Nebraska has added to its 2023 recruiting class: Gretna (Neb.) outside linebacker Korver Demma has committed to the Huskers as a preferred walk-on.
The 6-foot-2, 216-pounder announced the decision on Twitter on Wednesday night. Demma chose to pursue the PWO route at Nebraska instead of continuing to pursue colleges that have interest in him at the FCS level. He held offers from South Dakota and South Dakota State and took an official visit to South Dakota State over the weekend.
It didn’t take long for Demma to make up his mind.
"I've been a Husker fan my whole life," Demma told Inside Nebraska. "Even when I grew up in Arizona. My mom played volleyball in Nebraska. She was an All-American there. My great grandpa actually played for Nebraska. He was a guard, but that was back in the days of like the leather helmets and stuff like that. I've been watching the Huskers since we were in the Big 12. So when we moved back and I actually started talking to the staff and having the season that I'm having, it was a no brainer that when they gave me the offer [to walk on], I was just like, you gotta commit to that."
Demma says that the Huskers had things to offer that were more intriguing to him than a full-ride scholarship offer.
"There's so many things," Demma said. "Just the opportunities I'll have there that I would not have at any other school. The fan base here is incredible. I've lived it being a Husker fan. The loyalty. To be able to play for these fans is second to none. The opportunities I have to accomplish my goals to go into the NFL is also second to none."
Demma's commitment as a PWO comes less than two weeks after his most recent trip to Nebraska for the Huskers' 35-21 win over Indiana. He also visited for Nebraska's loss to Oklahoma, and he participated in the Adidas OL/DL Big Man Camp in June.
Demma has played a variety of positions throughout his high school career. He currently stars as a defensive end/outside linebacker for Gretna. The Huskers have a slightly different position in mind for him, though.
"Inside linebacker is what they want me as," Demma said. "I just had a phone call with Coach (Barrett) Ruud. I'm pretty pumped to be a player for him. He had a great NFL career. He's an awesome dude. He said I'll probably just get started on special teams. But this isn't just like come in and be a Husker. This is you got to work for your dreams. I have bigger dreams to play in the NFL someday. So this is gonna be pretty huge for me. I'm just really excited."
The defender has 33 tackles, five tackles for loss and four sacks so far during his senior season. Demma will be an early enrollee as a walk-on for the Huskers. When he made the official commitment to interim coach Mickey Joseph he stepped out of his accounting class to give Nebraska the news. Once he had that moment with Joseph, he texted his parents who were emotional about the big moment.
He walked back in to finish a test with a big smile on his face. We'll see how he ended up doing on that test, but he's pumped about the opportunity to be a Husker this January.
