Gibson Pyle via X
2024 Husker Signee Analysis: Offensive Lineman Gibson Pyle
Nebraska received great news when Ben Scott and Bryce Benhart - both honorable-mention All-Big Ten in 2023 - decided to come back to Lincoln to exercise their final season of eligibility. Never one to pass on a good linemen, head coach Matt Rhule also brought in highly regarded Florida guard Micah Mazzccua from the transfer portal.
Not only does this allow the Huskers to put a veteran O-line in front of freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, but it has the potential to be the best group we've seen at Nebraska in quite some time.
The 2025 unit will largely be made up of guys taken in the last two classes. Having the ability to give youngsters like Justin Evans-Jenkins, Gunnar Gottula and Sam Sledge another year of development can't be undersold regarding the long-term outlook of the room. I've said it over and over, but the best offensive lines are the ones where outgoing seniors are handing the batons to third- or fourth-year guys. Nebraska is getting closer to that.
Nebraska signed a large O-line class as part of their ongoing mission to restock the room and prepare for the eventual departures of several multi-year starters. There are a couple in this class that I expect to be pushing for playing time in 2025 when key veterans have moved on.
One of those guys is Houston (Texas) Klein Cain High School offensive lineman Gibson Pyle, an early target of Matt Rhule's Husker staff.
Husker O-line coach Donovan Raiola had been talking with Pyle since October 2022, but the previous staff hadn't okayed an offer. To be fair, they had other things taking precedence at the time - like trying to save their jobs.
The dynamic changed on Jan. 23, 2023, after Husker D-line coach Terrance Knighton - who recruits the Houston area - stopped by Pyle's school during the contact period and extended an offer. Rhule made a great early impression as the new Husker coach started building a strong relationship.
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The Huskers were aggressive in their pursuit, making up ground on several programs who had been recruiting Pyle since the previous spring. One of those schools was Duke, where two days prior to receiving his Husker offer he was in Durham for their Elite Junior Day. Pyle had been Mike Elko's top O-line target since offering him in June 2022.
Husker coaches were able to get Gibson and his father on campus March 4 and left a lasting impression. During that visit, he took a tour of Nebraska's new football facilities that were still under construction and was blown away by the scope of the project.
He also watched film with Raiola and got a better idea of his coaching style and philosophy, and how he might fit in the room. The two had built a great foundation over the months and spending time around each other face-to-face further enhanced their relationship. Pyle was also taken aback by the fan support and was awed by the revelation that people knew who he was as he walked around during his visit.
Pyle left Lincoln leaning heavily toward the Huskers. Even so, he wanted to do his due diligence and took planned trips to see Northwestern (March 11), Arizona State (March 14) and Boston College (March 18).
On March 12, during his visit tour, he announced a top ten of Nebraska, North Carolina, Duke, Arizona State, Boston College, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Cal, Ole Miss and Kansas State.
During his recruitment, he'd taken several visits and camped at places like Texas A&M, SMU, Duke, Houston, Colorado, Kansas State, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Cal, Stanford, North Carolina, Baylor and Rice. Coming out of his March campus tour, it was basically a foregone conclusion.
Ever since Gibson had visited Lincoln with his father, he'd felt the urge to commit but wanted one last opportunity to make sure he was certain. He decided to come back for the Huskers' massive March 24-26 recruiting weekend to bring his mom and stepdad along so they could see the campus and program for themselves too.
Matt Rhule was out of town when Pyle visited the first time, so getting the chance to talk with him one-on-one, see how he coached and what practices were like were all top-of-the-agenda items on the second trip.
Not only was Pyle able to watch a Husker practice, he also sat in on O-line meetings. He got an up-close look at how Raiola teaches his players and his coaching style really appealed to him. He was impressed by the intensity of the practice and liked how Rhule would walk around and spend time coaching every position group.
The second visit reaffirmed what Gibson had been feeling and sealed things. When he returned home from the visit, he spent a few days contacting coaches at other schools to let them know he was committing to Nebraska.
Pyle called Rhule and Raiola on March 30 to let them know he was committing. After the phone call, several staff members called him back to FaceTime and celebrate together.
After accumulating over two dozen offers, Pyle publicly announced his commitment on April 1. He ultimately chose the Huskers over Duke and North Carolina.
Pyle was back in Lincoln April 22 for the Red-White spring game to meet some of the other top targets in the class and to help peer recruit.
Seeing an opportunity to spend more time around the coaches, Pyle, who lives in the Houston area, drove over to nearby C.E. King High School to visit with the staff while they were participating in a satellite camp on June 6. Rhule brought along seven of his assistants to help him work, scout and recruit during the Texas tour that also included a camp near Waco.
Pyle was back in Lincoln June 23-25 for his official visit. He was hosted by Sam Sledge and took note of how close the O-line room was as a whole. He went to a lineman's house and the entire position group was there hanging out. That was the case the entire weekend and that brotherhood reaffirmed he'd made the right decision.
He was also back on campus for Nebraska's win over Northern Illinois on Sept. 16, the first home game of the Matt Rhule era.
Pyle has an argument for being the most underrated recruit in Nebraska's class. When looking at his film, it escapes me how none of the recruiting services ranked him a four-star recruit.
A three-time first-team all-district selection, Pyle earned an invitation to the All-American Bowl after a dominant showing at the FBU Top Gun Showcase in early July. The three-day event, held at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex in Naples, Florida, was attended by over 1,500 prospects from the class of 2024, 2025, 2026 and beyond.
The competition was intense and Pyle was widely considered the best offensive lineman at the event. At the camp, he measured 6-4½ and 300 pounds. He ran a 5.44 40-yard dash with a 1.97 10-yard split. He also ran the fastest shuttle of all the linemen there - a laser-timed 4.72 seconds, which would have been the 11th-fastest time at the 2023 NFL combine for offensive linemen.
Pyle went to San Antonio and impressed during the three practices leading up to the All-American Bowl. He played left guard for the West team and was singled out for being the most adept pulling lineman on either roster.
A four-year varsity letterman and three-year starter, Pyle was primarily a left tackle at Klein Cain and only gave up one sack in his prep career.
When Mike Elko was hired to replace Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M in late November, one of the first players he contacted was Gibson Pyle. Now with the location card to offer, the new Aggies head coach wondered if Pyle would be interested in flipping. He wasn't.
Pyle enrolled early and is taking part in winter conditioning and will participate in spring practices. Like Grant Brix, he got a start on reshaping his body and will get an early start on his development during spring practices.
Pyle was a lifelong linebacker before moving to the O-line in high school and it shows in his movement skills. He's got a very strong upper body and plays with a mean streak. He's got a good burst off the line and gets to the second level swiftly.
Gibson Pyle has the size, length and athleticism to give tackle a try at Nebraska - and probably be okay - but he's better suited for the interior as a guard. I would anticipate him being a candidate to take over a spot in 2025 after guys like Micah Mazzccua and Turner Corcoran exhaust their eligibility.
