1/3/2023 football Edit

Cameron Lenhardt recommits to Nebraska

Zack Carpenter • InsideNebraska

Publisher

Zack Carpenter is the publisher of Inside Nebraska. He previously covered recruiting and the team beat for Ohio State, Clemson, South Carolina and recruiting at the national level for three years.

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Cameron Lenhardt is back N. The four-star pass rusher from IMG Academy (Fla.) has recommitted to Nebraska and has signed with the Huskers.

Led by Matt Rhule, the Huskers' new coaching staff immediately made Lenhardt a priority.

“One of the first things Coach Rhule did when they came in, they reoffered me," Lenhardt told Rivals' Ryan Wright." They told me that they were going to continue to push hard for me to get me to Nebraska.”

Lenhardt became the Huskers' second commitment on Tuesday, joining three-star 2023 Georgia CB Ethan Nation, who also made his commitment announcement at the Under Armour All-America Game.

Lenhardt picked Nebraska over Georgia Tech, Maryland, Penn State and Rutgers – the other four programs in his final five – and he said that he ultimately landed on the Huskers around 2 a.m. on National Signing Day during the Dec. 21 start of the early signing period.

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"I woke up and told the other schools, thanked them, and I locked it in. ... I would say, the schools that I have been to, I can tell where I fit, the atmosphere of the school, the football atmosphere, and the love that I have for the program,” Lenhardt said.

Lenhardt, ranked as the No. 25 weakside defensive end in the 2023 class, initially pledged to the Huskers on Aug. 25 while Nebraska was on its Dublin trip.

That turned into a very short-lived commitment.

Less than four weeks later, the Huskers had dropped to 1-3, fired head coach Scott Frost and fired defensive coordinator Erik Chinander. Lenhardt decommitted from Nebraska less than two hours after the news of Chinander's firing, making his original commitment just a 26-day affair.

"You know throughout my whole process, this is a long recruiting process," Lenhardt said when he originally committed. "Nebraska's been very consistent with me throughout all my four years. I built the relationship with the coaches over the four years. When I went there on my official visit, I just felt that genuine feeling and my mom felt that too we went up there. That's just great to really experience. That was what really made me pick Nebraska."

Even though the relationship between Lenhardt and the new Husker staff is much more fresh and new, it was built up strongly enough and quickly enough to the point that he made a second official visit to Lincoln during the Dec. 9-11 weekend. That trip helped buoy Lenhardt's ultimate choice to return to the class.

>>> RELATED: Meet the Huskers' 2023 signing class

In hindsight, it seems like Lenhardt was always destined for Nebraska or one of its conference rivals.

"The Big Ten is like home for me," Lenhardt said. "I'm from New York City, and I played high school football before IMG in New Jersey. That's big boy football up there. That's just really been like home for me and the Big Ten has been recruiting me the hardest throughout my whole process."

His commitment helps the Huskers push toward a top-25 national spot in the recruiting rankings and adds to their likelihood for a top-five class in the Big Ten. He joins fellow pass rushers Maverick Noonan, Princewill Umanmielen and JUCO transfer Kai Wallin, in addition to defensive tackle Riley Van Poppel and Mason Goldman, who Nebraska is looking to try as both an offensive and defensive lineman.