Steer) Cantwell, starred at SMU and threw the shot put in the 2000 Olympic Games.
She grew up in Crete, Nebraska. Jackson’s grandmother and aunt still live in Crete. Relatives of his played football at Nebraska. At 6 feet 7 inches and 305 pounds, Jackson’s a prep national champion in shot put in addition to his football exploits.
Even with the connections and Nebraska’s heritage in track and field — the Cantwells met with Nebraska track coach Justin St. Clair during their visit last week — he sees the school in a different light after his latest trip to Lincoln.
“Great environment,” Jackson Cantwell said. “Very loud for all four quarters. Entertaining to watch. They made it fun for sure.”
Cantwell talked during his visit with Dayton Raiola, the 2026 QB prospect from Buford, Georgia, and the brother of Dylan Raiola, the five-star signee from the Class of 2024 who passed for 423 yards in his first two starts. Cantwell said he and the younger Raiola hit it off well.
Cantwell also connected with Donovan Raiola, the uncle of Dylan and Dayton and the Huskers’ offensive line coach.
“It felt almost a little surreal this time,” Cantwell said. “I kinda got treated like a movie star. I’m not used to that.”
A hint of swag is back at Nebraska. This week, a new energy exists. The Huskers entered the national polls for the first time in five years at No. 23 in Associated Press Top 25 and No. 24 in the coaches poll.
Rhule said after the victory on Saturday that he expected the Huskers to win that game by a big margin. The coach doubled down on it Monday.
Of the ranking, he said: “We’ve got bigger plans than that.”
Northern Iowa visits Saturday for another 6:30 p.m. kickoff. The Huskers’ Big Ten opener against Illinois is set for Sept. 20, a Friday night, in Lincoln.
“It’s a long season,” running back Rahmir Johnson said, “but we’re coming.”
They’re coming. And people are starting to pay attention.
Photo: Dylan Widger / Imagn Images
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Publish date : 2024-09-10 22:00:00
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