Nebraska Football’s 2027 Commits: Defensive Linemen and Edges

Fifth in a series
Previous installments: QB, RB, WR/TE, OL

Regardless of how talented the rest of this recruiting class is, there would have been a different tone surrounding this group had Nebraska not closed with a few promising defensive linemen, particularly after the Huskers failed to sign a single high school defensive lineman or edge defender in the 2026 class.

Through most of the spring, that was far from a certainty as several top targets committed elsewhere or never included Nebraska in their June visit schedules.

Jayden Travers

The staff secured an early commitment from Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances Academy defender Jayden Travers. Nebraska running backs coach E.J. Barthel had stopped through St. Frances Academy multiple times over the years, helping establish a presence at the powerhouse program and laying the groundwork for Travers' recruitment. Assistant Director of Player Personnel Anthony Johnson later took over as the primary recruiter and became a major reason Travers never wavered despite the staff turnover after the 2025 regular season.

Nebraska offered Travers on May 14, 2025, and he made his first trip to Lincoln on Oct. 25 to watch the Huskers defeat Northwestern. Despite several defensive coaching changes, including his would-be position coach, Travers announced his commitment over Miami and Michigan during halftime of the inaugural Overtime Nationals championship on Dec. 10. The nationally televised ESPN2 broadcast featured No. 3 St. Frances Academy against No. 21 Corner Canyon (Utah). Travers also held offers from Maryland, Texas A&M, Florida State, Tennessee, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Boston College, South Carolina, UCF and others.

Some concern developed during the offseason when Travers wasn't on campus for Junior Day or any spring practices despite previously saying he hoped to make several return visits. Florida also attempted to enter the picture after hiring Jon Sumrall, with outside linebackers coach Bam Hardmon visiting Travers in late January. Because head coach Matt Rhule had yet to hire a defensive line coach when Travers committed, some wondered whether he'd reconsider.

Jayden Travers remained committed to Nebraska after a change in position coaches. | @jaydentravers44/X

Those concerns were eased when Travers finally made it back to Lincoln to take part in the second annual Hudl Futures Forum, held March 27-29, which coincided with Nebraska's March 28 spring game. Travers was able to connect with new defensive line coach Corey Brown and defensive coordinator Rob Aurich and left encouraged by the Huskers' new defensive scheme. He never wavered in his commitment and was back in town for his official visit June 19-21 when much of Nebraska's class reunited in Lincoln to continue building chemistry ahead of the recruiting dead period.

Nebraska has routinely been reminded how difficult — not to mention competitive and expensive — it has become to find capable defensive tackles in the transfer portal. You're getting the sense general manager Pat Stewart wants to build both lines of scrimmage through the high school ranks before developing and retaining those players in-house. That made finding high-end interior linemen to pair with Travers one of the staff's biggest priorities.

Trey Demontagnac

One of those targets was Seffner (Fla.) Armwood defensive tackle Errol "Trey" Demontagnac III, who recorded 70 solo tackles, 17 assists, 30 tackles for loss and 14 sacks as a junior. Defensive assistant Phil Simpson initially offered him Feb. 6 after visiting him at his school, and new defensive line coach Corey Brown made him a major priority.

Demontagnac visited Nebraska for the first time March 12 to watch a spring practice and quickly scheduled a return trip for the spring game after leaving with a clear understanding of how Brown and Aurich envisioned using him in the new scheme. Although that visit ultimately didn't happen, he stayed in regular contact with Brown, Simpson and the staff before returning for his official visit June 5-7.

After also officially visiting Virginia May 28-30, Demontagnac committed to Nebraska on June 6 over finalists Virginia, Florida State and Illinois. During his recruitment he collected more than 30 scholarship offers, including Michigan, Indiana, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. He canceled his scheduled official visit to Illinois and returned to Lincoln June 19-21 to spend more time with his future teammates.

Nehemiah Ombati

The Huskers also landed Shakopee (Minn.) defensive lineman Nehemiah Ombati, arguably the top defensive line target among the players who reciprocated Nebraska's interest after the new defensive staff reshaped its recruiting board.

The Rivals four-star, ranked No. 250 nationally, is widely regarded as one of the Midwest's top defensive linemen, and Nebraska reportedly put together an impressive NIL package reflecting his importance.

Nebraska offered Ombati on Jan. 28. After researching Corey Brown and Rob Aurich, Ombati became increasingly interested in the Huskers. He originally planned to attend the March 28 spring game, but weather canceled his flight. That unexpected setback may have ultimately worked in Nebraska's favor.

Instead, Ombati made his first trip to Lincoln April 21-22 alongside his mother and sister as the only recruit on campus during a multi-day visit. Although several coaches were away recruiting, Nebraska rolled out the red carpet and gave Ombati an authentic look at what life inside the program would be like. That visit firmly established the Huskers as contenders and the two sides set up an official visit for June 5-7.

Nehemiah Ombati in a black Nebraska uniform — Nehemiah Ombati | @Nehemiah_Ombati on X

Nebraska trailed both Missouri and Michigan State for much of his recruitment, but Husker coaches were in near-daily contact and made sure Ombati felt like a top priority. In the weeks leading up to his official visit, consistent communication with Rob Aurich, Corey Brown and Matt Rhule helped Nebraska close the gap. Rhule's involvement throughout the process proved especially significant. Former Husker running back Emmett Johnson, a fellow Minnesotan whose family has close ties to Ombati's best friend, also did his part to advocate for his alma mater.

In May, Ombati narrowed his recruitment to Nebraska, Missouri and Michigan State after also being a major target of Wisconsin, Florida State, Minnesota, Virginia Tech, Iowa and Kansas State. He originally planned to announce his decision in mid-July after completing all of his official visits.

Missouri appeared to seize the momentum after hosting Ombati the weekend before Nebraska. The Tigers emphasized their development of Chris McClellan, a third-round selection by the Green Bay Packers in the 2026 NFL Draft, while outlining how Ombati would fit into their defensive front.

Nebraska responded with one of its strongest official visits of the cycle.

Before arriving in Lincoln, Ombati told MizzouToday's Kenny Van Doren he expected to know where he was committing after the first day of his Nebraska visit. That wasn't hyperbolic.

“We didn't step in the facilities yet and I already knew," Ombati later told Tim Verghese. "We had just got to the hotel and I remember calling my agent and I was like, 'Hey, I know I just got here, but I want to commit.'”

By Saturday, multiple recruiting insiders began submitting predictions in favor of Nebraska. A few days later on June 10, Ombati announced his commitment to the Huskers during a live ceremony on Rivals' YouTube channel. He returned to Lincoln June 19-21 with the rest of the class to continue building relationships before the dead period.

Ma’atoe Moe

Another position Nebraska simply couldn't afford to miss on was edge. Deep into the spring, that possibility looked increasingly realistic.

New defensive edges coach Roy Manning, despite his strong recruiting reputation, had missed on several top targets and entered the evaluation period needing to identify additional options.

While recruiting out West in early May, Manning stopped by Provo (Utah) Timpview and offered Ma’atoe Moe. After he received an early offer from BYU before his sophomore season, Moe's recruitment slowed after he missed the first five games of his junior year because of transfer eligibility rules following his move from Orem (Utah) Timpanogos.

Interest picked back up this offseason after coaches had the chance to get eyes on him. Minnesota offered in early March after Group of Six programs including San Diego State, UNLV, Boise State and Washington State had already entered the picture.

Nebraska offered May 6, by which point Moe already had official visits scheduled with Minnesota, UNLV and Washington State. The Big Ten offer immediately caught his attention, as did his relationship with Manning.

Ma'atoe Moe commitment photo — Ma'atoe Moe | @maatoe_moe0 on X

Moe replaced a scheduled Washington State official visit with Nebraska, setting up what became a head-to-head battle with Minnesota. He visited the Gophers May 29-31 and initially announced his commitment, surprising many recruiting analysts who viewed Nebraska as the team to beat because of Moe's relationships with Manning and Aurich.

Shortly afterward, Moe quietly removed his Minnesota commitment from social media and went radio-silent. Nebraska maintained communication and convinced him to visit Lincoln before shutting down his recruitment.

Moe officially visited Nebraska June 5-7 before announcing his commitment to the Huskers on June 7, effectively flipping from Minnesota. Considering how thin Nebraska's edge board had become by June, landing Moe relieved significant pressure on the staff to identify additional options or flip another committed prospect.

As was the case with several recruits in this class, the relationships ultimately won out. Moe consistently praised Nebraska's staff and the way they treated both him and his family throughout the process.

For obvious reasons, Nebraska viewed Moe as a priority entering official visit season. The staff should feel good about pulling a priority target away from Minnesota, a program that has built a reputation for identifying and developing under-the-radar talent along both lines of scrimmage.

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