Rivals Combine: Nebraskans represent at St. Louis Combine

O'FALLON, Ill. - Over 700 participants showed at Saturday's Rivals Three Stripe New Speed Combine just outside St. Louis in O'Fallon, Ill.

A handful of Nebraskans took part in Saturday's event, and three of them walked away with invites to Sunday's Rivals Three Stripe Camp that will feature the best talent in the Midwest.

Here's a quick recap of some of the notable Nebraskan's who attended Saturday's combine.

The list of Nebraska attendees at Saturday's Three Stripe New Speed Combine in O'Fallon was highlighted by 2019 Omaha Burke tight end Chris Hickman.

The 6-foot-6, 195 pound Hickman already has offers from Iowa State and South Dakota State, and will take part in Sunday's Rivals Three Stripe Camp. He took part in the combine just to get the experience testing in a third party environment.

The company that runs the testing for the Rivals New Speed Combines is Zybeck, who also manages the NFL Combine testing in Indianapolis.

"It was great just getting this experience," Hickman said.

Hickman said the recruiting attention he's received already has opened his eyes this spring.

"It's just been unbelievable," Hickman said of the early attention. "I didn't know that it would happen this fast. I thought maybe it would happen the next couple of years, but not right now."

Hickman is not the only top Burke prospect for 2019. His teammate, linebacker Nick Henrich was not able to attend this weekend's events in O'Fallon because of a hamstring injury.

Henrich currently holds offers from both ISU and Minnesota. Over the spring Hickman said UCLA, Wyoming, Ohio and Nebraska among others have all made stops by Burke.

"Teams obviously can't really talk to me much, but they have been introducing themselves to me and getting an early look," Hickman said. "UCLA said they like me at defense. I'd like to be 15 to 20 pounds bigger by this time next year."

Hickman said he is still trying to finalize camp plans for the summer.

-Sean Callahan

2019 Wahoo Bishop Neumann lineman Caden Johnson made the trip in for the combine on Saturday.

The 6-foot-3, 240 pound Johnson had an outstanding sophomore season for the Cavaliers and earned an invited into Sunday's Three Stripe Camp. He'll work as a defensive player on Sunday.

"This is something I've been working for over the past two years," Johnson said. "I saw Noah Vedral come out here and saw the exposure the Rivals Camps gave him, so it's great to come out here and compete and get the opportunity to show some people what I've got."

***2019 Lincoln Southwest linebacker Caden McCormack earned an invited to Sunday's Three Stripe Camp after running a 4.8 second electronic time in the 40, and jumping a 33-inch vertical. As a sophomore, McCormack led Lincoln Southwest in tackles and is one of the better linebacker prospects in the state.

"I was very pleased with my performance, and I'm stoked for tomorrow," McCormack said. "I'm excited for the experience and what tomorrow will bring."

This summer McCormack will attend camps at Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska, South Dakota State and possibly Wyoming.

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***2020 Columbus Scotus athlete Tyler Palmer may have been the surprise in-state player of the day. Palmer unofficially measured in at 6-foot-1, 160-pounds, ran a 4.66 40-yard dash, had a 31.5-inch vertical and ripped off a 10-foot-6 broad jump. Palmer played quarterback as a freshman for Scotus last season and he also plays basketball and baseball.

***Lincoln Southeast was well represented as 2019 offensive lineman Luis Trujillo and 2019 quarterback Jampe Gergen performed well on the day.

***Norfolk defensive end Ryan Schommer is one of the bigger sleeper names to watch in the Nebraska Class of 2018. He measured in at 6-foot-6, 229 pounds and after a strong showing at the combine earned an invite into Saturday's Three Stripe Came.

"That's what I came here for," Schommer said. "I wanted to show what I could do, advance and get an invite into the camp.