Four-Star Shooting Guard Commits to Nebrasketball Over Ole Miss, TCU

Nebrasketball has picked up another big-time commitment for the class of 2026.

Four-star shooting guard Jacob Lanier announced his commitment to the Huskers on Sunday. He picked NU over the other finalists of TCU, Ole Miss, Texas State, and East Carolina.

Lanier plays for Parkview Magnet High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. According to the 247Sports Composite, the 6-foot-5, 180-pound prospect is the No. 90 player nationally, No. 2 in his state, and the No. 13 shooting guard in the class.

He visited Nebraska in September.

247Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein says the newest Husker commit "has a good blend of perimeter size, length, open floor athleticism, a sturdy frame, and some budding guard skills."

"He shoots a soft ball, with a wider base and consequently less lift into his release," Finkelstein said. "He is good enough with the ball to be a secondary handler and can make tough pull-ups off the dribble, but has a tendency to settle for them. He can get loose for some explosive finishes in the open floor, but doesn’t separate as easily in the half-court and can struggle to finish in traffic at times."

On the other end, Finkelstein says Lanier's "tools give him a high ceiling" and that "he moves well laterally and can cover the court".

The 2026 Class

Lanier is the second commit to Fred Hoiberg for the upcoming class.

He joins Colin Rice, a 6-foot-7 four-star small forward out of Waukee, Iowa. Rice committed back in July.

Nebraska coaches made sure to visit 2026 commit Colin Rice the second NCAA rules allowed. | @colinlrice/X

The pair has a 247Sports Composite team rank of 56th nationally. They are 12th in the Big Ten Conference by that same service, ahead of Iowa, Wisconsin, Rutgers, and Penn State.

Other Recruiting

Nebraska has three total commits for the next two classes.

Besides Rice and Lanier in 2026, Ty Schlagel is committed for 2027. A 6-foot-5 small forward from Minnesota, Schlagel is also a four-star prospect.

Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg with 2027 four-star forward Ty Schlagel. | @ty.schlagel/Instagram

Despite the class size being just one, the lack of 2027 commits has Nebraska's ranking at sixth in the nation, behind Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Gonzaga, and Iowa State.

Hoiberg's Recruiting Philosophy

Hoiberg has shifted away from large high school classes in recruiting. The 2025 class, which is current college freshmen, featured a pair of additions in four-star center Leo Curtis and four-star small forward Quentin Rhymes.

Prior to the 2025 group, Hoiberg added two in 2024, two in 2023, three* in 2022, and four* in 2021. Of those 11 prep additions, one left for the NBA after his freshman season, two** are still on the team, and the rest transferred away.

*These don't count the junior college additions of Keisei Tominaga or Blaise Keita.

**Jamarques Lawrence transferred to Maine for a year and then transferred back to Nebraska for this season.

Florida International Panthers guard Ashton Williamson dribbles against Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Sam Hoiberg. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

As a matter of fact, Sam Hoiberg, now in his senior season, will be the first Husker to play their entire career at Nebraska since Thorir Thorbjarnarson finished in 2021. Those are the only two Huskers in the Hoiberg era to start and finish their careers in Lincoln, without taking a detour in the middle.

That's why, or partially contributing to the lack of four-year guys, Hoiberg has been so heavy on the transfer portal. Including those junior college additions, from the 2021 class on, Hoiberg has brought in 24 transfers.

Plenty of Spots Opening at Nebraska

Because of that heavy dose of portal additions, Nebraska has stacked a current senior class of seven guys.

This class includes multi-year starters in Sam Hoiberg and Rienk Mast. The group also features major contributors and current starters Connor Essegian and Jamarques Lawrence. Rounding out the class are a trio of new additions in Kendall Blue, Ugnius Jarusevicious, and Jared Garcia.

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Braden Frager and forward Rienk Mast celebrate after a three-point basket by Mast against the Florida International Panthers. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

With so much talent leaving at the end of this season, there opens up space for the two 2026 commits to play right away. However, Hoiberg has also shown a desire to redshirt players in their freshman year.

That was the case with Nick Janaowski and Braden Frager last year. Janowski is now at St. Thomas, while Frager is averaging a team-high 18.5 points a game off the bench for the Big Red.

Have a question or comment for Kaleb? Send an email to kalebhenry.huskermax@gmail.com.

More From Nebraska On SI

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.