Nebraska Football’s 2027 Commits: Loading Up with Offensive Linemen

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

When Nebraska hired Geep Wade in December, I wrote about my affinity for his coaching and belief that he was one of the best offensive line coaches in the ACC. I also promised that along with better play on the field, fans could expect an immediate uptick in recruiting.

Wade certainly hasn’t disappointed.

After solidifying Nebraska’s starting lineup through the transfer portal with the additions of three players with Power Four starting experience, Wade set about assembling what is arguably the program’s best high school offensive line class in the modern recruiting era.

Matt Erickson

Omaha Millard North offensive tackle Matt Erickson was offered back on June 18, 2024, after impressing then offensive line coach Donovan Raiola at a Husker camp. Erickson had just finished his freshman year of high school at Millard West and hadn’t yet started a varsity game, but his camp performance coupled with him measuring 6-foot-7½ and weighing 283 pounds with 10½-inch hands and an 80-inch wing span convinced coaches to offer based off his potential.

A multi-sport athlete who also plays basketball and competes in track, Erickson was a Class A state qualifier in both the shot put and discus as a sophomore and has personal-best throws of 43′ 3″ in the shot put and 100′ 8″ in the discus.

Matt Rhule and Matt Erickson pose in the Husker weight facility. — Head coach Matt Rhule with 2027 offensive line commit Matt Erickson. | @matt__erickson44/Instagram

Erickson became a frequent visitor to Lincoln after receiving his offer and finally committed Sept. 13, 2025, informing the coaching staff of his decision during the pregame festivities before Nebraska’s game against Houston Christian. At the time, he held additional Power Four offers from Minnesota, Kansas, Kansas State and Maryland, but as the son of former Nebraska offensive lineman Mike Erickson (2000-04), his commitment always felt inevitable. Erickson admitted he wanted to commit the day Nebraska offered him, but his parents encouraged him to explore other opportunities first.

Erickson never wavered and has since become one of Nebraska’s most active peer recruiters.

When Geep Wade and Lonnie Teasley arrived, they reshuffled Nebraska’s offensive line board and leaned on relationships built during previous stops to pursue several blue-chip targets in the heart of SEC country.

Jordan Agbanoma

Chief among them was Loganville (Ga.) Grayson consensus four-star Jordan Agbanoma, a priority target for both coaches dating back to their time at Georgia Tech and South Carolina, respectively. Nebraska had already offered Agbanoma under Donovan Raiola and hosted him for the Oct. 4 game against Michigan State, but the recruitment changed once Wade and Teasley took over.

Wade made an in-home visit in January, and Nebraska gained real momentum after Agbanoma returned to campus for the first weekend of the spring recruiting window on March 7. When he wasn’t watching film and attending meetings with Wade, he spent much of the weekend building a relationship with quarterback commit Trae Taylor.

Following that visit, Agbanoma told recruiting sites Nebraska had closed the gap on his longtime leader, Texas A&M, before scheduling an official visit for June 5-7.

Agbanoma went on to make multiple spring visits to Georgia while also returning to Texas A&M and checking out Florida. But just days after his latest trip to Athens, he shut down his recruitment and committed to Nebraska on May 20 over Texas A&M, Georgia, Florida and Miami, canceling planned official visits to Texas A&M, Georgia and Florida in the process. He later returned to Lincoln for his official visit June 5-7 before making another trip back June 19-21 with nearly the entire recruiting class ahead of the recruiting dead period.

Regarded as one of the nation’s top interior offensive linemen, Agbanoma participated in both the Under Armour All-America Game and the Polynesian Bowl as an underclassman. Rivals and ESPN both rank him No. 75 nationally, while 247Sports has him No. 138 overall.

KD Jones

Agbanoma wasted little time turning his attention to his Grayson teammate KD Jones.

Jones was another player Geep Wade already knew well from his Georgia Tech days, having recruited him since he was a sophomore. Lonnie Teasley had also built a relationship with Jones during his time at South Carolina. Those connections immediately gave Nebraska credibility once Wade officially offered April 24 after watching Jones work out in person the previous day.

By then, Jones’ recruitment had exploded. After coming into the offseason with Power Four offers from Wake Forest, NC State and Virginia Tech, Jones saw his stock take off during the spring evaluation period with additional offers coming from Virginia, Pittsburgh, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, Auburn, Georgia Tech, UCLA, Arkansas and Michigan.

Nebraska offensive line commit KD Jones. | @_kdjones_/X

When Nebraska started prioritizing Jones in April, Georgia Tech and Kentucky had official visits lined up while Auburn and Virginia Tech were angling to get on his schedule as well, as the quartet appeared to have separated themselves from the pack, but Nebraska quickly surged into contention.

Despite knowing very little about Nebraska before receiving the offer, Jones moved the Huskers to the forefront of his recruitment thanks to his relationships with Wade and Teasley, along with Agbanoma’s endorsement of the program. Jones took a multi-day visit to Lincoln on May 6-7 and saw firsthand everything his teammate had been telling him for weeks. Although he scheduled an official visit for June, Jones didn’t wait that long to make his decision, committing May 21, one day after Agbanoma joined the class.

Jones plays left tackle at Grayson, but Wade envisions him eventually sliding inside to center, where he could position himself to compete for early playing time.

Timi Aliu

Another player Wade had recruited extensively while at Georgia Tech was Locust Grove (Ga.) consensus four-star Timi Aliu, who picked up one of his first Power Four offers from the Yellow Jackets.

Nebraska originally offered Aliu in October 2025 under Donovan Raiola, and he made his first trip to Lincoln less than two weeks later for the Blackout game against USC. Although the Huskers remained involved throughout the process, they didn’t become a legitimate contender until Wade and Teasley inherited the room.

Timi Aliu and coach Geep Wade at the 2026 Nebraska football spring game | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

After being hired in December, Wade immediately made Aliu one of his highest priorities. Wade visited him in January and welcomed him to campus for Junior Day later that month, a visit that established Nebraska as a serious contender in his recruitment. When Aliu returned to Lincoln for the Red-White Spring Game on March 28, the Huskers began to separate themselves.

Aliu took an official visit to Illinois on April 10-12, where the Illini made some headway, but Wade maintained Nebraska’s momentum with a trip to Locust Grove in May to watch Aliu’s spring game. At the time, Aliu still had official visits scheduled to Clemson (May 29-31), Florida (June 5-7), Georgia (June 12-14) and Nebraska (June 19-21) before a planned summer decision.

Florida mounted a serious push late and briefly turned the recruitment into a legitimate two-team battle in the weeks leading up to his commitment, nearly swinging the momentum away from the Huskers. But Nebraska’s consistency and the relationships Wade and Teasley had built ultimately won out. Aliu committed May 25 before taking any of his remaining scheduled official visits, canceled those trips, and later returned to Lincoln for a rescheduled official visit June 5-7 before making another unofficial visit June 19-21.

Ranked No. 238 nationally by ESPN, Aliu will get a hard look at tackle but has the versatility to slide inside to guard if that’s where Nebraska ultimately needs him.

Barrett Kitrell

The final piece of Nebraska’s offensive line haul was Ashland-Greenwood standout Barrett Kitrell, a Husker legacy who comes from a family steeped in college football. His father, Barry (1984-88), and second-oldest brother, Bo (2014-18), both played fullback for Nebraska. Three other brothers also played FBS football: Blake, the oldest, was a wide receiver at Tulsa; Brett played offensive line at Ohio and now coaches football and track at Ashland-Greenwood; and Bryce finished his career as a running back at Ohio in 2023.

A multi-sport athlete who already held offers from Iowa, Iowa State and Kansas, Kitrell never became a major priority for former offensive line coach Donovan Raiola. Although Nebraska had been monitoring him and hosted him for its game against Houston Christian in September 2025, the recruitment didn’t truly take off until Geep Wade joined the staff.

Barrett Kitrell poses in a Husker uniform — Barrett Kitrell's decision ultimately came down to Nebraska and Iowa. | @Barrett_Kitrell54/Instagram

One of the first things Wade noticed was Kitrell’s athleticism. During his junior track and field season, Kitrell finished second in the Nebraska Class B state discus with a throw of 172 feet, 2 inches and placed fourth in the shot put at 54 feet, 1¼ inches. He also posted personal bests of 181 feet, 11 inches in the discus at the DC West BC Invite and 53 feet, 4 inches in the 12-pound shot put at the Trailblazer Conference Meet.

After following Kitrell on social media in January, Wade reached out directly, praised both his film and track background, offered him a scholarship Jan. 10 and immediately made him a priority.

About a week later, Matt Rhule attended one of Kitrell’s basketball games, where the two sides lined up a return visit for Nebraska’s Feb. 1 Junior Day. After helping Ashland-Greenwood win a conference championship that afternoon, Kitrell headed to Lincoln for his first visit since receiving the offer. He got an in-depth look at Nebraska’s new offensive line scheme and Wade’s teaching philosophy as the two watched film together, while also connecting with fellow in-state offensive lineman Matt Erickson. Kitrell initially planned to make an early spring decision, and after that visit it appeared only a matter of time before he committed to Nebraska.

But as the weeks went along, Kitrell kept exploring his options.

Kansas State, Minnesota and Tennessee entered the picture before Iowa emerged as Nebraska’s primary competition. Kitrell continued making trips to Lincoln throughout the spring, returning to watch a spring practice in late March before attending the March 28 Red-White Spring Game a few days later. Throughout the process, he remained in regular contact with Wade while also being the focus of peer recruiting efforts from Trae Taylor, Matt Erickson, Tory Pittman and Tay Ellis.

Barrett Kitrell with his parents in Memorial Stadium — Barrett Kitrell in Memorial Stadium during a recruiting visit. | Barrett Kitrell, X (@BarretK54)

Wade later spent nearly an entire day with Kitrell and his family during the spring evaluation period, setting the stage for official visits to Iowa (June 5-7) and Nebraska (June 12-14) before the in-state standout settled in to decide between the Big Ten rivals.

Initially projected as an interior offensive lineman, Kitrell learned during his official visit that Wade believed he possessed the length and athleticism to play any position along the offensive line. Iowa made a legitimate push following its official visit, and Kitrell intentionally took several days to compare both programs before making his decision.

Ultimately, the relationships Kitrell built with Nebraska’s coaches over months of consistent contact and through multiple visits proved enough to separate them from the Hawkeyes. Kitrell privately committed June 19, informed family members over the weekend, and made the decision public June 22 after notifying Wade that Monday morning.

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