Eteva Mauga commitment: What does it mean for Nebraska?

Nebraska added a key piece to its defensive class on Wednesday with the commitment of Eteva Mauga.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound inside linebacker out of Pleasant Hill (Calif.) Diablo Valley College committed to NU over offers from Southern Miss, New Mexico, San Diego State, South Alabama, UAB as well as several from the PAC12 according to his coach. Mauga becomes the 15th known verbal commit for Nebraska's 2020 recruiting class.

Here are some quick takes on what the commitment of Mauga means for the Huskers.

1. The inside linebacker position is one of several key areas of need for Nebraska in the 2020 class and Eteva Mauga's commitment will go a long way in helping to solidify the position. He becomes the first inside linebacker commit of the class with the need for one more.

2. The Huskers needed to upgrade the overall athleticism at the inside linebacker position and Mauga brings plenty of that to the table. He arrived at Diablo Valley College as a 5-foot-11, 175-pound cornerback. He quickly grew into a safety and then made the move to outside linebacker this past season. He's now measuring in at 6-foot-2 and nearly 220-pounds. Given his growth and development since getting to college, it's safe to say his best football is still ahead of him as he's just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential.

3. Mauga is an explosive athlete. He has an incredibly fast first step and great top-end speed. He's a fun player to watch on defense as he closes the gap between him and the football extremely well.

4. Mauga has the strength to take on defenders and uses his hands very well. He's a disruptive player that has a knack for making the big play. His 23 tackles for loss and seven sacks on the season are proof of that and the type of production you want to see out of a JUCO player. He earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in his conference for his play this past season.

5. Mauga is a hard-nosed and physical football player. He's a tough kid that can deliver a hit. One thing that really stands out about the way he plays is his motor. He looks like he's always giving max effort which is something Nebraska is going to love about him.

6. His coaches rave about Mauga as a player, but say he's an even better person off of the field. He's a very focused individual that moved to California from American Samoa to pursue his football dream. He's always doing the right thing off of the field and working to improve himself. Most coaches rave about their best players, but I have not heard many coaches talk about a player the way that head coach Mike Darr talks about Mauga.

7. The Huskers have wanted to try and create somewhat of a Polynesian presence on their current roster and Mauga should only help in those efforts. He also now gives the Big Red a tie to Diablo Valley College and California JUCOs in general. Credit Barrett Ruud for developing a quick relationship with Mauga and his family and locking up a potential steal of a prospect.

1. 7/26/2018 - Logan Smothers - QB - 6-foot-1, 180 - Athens, Ala. - 4 Stars

2. 4/3/2019 - Zavier Betts - WR - 6-foot-3, 190 - Bellevue, Neb. - 4 Stars

3. 4/13/2019 - Turner Corcoran - OT - 6-foot-6, 270 - Lawrence, Kan. - 4 Stars

4. 6/23/2019 - Tamon Lynum - CB - 6-foot-2, 177 - Orlando, Fla. - 3 Stars

5. 6/24/2019 - Alex Conn - OL - 6-foot-6, 275 - Derby, Kan. - 3 Stars

6. 6/29/2019 - Nash Hutmacher - DL - 6-foot-5, 305 - Chamberlain, S.D. - 3 Stars

7. 7/2/2019 - Blaise Gunnerson - OLB - 6-foot-5, 250 - Carroll, IA - 3 Stars

8. 7/8/2019 - Will Nixon - WR - 5-foot-11, 185 - Waco, TX - 3 Stars

9. 8/21/2019 - Sevion Morrison - RB - 6-foot, 190 - Tulsa, OK - 3 Stars

10. 8/24/2019 - Marvin Scott III - RB - 5-foot-9, 195 - Port Orange, FL - 3 Stars

11. 9/19/2019 - Henry Gray - CB - 6-foot-1, 185 - Miami, FL - 4 Stars

12. 10/8/2019 - Ronald Delancy - CB - 5-foot-11, 165 - Miami, FL - 3 Stars

13. 10/12/2019 - Marquis Black - DL - 6-foot-4, 280 - McDonough, GA - 3 Stars

14. 11/26/2019 - Junior Aho - OLB - 6-foot-3, 245 - Roswell, NM (France) - 2 Stars

15. 12/11/2019 - Eteva Mauga - ILB - 6-foot-2, 220 - Pleasant Hill, CA (Am. Samoa) - NR

1 - Quarterback

2 - Running back

2 - Wide receiver

0 - Tight end

2 - Offensive linemen

2 - Defensive tackle

0 - Defensive end

2 - Outside linebacker

1 - Inside linebacker

3- Defensive back

0 - Athlete

0 - Special teams

Florida - 4

Alabama - 2

Kansas - 2

American Samoa - 1

France - 1

Georgia - 1

Iowa - 1

Nebraska - 1

Oklahoma - 1

South Dakota - 1

Texas - 1