Nebraska Basketball to Host Five-Star Power Forward Dawson Battie on Official Visit This Weekend

The Huskers could be on the verge of making recruiting history.

Dawson Battie | Courtesy of PRO16/NXTPRO

With a blue-chip on the table, Fred Hoiberg is going all in.

This weekend, five-star power forward Dawson Battie of St. Mark's in Dallas, Texas, is taking his official visit to Lincoln, giving the Huskers an opportunity to land the highest-ranked recruit in program history.

VISIT NEWS: 2027 Top-35 overall prospect Dawson Battie is visiting Nebraska and Fred Hoiberg this weekend, he told @LeagueRDY.

The talented 6-foot-8 forward took his first official visit to Stanford back in late June. #34 overall in the @SCNext 100. pic.twitter.com/GraRX3xs7h

— Sam Kayser (@KayserHoops) September 16, 2026

Battie is no stranger to Lincoln, Nebraska. In fact, the No. 26 overall prospect in the 2027 recruiting class has already visited campus twice, with this weekend expected to be his third and possibly final visit before deciding where he will play in college.

For Fred Hoiberg and the Big Red, that's good news. Battie has taken just one other official visit, to Stanford, and NU appears to hold a significant lead in his recruitment.

It didn't happen by accident.

Nebraska offered him in October 2024, becoming just the fifth Power Four program to do so. Battie's first trip to Lincoln came in August 2025 before he returned in early February to watch the No. 5 Huskers host No. 9 Illinois. Even in a Nebraska defeat, he saw what Pinnacle Bank Arena and Husker Nation had to offer.

Now, NU has a very real chance to gain his verbal commitment in the coming weeks.

History would be made if the Big Red could manage land him. Not only would Battie become just the second five-star prospect NU has ever signed, but he'd also become the highest-ranked recruit in Nebraska men's basketball history to wear the scarlet and cream.

As impressive as that is, Hoiberg has done it before. Bryce McGowens, a member of the 2021 recruiting class, finished his cycle as the No. 28 overall prospect, according to 247Sports. Battie, ranked No. 26 in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, would narrowly surpass him for the top spot.

That shows just how significant this could be. In one season with the Huskers, McGowens was named Big Ten Newcomer of the Year by the Associated Press, earned Third-Team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and media, and was selected to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team by the league's coaches. He was then taken 40th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Battie's bloodline offers reason to believe he's up next. Dawson's older brother, Dillon, signed with Temple in the 2024 recruiting class before transferring to Wichita State a season ago. He averaged 7.6 points and 4.7 rebounds with the Shockers in 2025-26.

His uncle Tony Battie played four seasons at Texas Tech before being selected with the fifth overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft. Tony spent his professional career with six franchises, playing more than 800 games during his 11-year career.

Nebraska appears to want every part of helping Dawson reach his full potential once he moves on from the prep ranks and puts his own stamp on the Battie family name.

According to On3, Battie's recruitment largely seems to be down to Nebraska and Stanford, though other schools are still trying to stay in the mix. Per the site's prediction metrics, the five-star power forward has a 91.6% chance of signing with the Big Red. In-state SMU (2.7%) and Stanford (2.3%) are the only other programs viewed as contenders.

Senior National Basketball Recruiting Analyst Jamie Shaw, who boasts an 87.78% all-time success rate, logged a prediction for the Huskers to land Battie on Aug. 23, and the five-star's decision could come as soon as this weekend.

The early signing period for the 2027 recruiting class begins Nov. 11. NU appears to be in a strong position, and a positive experience in Lincoln this weekend could further solidify the Huskers' standing in Battie's recruitment.

There's plenty of time for things to change, but don't be surprised if Hoiberg, after leading the program to its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance in 2025-26, secures the highest-ranked recruit in school history. That's exactly what winning games can do for a program.

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