5/19/2023 football Edit

Husker QB target Daniel Kaelin decommits from Mizzou, reopens recruitment

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.

Nebraska may have found its quarterback in the 2024 class after all: Daniel Kaelin is back on the open market.

The Bellevue West (Neb.) star has decommitted from Missouri and reopened his recruitment. Kaelin, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound three-star prospect, had been committed to Eliah Drinkwitz and the Tigers since March 13.

The game is officially on for Matt Rhule, Marcus Satterfield and the Huskers.

In reality, though, the game has almost certainly been on all week and perhaps even longer.

Kaelin was Nebraska's top quarterback target in the 2024 cycle prior to five-star legacy and No. 1 overall player Dylan Raiola decommitting from Ohio State in mid-December. Nebraska was lined up to gain Kaelin's commitment before Raiola reopened his own recruitment, but the Huskers justifiably made Raiola the top – and only – quarterback priority in the class.

Nebraska lost that recruiting battle on Monday as Raiola committed to Georgia. That reshuffled the Huskers' deck once more, and Kaelin was slotted in immediately as the priority target yet again. Inside Nebraska highlighted Kaelin first when assessing the Huskers' other QB targets following Raiola's decision because all of the evidence suggested that the first-year staff wasn't going to go down without a fight.

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Rhule didn't shy away from reality. He wasn't talking about any one player specifically, but he recently said publicly that Nebraska wasn’t going to back off recruits just because they’re committed elsewhere. Evidently, the Huskers' first-year program leader is putting his money where his mouth is.

Now, Husker fans are hoping they will get to avoid a second straight crushing, infuriating in-state recruiting loss in the wake of 2023 Gretna star quarterback Zane Flores signing with Oklahoma State last cycle.

It would be as foolish as foolish gets to bet against Rhule and the Huskers with Kaelin's decommitment now official. It's closing time.

Discuss Daniel Kaelin reopening his recruitment and the Huskers' 2024 QB recruiting with other Nebraska fans on the Insider's Board.