Nebraska rises in On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings

Five days after Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Dylan Raiola announced his commitment to Georgia over Nebraska and USC among others, the Cornhuskers found their quarterback of the future. Bellevue (Neb.) Bellevue West three-star quarterback Daniel Kaelin announced his pledge to Nebraska on Saturday, a day after decommitting from Missouri.

Kaelin’s decision elevated the Cornhuskers’ 2024 recruiting class to No. 24 in the 2024 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. Nebraska’s group, which is also No. 7 in the Big Ten, rose two spots from No. 26.

“I believe that Nebraska has the potential to get back to winning lots of games and (Matt) Rhule is definitely the right man for the job,” Kaelin told On3’s Chad Simmons. “He has a track record of turning around programs, which is why I believe in him to make a big change down in Lincoln.”

Rhule and his staff only offered three quarterbacks this cycle, one of whom is Kaelin. The others are Raiola and Hodgenville (Ky.) Lexington Christian Academy four-star quarterback Cutter Boley, a Kentucky commit who recently reclassified from the 2025 cycle.

Kaelin is the No. 483 overall prospect and No. 28 quarterback in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 4 player in Nebraska.

For more Nebraska recruiting intel, check out Husker Online

Nebraska is off to a strong start in the 2024 cycle

The Cornhuskers now have commitments from two of the top eight players in Nebraska in Kaelin and Elkhorn (Neb.) Elkhorn South three-star defensive lineman Ashton Murphy. Two of Kaelin’s high school teammates are also top-four players in the state: Bellevue (Neb.) Bellevue West four-star wide receiver Dae’vonn Hall and Bellevue (Neb.) Bellevue West three-star wide receiver Isaiah McMorris.

Nebraska is in front on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine for both Hall and McMorris. The Cornhuskers are also leading on the RPM for Ainsworth (Neb.) four-star tight end Carter Nelson, the top player in the state.

Following Kaelin’s pledge, Rhule and Co. have commitments from seven players. They are Kaelin, Murphy, Altair (Texas) Rice Consolidated four-star safety Roger Gradney, Miami (Fla.) Christopher Columbus three-star linebacker Willis McGahee IV, Katy (Texas) Taylor three-star tight end Ian Flynt, Houston (Texas) Klein Cain three-star interior offensive lineman Gibson Pyle and Liberty (Mo.) Liberty North three-star athlete Keelan Smith.