Shrine Bowl: Neal, Holtorf battling it out for South

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As Adam Holtorf and DaiShon Neal go through their last hurrah of high school football this week while practicing with the South team for the 2015 Nebraska Shrine Bowl, both have been using each other to make the experience as beneficial as possible.

Holtorf, a two-star Seward, Neb., offensive lineman and Kansas State signee, and Neal, a three-star defensive end from Omaha Central and Nebraska signee, have made it a point to go up against each other in every scrimmage rep and practice drill possible. By doing so, the two Power Five prospects know they're getting a good taste of what life will be like when they report to their respective universities next week.

"I'd say the majority of the reps that both of us have taken have been against each other," Holtorf said. "It's great because it forces both of us to work. I know it's helping me and I'm sure it's helping him too."

Even though Holtorf has been working primarily at left tackle for the South squad and Neal is generally lined up on the other side of the line at left defensive end, Neal has found a way on numerous occasions to move over across from Holtorf for the best challenge he can get.

"Some of the other guys are scared to go against him so I force them to go against him," Neal said. "But Adam and I like to go against each other one on one. He gives it all he's got and I give it all I've got. We just work on technique and everything.

"It's pretty fun, because he's bigger than me. I've got the speed and I'm using my hands and my speed to my advantage. His motor is non-stop and my motor is non-stop, so we just keep going at it and at it. I make plays on him and he's stopped me from getting to the quarterback a few times. I guess I've won the battle a little bit more because I've got the length and I can read the offense better."

South coach Lynn Jurgens of Wilber-Clatonia said he's enjoyed watching Holtorf and Neal square off during Shrine Bowl practices. While many fans around the state may know more about Neal since he's a future Husker, Jurgens said Kansas State is also getting a very talented player in Holtforf, who was a second-team All-Nebraska selection as a senior last season.

"Adam only knows one speed," Jurgens said. "He only knows one speed whether we've got him on offense or defense. A lot of guys are mixing it up, but Adam is one of the ones you have to keep an eye on, because he's always going 100 percent."

Like the Nebraska commits and walk-on players participating in the game, Holtorf will have a very quick turnaround following the Shrine Bowl on Saturday, as he is scheduled to report to KSU the very next day on Sunday.

"I'm going to go home and do laundry, then I'll pack back up again and go down there," Holtorf said.

Once he arrives in Manhattan, Kan., Holtforf said he expects to start out his college career working inside at guard and maybe even some at center. Currently measuring in at 6-4, 285, Holtorf also said he wants to eventually put on another 15 pounds in order to size up with the rest of the Wildcats' interior offensive line, which averages around 300-310 pounds.

Asked if there was any hesitation on his part about going through a week of Shrine Bowl practices immediately before kicking off his college football career, Holtorf said he knew he wanted to play in the game as soon as he was officially extended an invitation.

"Honestly, for me, I just wanted to play in the game," Holtorf said. "My freshman year, (Seward) had a kid play in the Shrine Bowl. Last year we had another kid play in the Shrine Bowl. It's just one of those things that when I found out that I got selected to play in it, I just jumped at the chance. The K-State coaches gave me the green light, so I took the opportunity and it's been really fun thus far."

NebraskaJACKS representing at Shrine Bowl

When the South team takes the field for Saturday's Shrine Bowl in Kearney, Neb., fans of South Dakota State will get a nice glimpse into the future.

There are five SDSU signees on the South roster in Beatrice's Jessup Workman, Crete's Jake Harms, Papillion-La Vista South's Luke Sellers and Ryan Earith, and Syracuse's Matt Clark. That also doesn't include two others on the North squad in Omaha North's Marquise Lewis and Columbus' Blake Bubak.

Needless to say, the Jackrabbits' relentless recruiting of the state of Nebraska has never been more evident than it is just looking over the Shrine Bowl rosters.

"Going in when we pick kids, we already know where some of them are going," Jurgens said. "But each day we keep talking about them as players and it's like, 'Wow, here's another guy going to South Dakota State.' They really have a great recruiting class because we've got some really talented guys that are going to go there."

Earith was familiar with one of his future South Dakota State teammates in Sellers, a fellow Titan. But he said the opportunity to not only play alongside some other SDSU signees this week, but also get to know them off the field in the Doane College dorms has been a great kickstart to the bonding process with his new team.

"We've kind of gotten a chance to get together and break the ice a little bit and meet each other, see how we play," Earith said. "You really get to know each other in the dorms."

While most of the future Jacks don't need to report to Brookings, S.D., until after the Fourth of July holiday, Earith said the group can't wait to get the next chapter of their careers going together. Earith said SDSU's 2015 class could be just the beginning of a new pipeline for bringing Nebraska talent up north.

"We've got a lot of talent here," Earith said. "The coaches (at SDSU), they've put a lot of effort to recruit down here and have made it clear they want to recruit Nebraska as hard as anyone."

Quick hits

***The South team with travel to the Shriners Children's Hospital in Chicago on Wednesday. The North team visited the hospital on Tuesday.

***Earith said one of the funnier moments of Shrine Bowl week was a game of charades the South players had going in the dorms one night after practice. Earith said Clark was the best performer of the group. What did Clark do that was so funny? "I'm not going to say," Earith said with a laugh.

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