Landen Davidson via X
2024 Husker Signee Analysis: Offensive Lineman Landen Davidson
The camp evaluation process was incredibly important to Matt Rhule and Nebraska when it came to building its 2024 recruiting class. As we've come to find out, these coaches are huge proponents of getting their eyes on players in camp settings.
Several members of this class were identified in-person by Husker coaches, including Broomfield (Colo.) offensive lineman Landen Davidson, who had actually attended two previous Nebraska pipeline camps under the previous staff with some of his O-line teammates.
Nebraska offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield, who recruits Colorado, initially persuaded Davidson to camp in Lincoln while he was recruiting during the 2023 spring evaluation period.
Davidson's recruitment had been gaining steam heading into the June 11 camp. He'd received a number of recent offers including Power Five tenders from Kansas, Iowa State and Washington State, and was starting to hear from several other programs after an impressive performance at Tennessee, where he was clocked at 4.91 seconds in the 40-yard dash at 6-foot-4 and 310 pounds. That was eyebrow-raising considering he also has self-reported weight-room numbers that include a 405-pound bench, 550-pound squat, and 680-pound deadlift.
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He showed that athleticism and range in front of Husker coaches. During the camp, coaches often paired Davidson against Tristan Johnson - who signed with TCU - and Davidson regularly got the better of him. Of the 200 participants at the camp, Davidson was singled out and was one of a small group of linemen pulled aside by offensive line coach Donovan Raiola and Husker staff for more personal instruction.
Afterward, he was escorted to Matt Rhule’s office while in the midst of his tour of Memorial Stadium and was extended an offer. Like the staff did the previous day with Jake Peters, they moved quickly on locking in an official visit with Davidson.
Landen was accompanied by his mother and cousin the following weekend, June 16-18, for his visit. He was hosted by Gunnar Gottula and spent a lot of time around fellow interior O-line target Jake Peters, who was visiting as well. The closeness of the staff stood out to him, as did the bond between the players in the O-line room.
Davidson came into the visit not intending to commit. He'd planned on letting his recruitment play out into summer. He had an official visit planned the following weekend to Colorado State and was in talks to visit Oregon State, who were close to offering as well.
There was also the situation with Colorado. Davidson had grown up a Buffs fan and had always wanted to stay home and play for his hometown school. He'd received an offer from Karl Dorrell and his staff, but much like the previous Husker staff, recruiting suffered with their jobs on the line.
Communication with the Buffaloes' program was inconsistent, and when Deion Sanders took the job in early December 2022, the new regime prioritized portal recruiting while they rebuilt a roster Sanders personally decimated upon his arrival.
Davidson was reoffered by the new Colorado staff in January but wasn't heavily pursued initially. Correspondences had increased significantly once Davidson had started getting more offers and showing out at camps.
His timeline changed after experiencing Lincoln and being around the staff and players. Coaches Rhule, Raiola and Satterfield showed him what the new offense would look like and told Davidson that he was a perfect fit as an interior lineman for their new, pro-style offense.
Davidson returned home from his visit and couldn’t shake the feelings he had all weekend. He realized he'd seen everything that he needed. He called Satterfield on June 18, the night he got home, to tell him he wanted to commit. Rhule and Raiola were soon notified as well.
Davidson went public with his commitment on June 20, choosing the Huskers over Colorado and Kansas.
Davidson, who played both tackle spots for Broomfield, had a mix of schools recruiting him as a guard or tackle. He'll play on the interior for the Huskers and seems like a prototypical guard for this staff.
He was named a first-team Class 4A all-state selection as a junior and senior and is also a multi-sport athlete. Davidson competed well as a heavyweight wrestler and was involved in throwing events in track with the discus and the shot put, where he has a PR of 45' 3".
Davidson reminds me a bit of Husker junior Henry Lutovsky when he was coming into the program. He's an explosive mauler who overpowers his opponents. He fires off the ball and maintains good leverage in the run game. He's aggressive and plays to the whistle. Davidson has a lot of growth potential and should be a factor at guard in 2025 or 2026.
