Late 2019 commit Green ready to help Huskers
The time since signing day has been some of the wildest months ever for Jahkeem Green.
The 6-foot-4, 305-pound defensive lineman out of Highland (Kan.) C.C. had been committed to South Carolina since March of 2018. Around signing day he learned he would not be able to gain admittance there due to an online class he needed to take in order to graduate this spring.
Not only would he be unable to head back to his home state and play for the Gamecocks, he learned he wouldn't be able to be admitted into any SEC school.
“Since signing day, it’s just been wild," Green said. "After I realized I couldn’t go to the SEC anymore my head was just all over. It was just crazy, but everything happens for a reason.”
While Green knew he wouldn't be able to accept the offers he had from the likes of South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, he did earn a new one from Nebraska.
The talented defensive lineman had been in touch with former Highland C.C. head coach and current Huskers coach Ryan Held. After it was clear the door to the SEC had closed, the door to the Big Ten opened in Lincoln.
“I actually had talked to Coach Held a lot, but they never shot the offer until a couple of months ago," Green said. "So I got the offer late, but after that everything was cool. I started talking with them all the time."
From there, Green took an unofficial visit for one of Nebraska's Junior Days and an official visit for the Red-White Spring Game a few weeks later.
Since the time the Huskers offered, Green started to develop relationships with Held, head coach Scott Frost, and defensive line coach Tony Tuioti. Those connections played a huge role in his eventual commitment on the Sunday after the spring game.
“It was the connection with the coaching staff, the players - including all of the d-line - and of course the fan base," Green said about how he knew Nebraska was the right fit for him. “I went up there twice, once for an unofficial and once for an official visit. I stayed the whole weekend on my official and hung out with the d-line a lot. I’m cool with all those guys. I hung out a lot of DaiShon (Neal), the d-end, he was my host.
"When I went up there the coaches were all cool; Coach Frost, Coach Held, and Coach T. Being around them and the d-line a lot, I knew everything was cool. Me and Coach T still talk a lot, almost everyday. Same with Coach Held, too.”
The Huskers see Green as someone that will be able to help their d-line in a number of ways this fall.
“Coach T and I have talked about all of that," Green said. "We talk about all of their plays, stunts and all of that. He said I will play mostly left end and nose. Mostly left end, but I will have the chance to play all over the d-line when they switch between the 3-man to the 4-man. So I’m just going to be able to play all over.
“They like that I’m just big and athletic. I feel like I can bring a lot of energy. Me, I’m a totally different person on the field than I am off of the field. I’m like an animal, psycho-mode on the field and off the field I’m pretty laid back.”
Green says he's excited to start learning from and being coached by Tuioti and thinks he's a coach that will be able to help him reach his goal of playing at the highest level.
“Coach T is smart, man. He knows everything," Green said about his future d-line coach. "Every drill he has, there’s a reason for every drill. Just a specific reason for every drill. Plus, I know that he has coached in the League so, like he says, ‘Everything that the offense has, I have an answer for it.’
"I mean, some of the stuff he’s been saying, I’ve never even heard of some of that stuff before. He’s just smart, man.”
While his path to college football may be different than what it looked to be a year ago, Green is still just as excited about what lies ahead for him. Regardless of where he'll be playing in the fall, one of his main motivations remains the same.
“People never thought I would make it from high school, and I like to prove people wrong," Green said. "That really keeps me going. A lot of people looked at me and said, ‘Oh, he’s going to JUCO. He’s never going to make it out.’ JUCO has ballers, though, and we’re going to make it.”
Green says he should arrive in Lincoln in late June or early July and, once he does, he will have proved the doubters wrong.