In-State Tour: Lincoln Southeast

LINCOLN, Neb. - The HuskerOnline team hit the road in February for our 17th annual In-State Tour where we scour the state of Nebraska in search of the best up-and-coming football talent.

Our next stop of the tour took us to a familiar stop in Lincoln Southeast, where the Knights return several prospects that are gaining attention led by defensive lineman Maddox Burton.

In-State Tour: Elkhorn South | Omaha Westside | Omaha Roncalli | Omaha North | Lewis Central | Creighton Prep | Norris | Lincoln East | Fremont Mills | Bellevue West | Omaha Burke | Millard South | Waverly | Omaha Central | Wayne | McCook

Head coach: Ryan Gottula

2019 Record: 9-2 (Lost in the second round of the Class A playoffs)

Season Rewind: "It was an excellent group, great group of kids to work with. Some great leadership in that group. Some outstanding football players, obviously. I know we're really proud of what they were able to accomplish last year and look forward to building off of that with our future groups here."

Coach Gottula on 2021 DT Maddox Burton: "[Maddox had] a lot of growth last year I thought. Great player, strong player for us on the defensive line. He's a guy that has to play a lot of football for us next year, not only on defense but maybe help us out on the offensive side of the ball as well. Certainly, he had a great junior season and look forward to him doing more things for us next year.

"I think it could be either [offensive or defensive line in college]. Certainly, his film is more on the defensive side of the ball, but there are some schools that have looked at Maddox as a potential offensive lineman as well. I think he could do either with his size and measurables.

"He wasn't asked to play on both side of the ball a lot last year, but that's something that a number of the guys coming back will have to do. Just take an expanded role on both sides of the ball for their senior year."

Burton's take: "[I was most proud about] communicating with the team and our team chemistry. We played good, but there were times where we could have played way better than we did. I feel like one of our strongest attributes was playing as a team. One of my strongest attributes was just playing as a power rusher and playing next to Teivis Tuioti which got me recruiting looks.

"I feel like I'm underestimated with my speed once I hit and catch onto the o-lineman. I feel like I can move super fast off the line and press pretty hard. I working on getting way faster. I'm trying to stay at my weight, maybe drop a few pounds."

Recruiting: Burton says he's hearing from a number of schools including Cal, Nebraska, North Dakota State, South Dakota State and Northern Illinois among others. He plans on visiting Cal, South Dakota State and North Dakota State this spring.

Stats: Burton recorded 46 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups and one forced fumble as a junior.

Coach Gottula on 2021 CB Derek Branch: "He's a great leader defensively. He started for us since his sophomore year. Very intelligent player, physical player for his size. Like I said, just an intelligent player, great leader for our secondary going into next year. He's another guy that has played on the offensive side of the ball as well. We need a lot of plays out of him.

"Coaches think he's a really versatile player as far as outside he can play corner, he's also played a lot of nickel corner for us too and I think they like that. His versatility on that side of the ball is something we've heard a lot from the coaches about."

Branch's take: "I feel like I just got a lot stronger and faster compared to my sophomore year. My confidence was also a lot higher. I mean, I went up against some of the best receivers in the state so I just continued to build on my confidence throughout the season.

"I'm probably a corner, maybe nickel [in college]. My physicality id probably my biggest strength and getting off of blocks and being a factor in the run game. As far as getting better, I'm always trying to get faster. Currently, I'm going to be working with Chris Slatt in the spring getting ready for camps and stuff."

Recruiting: Branch is hearing from North Dakota State and South Dakota State on a regular basis. He's planning to visit South Dakota, North Dakota and Princeton this spring. Branch plans to attend the Lindenwood Mega Camp in St. Louis and the Chicagoland Showcase.

Stats: Branch had 45 tackles, one sack, one interception, four pass breakups and a forced fumble on defense. He also added nine catches for 68 yards on offense as a junior.

Coach Gottula on 2022 OLB Jake Appleget: "Jake played a little bit for us even as a freshman on some special teams and then towards the end of the season got in a little bit at linebacker. He had a great sophomore season for us at outside linebacker. I think he had 60 tackles and five interceptions. Just really showed a lot of growth for a sophomore.

"He's another guy that will really have to take on an expanded role on both sides of the ball as well. He's an intelligent kid, great size, skill set, so we look for a lot of great things from Jake over the next two years.

"I think he's gotten a lot of interest already as a sophomore. People are already aware of his skill set."

Stats: Appleget recorded 59 tackles, one sack, five interceptions and four pass breakups for the Knights' defense as a sophomore.