The Brahmer family’s approach to recruiting was pretty simple. If you know what you want to do, why waste yours or anyone else’s time?
2023 Pierce (Neb.) tight end Ben Brahmer picked up his Nebraska offer on Feb. 19. At that moment the 6-foot-6, 195-pound Brahmer knew he was going to commit to the Big Red, it just was more a matter of when it would happen.
After getting to know both in-state lead recruiter Barrett Ruud, along with head coach Scott Frost, he let NU know of his decision on Thursday night.
“The past few weeks, my parents and my dad especially have been telling me that Nebraska is the place, and I know it is,” Brahmer said. “I called Coach Frost on Thursday and told him that I’m ready to be a Husker and then tweeted it out today, obviously. I wanted to do it earlier so I can focus more on my sports here at Pierce and getting better. I also didn’t want to have to go through all the crazy recruiting stuff over my whole high school career.”
Brahmer’s recruiting approach is a refreshing one. Probably one more college coaches appreciate, vs. dragging the process out to gain more offers, fame and recognition.
It would have been very easy for Brahmer to do that, even this summer when things open back up. However, it wasn’t even a thought according to Brahmer’s father, legendary Pierce head coach Mark Brahmer.
“When you really come down and look at it, a Nebraska kid playing at Nebraska, I don’t know what better situation you can have,” Mark Brahmer, who also serves as the principal at Pierce, said. “When it comes to facilities, after they get the new facility done down there, coaching staff and the support that the players and the team receive in the state of Nebraska, when you hear the statement ‘there’s no place like Nebraska,’ there really isn’t.
“There are not many places that can compare. I’m confident, based on my conversations with Coach Frost and Coach Ruud, that that thing is going to get turned around in the short term. They have laid the foundation the last three years, and they’ll continue to do that next year, and by the time he gets down there, it’s going to be turning. Hopefully, Benjamin can play a part in turning the whole thing around, and people can get back to getting used to winning year in and year out.”
The Brahmer family also had some pretty good resources right at their disposal in Pierce.
Les Piper, the father of current starting NU offensive lineman Ethan Piper, has worked under Mark Brahmer at Pierce for over 20 years as a science teacher.
Former Nebraska fullback Tyler Legate (2008-2011) also works under Mark Brahmer at Pierce and serves as the Blue Jays head wrestling coach and assistant football coach. Between Legate and the Piper family, the Brahmer’s had some great people to lean on throughout this process.
“I had a lot of long conversations with Tyler (Legate) and (the Pipers),” Mark Brahmer said. “Tyler is a great coach and teacher for us, too. Ben really respects and likes him a lot. I think some of those conversations helped Ben come to a decision.
“I think you could drive to South Bend and look at Notre Dame and I think you could go down to Texas A&M and look at that or go to Clemson, but when it comes down to it, where else are you going to have the opportunity to get an education, play in front of all your family and friends, your grandma and grandpas are going to be able to see you at every home game. He’s got two older sisters that are playing volleyball over at Wayne State right now. As he plays, they are going to be able to still get down and see him play.
“The Huskers get better support than any school in the nation. Where else can you have 90,000 people every single Saturday, even in years where maybe it is a little leaner than other years. The one thing about Nebraska fans is, as much as they might be critical of the program, every single week they show up and support them come heck or high water. All and all, as we looked at the pros and cons, there were just way too many pros for him to pass up.”
As a sophomore, Ben Brahmer helped lead the Blue Jays to a Class C-1 state championship. He currently plays seven-on-seven with the Warren Academy out of Omaha, as well as taking part in basketball and track for Pierce.
In 2020, Brahmer had 44 catches for 747 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s excited about the direction Nebraska is taking the tight end position, and that too played a factor in his decision.
“I like the direction they are taking their tight end position,” Ben Brahmer said. “I’ll get to learn under Thomas (Fidone) and James Carnie. They are really good players, and I’ll make myself better by that. I like how I’m going to be able to flex out and play some receiver too and also come in and block at tight end too.”
Ben Brahmer is the first Husker recruit to come out of Pierce since legendary NU tight end Matt Herian, who signed with Nebraska in 2002. Mark Brahmer also served as Herian’s high school head coach at Pierce.
