Ethan Piper commit: What does it mean for Nebraska?

Nebraska picked up a big addition to its 2019 recruiting class Monday morning as Ethan Piper made things official for the Huskers.

The 6-foot-4, 280-pound defensive end out of Norfolk (Neb.) Catholic picked NU over offers from Iowa, Ohio and South Dakota State. He becomes the third known commit for Nebraska's 2019 recruiting class.

Here are some quick takes on what Piper's commitment means for Nebraska.

1. Head coach Scott Frost and his staff landed their first official in-state commit in Norfolk Catholic two-way standout Ethan Piper. Of course, the Huskers signed Cameron Jurgens in the 2018 and inherited commitments from Garrett Nelson and Garrett Snodgrass so far in 2019, but Piper becomes the first in-state prospect Frost has offered and received a commitment from since coming back to Nebraska.

2. Neither Piper nor Nebraska wasted much time deliberating this decision. The Huskers decided to offer last Wednesday. As soon as they did, it was a game-changer for Piper. However, he had previously committed to attending Iowa's Junior Day, so he still went to Iowa City over the weekend. He said after he landed the offer that he was going to make things "official" next week and he did just that on Monday morning.

3. Whether you want to admit it or not, Nebraska and Iowa have developed a legit rivalry. Not only have the Hawkeyes been getting the better of the Huskers on the football field, but they have done well with some Nebraska kids recently as well. The worst thing that could have happened for NU was to lose Piper to Iowa and see him perform at the level of a Drew Ott, Nathan Bazata or Noah Fant.

4. Piper is super athletic for his size. He runs about as well as any 280-pound player you'll see. He's also very explosive. He gets off the ball very well and has even been able to dunk a basketball since his eighth-grade year. It's not often you see a 280-pound kid with a 31-inch vertical jump.

5. Perhaps one of the best things about Piper and his abilities is the fact he could legitimately play on either side of the football. Given his athleticism, I think it's right for the Huskers to start him off on defense. However, should he continue to grow, or if things do not work out along the defensive line, he would make a tremendous offensive lineman, too. It's always nice to have that sort of flexibility with a prospect.

6. Piper has some intangible qualities that you love to see out of prospects. He's a very smart, competitive and tough individual. He carries a 3.96 GPA in the classroom and was recently seeing interest from schools such as Stanford and Princeton. He's a winner that has started in a state title game as a freshman and again as a junior where he helped lead his team to an undefeated state championship. Piper is a three-sport kid that is a leader in football, basketball, and track, as well as the weight room in the offseason.

7. Passion - Piper will be bringing plenty of that with him to Lincoln. It's interesting because all three of Nebraska's commits for 2019 are in-state kids that have a deep passion for being Huskers and are driven to get their program back to where they feel it should be and to make their state proud. That passion counts for a lot in my book.

3/5/2018 - Ethan Piper - DE - 6-foot-4, 280 - Norfolk, Neb. - 3 Stars

11/24/2017 - Garrett Snodgrass - ATH - 6-foot-3, 220 - York, Neb. - 3 Stars

6/24/2017 - Garrett Nelson - OLB - 6-foot-3, 236 - Scottsbluff, Neb. - 3 Stars

0 - Quarterback

0 - Running back/fullback

0 - Wide receiver

0 - Tight end

0 - Offensive linemen

1 - Defensive end

1 - Outside linebacker

0 - Inside linebacker

0 - Safety

0 - Cornerback

1 - Athlete

0 - Special teams

3 - Nebraska