Nebraska has gotten 2021 off to a pretty good start as they added Wynden Ho'ohuli to its 2021 class today.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound outside linebacker chose the Huskers over other finalists such as Washington, Utah, Kansas State, and he had over 13 total offers to his name. Ho'ohuli becomes the 20th known commit for Nebraska's 2021 recruiting class.
Here are some quick takes on what the commitment of Ho'ohuli means for the Huskers.
1. You have to give Nebraska defensive line coach Tony Tuioti a ton of credit for the job he did in recruiting Wynden Ho'ohuli in this crazy recruiting cycle. Not only was he able to gain a commitment from the top-ranked player in the state of Hawaii that had never visited Nebraska before, but he was able to secure a commitment from a top prospect at the biggest need NU had left in the class - outside linebacker.
2. Nebraska has now added an outside linebacker to the class where there was a massive hole following the early signing period. They've got a few other linebackers in the class that could play outside if needed, but Ho'ohuli is better suited to do that for NU.
3. Ho'ohuli has the height and length that the Huskers are looking for to play the outside linebacker position. He also has the athletic attributes that they're looking for as far as speed and change of direction.
4. Ho'ohuli is a very explosive and physical football player. He's a sideline-to-sideline player that seemingly makes plays all over the place. That's what the Huskers are looking for and desperately need at that position.
5. The impressive thing about Ho'ohuli is that he could also play inside linebacker if needed. He brings a ton of versatility to the mix. The bottom line is NU needs playmakers at the linebacker position and they added one of the best ones in the nation to their class.
6. The addition of Ho'ohuli means Nebraska will most likely keep its 2021 recruiting class inside the top 20 nationally. That means the Huskers have now signed three consecutive top 20 recruiting classes under Scott Frost. That's a large influx of young talent into the program. Now, the key will be keeping them all together and developing them to their maximum potential.
7. Nebraska has been in on a handful of recruits from the state of Hawaii over the last few years, but none of them have ended up picking the Huskers. Now that Ho'ohuli, the top player in the state, has done so it should really help NU's efforts in the state going forward. Needless to say, that could eventually turn into a pretty nice little pipeline for Nebraska.
8. 2021 commit breakdown
1. 9/28/2019 - Teddy Prochazka - OT - 6-foot-9, 285 - Elkhorn, NE - 4 Stars
2. 11/17/2019 - Henry Lutovsky - OG - 6-foot-6, 310 - Mt. Pleasant, IA - 3 Stars
3. 1/2/2020 - Randolph Kpai - ILB - 6-foot-3, 190 - Sioux Falls, SD - 3 Stars
4. 4/27/2020 - Branson Yager - OT - 6-foot-8, 320 - Grantsville, Utah - 3 Stars
5. 5/9/2020 - Heinrich Haarberg - QB - 6-foot-5, 192 - Kearney, NE - 3 Stars
6. 5/29/2020 - Shawn Hardy II - WR - 6-foot-3, 190 - Kingsland, GA - 3 Stars
7. 6/6/2020 - Seth Malcom - ILB - 6-foot-3, 205 - Tabor, IA - 3 Stars
8. 6/23/20 - Gabe Ervin - RB - 6-foot-1, 205 - Buford, GA - 3 Stars
9. 7/4/20 - Latrell Neville - WR - 6-foot-4, 190 - Houston, TX - 3 Stars
10. 7/18/20 - Marques Buford - DB - 6-foot, 190 - Oakdale, CT - 3 Stars
11. 7/21/20 - Malik Williams - DB - 5-foot-11, 180 - Buford, GA - 3 Stars
12. 8/16/20 - Kamonte Grimes - WR - 6-foot-3, 200 - Naples, FL - 3 Stars
13. 8/24/20 - Koby Bretz - DB - 6-foot-2, 195 - Omaha, NE - 3 Stars
14. 8/26/20 - Thomas Fidone - TE - 6-foot-5, 223 - Council Bluffs, IA - 4 Stars
15. 8/28/20 - A.J. Rollins - TE - 6-foot-6, 230 - Omaha, NE - 3 Stars
16. 9/4/20 - Mikai Gbayor - LB - 6-foot-2, 220 - Irvington, NJ - 3 Stars
17. 10/12/20 - James Carnie - TE - 6-foot-5, 225 - Firth, NE - 3 Stars
18. 10/31/20 - Jailen Weaver - DE - 6-foot-7, 280 - Antioch, CA - 3 Stars
19. 12/5/20 - Ru'Quan Buckley - DE - 6-foot-5, 250 - Wyoming, MI - 3 Stars
20. 1/2/21 - Wynden Ho'ohuli - OLB - 6-foot3, 220 - Mililani, HI - 4 Stars
9. 2021 commit breakdown by position
1 - Quarterback
1 - Running back
3 - Wide receiver
3 - Tight end
3 - Offensive linemen
0 - Defensive tackle
2 - Defensive end
1 - Outside linebacker
3 - Inside linebacker
2 - Safety
1 - Cornerback
0 - Athlete
0 - Special teams
10. Where are they from?
5 - Nebraska
3 - Georgia
3 - Iowa
1 - California
1 - Connecticut
1 - Florida
1 - Hawaii
1 - Michigan
1 - New Jersey
1 - South Dakota
1 - Texas
1 - Utah