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Omaha Skutt wide receiver Christan Banker's path to Nebraska didn't go as he planned, but in the end he got what he wanted.

Banker was a late add-on to the NU walk-on class this month, after defensive coordinator Bob Diaco stopped by Skutt during the Huskers "In-State Swarm Tour."

When Nebraska found out the 1,000 yard all-state receiver Banker was planning on just attending NU as a regular student, they immediately decided to extend him an official walk-on spot.

"Nebraska came down to Skutt for a recruiting visit just for the 2018 class, and I believe they asked Coach (Matt) Turman just what my plans were for college," Banker said. "I just told them I was going to Lincoln just for school, and apparently they were interested in me. They said if I was just going to school, they could give me a walk-on offer. I got a call from them shortly after and the ball has been rolling ever since."

Banker added in his mind this was something he's always wanted and glad the call eventually came. This past season NU sent wide receivers coach Keith Williams to one of his games to evaluate him in person.

"I didn't hesitate at all," Banker said when he received the offer from Nebraska. "Playing college football has always been a dream of mine, and somewhere like Nebraska, that's just a dream come true."

Banker hopes to continue the long-standing Shrine Bowl tradition of in-state receivers that have played in this game and gone on to have success at NU.

Wide receivers Brandon Reilly, Bryan Reimers and Conor Young all used the Shrine Bowl recently to spring board them into their careers at Nebraska.

"I want to continue the walk-on tradition," Banker said. "What I've learned from those guys is hard work pays off. If I go down there and work, the rest of it will come into place."

There was a time where Omaha Skutt's Trent Hixson had multiple Division I offers on the table from both Air Force and South Dakota.

He decided to evaluate his options and make a decision after his senior season. The problem was those two schools filled up, and Hixson was left empty handed. That's when Nebraska was able to come and steal the 6-foot-4, 270 pound Hixson as a walk-on.

"One weekend I got a call from Air Force and they said they filled up," Hixson said. "I did not know that, then I called South Dakota the day after and they filled up. It was basically a no brainer (to walk-on at Nebraska).

"I was waiting on an offer from Northern Iowa possibly, but nothing showed. It was a no brainer the day I got the offer. It gives me an opportunity to prove myself."

Hixson will play one more game representing Omaha Skutt in Saturday's Shrine Bowl, and he's looking forward to proving himself one more time in front of a statewide audience.

"Obviously being a starter since my sophomore year at Skutt was a great accomplishment for me, helping us win a state championship," Hixson said. "Then freshman year I started wrestling and didn't win a match, I just continued doing that and ended up going 33-11 and getting second at state.

"I'm really looking forward to this opportunity on Saturday."

One of the real steals of the 2017 Nebraska walk-on class appears to be Cross County offensive lineman Hunter Miller.

The 6-foot-5, 275 pound Miller will join NU as a former eight man player, and South head coach Matt Turman said he's been blown away early form what he's seen thus far.

"We were doing bag drills and he moved his feet so well he looked like a running back," Turman said. "He's a really good player."

The chance to play on a big stage this week with so many top players has been a great learning experience for Miller as he gets ready to transition to Nebraska on Sunday.

"I'm looking forward to playing with all these other guys - the best of the best from across the state," Miller said. "It's been a fun experience playing with them so far, and I'm looking forward to the game on Saturday."

One of the more unique storylines in this year's Nebraska Shrine Bowl will be the family angle featuring the Turman's.

Omaha Skutt head coach Matt Turman is the head coach of the South team, while his younger brother Seth Turman, who coaches at Millard West will be his offensive coordinator.

It's the first time ever the two brothers have been able to coach a football game together.

"It's pretty fun," Matt Turman said. "I've enjoyed coaching with Seth. I give him kind of some liberties in the passing game. We are using his passing game, and I just took the run. We are working together. He's teaching me a few things, because the way he calls plays and pass plays is a little different.

"One of things I like most coaching in this game though, even when I was an assistant for Coach (Jeff) Gross at McCook and Coach (Glen) Snodgrass who is now at York is you learn a lot. The best way to learn is through other guys, especially successful guys. We are just bouncing ideas off of each other and I'm going to come away with a bunch of stuff I really like."

However, the family storyline doesn't stop at just Matt and Seth Turman. Their nephew, Noah Vedral (Central Florida recruit) will be the quarterback of the North team. Noah's mother Sara is the older sister of Matt and Seth. Their father Tim Turman is the head coach of Wahoo Bishop Neumann.

They tried to get him on the coaching staff as well, but since Bishop Neumann is on the North side of the boundary lines it wasn't allowed per Shrine Bowl rules.

Either way it's going to be a lot of fun, as Saturday will be Matt Turman's 25th anniversary (1992) since he played in the Shrine Bowl, while it will be Seth Turman's 20th anniversary (1997). They've had a lot of fun messing with their nephew Noah in the preparation process for this week's game.

"It's a little bit hard to (scheme) with the Shrine Bowl rules, but I'm already trying to get in (Vedral's) head," Matt Turman said. "We are going to bring all these big guys. I told him we are going to take the 5 yard penalty and blitz all three linebackers the first play and get after him."

***Future Huskers Ethan Cox from Blair, Chris Walker from Lincoln East and Jordan Paup from Central City all were initially committed to play in the Shrine Bowl, but withdrew from the roster before camp started this past weekend. Future Huskers Jaylin Bradley from Bellevue West and Austin Allen from Aurora were also invited, but declined to play in the game back in January.

***The South team appears to have a major advantage on the lines, being anchored by Wyoming recruits Rudy Stofer and Patrick Arnold, Ohio recruit Brett Kitrell and future Husker walk-ons Hixson and Miller.

"It's kind of like a college sized and college style offensive line," Miller said. "So it's been fun to run some plays against those guys and get to work."

***Just off the eyeball test alone, no player looked more impressive physically at Tuesday's media day than Bellevue West defensive end and Iowa Western recruit Malcolm Lee.

***Instead of flying both teams to a Shrine hospital in either Chicago or St. Louis, the Nebraska Shriners once again opted for an "Experience Day" with several former and current Shriners patients taking part with both teams at Nebraska Wesleyan. They have found it to be a more cost effective way to educate the players on the overall mission of the game.

***The South team is practicing at Doane College in Crete, while the North squad is holding camp at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln.

***Saturday's Shrine Bowl will take place at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium in Kearney at 2 pm. This will be the fifth straight year the game has been played on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Kearney.