Signee Analysis: Defensive Back Tanner Terch

Matt Rhule and his Nebraska football staff have never been afraid to bet on their own evaluations. If someone has verified testing numbers and pass the eyeball test, they don't hesitate to pull the trigger on an offer.

The coaching staff had been monitoring Tanner Terch since Rhule and Marcus Satterfield first stopped by Littleton (Colo.) Heritage High School last winter to see 2024 Nebraska signee Rex Guthrie, Terch's close friend and teammate. Rhule made a strong first impression on Terch when the two had a 30- to 40-minute introductory conversation.

Satterfield took point in his recruitment with a big assist coming Kyle Fisher, a recruiting assistant who was subsequently hired in July 2024 by Nebraska's NIL collective — 1890 Initiative — as director of athlete revenue. Fisher was Terch's primary contact during his initial recruitment and was the one who persuaded him to take an April visit to Lincoln to watch a spring practice.

Terch had also taken visits to West Point, Kansas State, Colorado State and Wyoming before heading to Lincoln with his father on April 18. Although he had been to Lincoln once for baseball when he was young, Terch didn't quite know what to expect when he took his visit. The experience exceeded his expectations.

He was blown away by the facilities being finished and enjoyed the Haymarket District. Terch was also impressed by how the coaching staff conducted practice and was particularly impressed by Rhule's energy.

After seeing the Husker program up close, Terch made up his mind to do whatever it took to earn an offer. He'd planned on telling the staff he would attend a Friday Night Lights camp in June to work out in front of them to make that a reality.

After practice concluded, Terch was able to sit down and have a meeting with Rhule, who surprised him with an offer. Then-defensive backs coach Evan Cooper, who had also assisted in his recruitment, played a big part in the decision to offer after watching his film.

Terch's recruiting profile had begun to pick up in recent weeks with schools like Kansas State, Stanford and Wyoming showing interest, but Terch wasn't going to wait on more offers after the school that had everything he was looking for extended a scholarship to him.

Tanner and his father returned home to discuss his recruitment with the rest of the family. Terch decided to grab his spot and committed to Nebraska a week later on April 25. He returned for his official visit June 21 with several other members of the team’s incoming recruiting class.

Despite being ranked as the No. 1 player in Colorado by both ESPN and 247Sports, Terch spent his recruitment generally regarded as an under-the-radar prospect. His lone FBS offer prior to Nebraska was from Army.

He had virtually no contact with Colorado, and when he attended a junior day at Colorado State in early 2024, Terch admitted nobody had watched his film and that wide receivers coach Chad Savage — who was also the team's recruiting coordinator — had no idea who he was.

In contrast, since arriving at Nebraska in November 2022, Rhule and his staff — primarily Marcus Satterfield — have prioritized the Centennial State, making several trips across the border and spending a lot of time between Fort Collins, Denver and the suburbs, hitting up high schools and training facilities to find players.

Starting with D'Andre Barnes in 2023 — Rhule's transition class — Nebraska has signed O-lineman Landen Davidson, safety Rex Guthrie and D-lineman Jordan Ochoa in 2024 and have now added Terch in the 2025 class.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound two-way athlete was named first-team all-state as a senior after earning honorable-mention honors as a junior. He finished his prep career with 120 receptions and 2,356 receiving yards with 30 total touchdowns.

He was used everywhere on offense, taking snaps at wide receiver and tight end while also being used as a runner on jet sweeps. He lined up largely at corner on defense, although he bounced around the secondary and played safety at times. Terch also returned kicks and punts — reaching the endzone — and played on coverage units.

Terch is yet another example of Nebraska grabbing someone with bankable traits who they can develop over time. A three-sport athlete who also plays basketball, Terch excelled on the track and has PRs of 10.93 (100m) and 22.90 (200m).

Terch could profile to either side of the ball for the Huskers. He was an ultra-productive high school receiver, but I think his best fit will be as a field safety.

He doesn't shy away from contact. Even playing receiver, he showed physicality blocking on the perimeter and made several contested catches in traffic. He was smooth in coverage as a corner, able to flip his hips, mirror receivers and play the ball in the air. He has good ball skills and tracks the ball nicely, which will come in handy playing centerfield.

During his recruitment, he spoke to assistant coach Ed Foley about wanting to play special teams, and I think he could help as a gunner or on coverage units and potentially as a return man.

After the resignation of secondary coach Evan Cooper last summer, there were some questions about Terch's place in the class. Nebraska's plan initially was for him to play defense, but coaches were going to ultimately keep his position designation open and work with him to help him find his best fit in the program.

Most teams were recruiting Terch to play receiver at the next level. While he could still end up in Daikiel Shorts' room, the plan is for him to play safety for the Huskers. When John Butler arrived in July to take over the secondary, he took over Terch's recruitment. He sent Terch and the other designated defensive backs in this class the drill tape he made with the Buffalo Bills so that they could get a head start on the sort of transitions, footwork and technique they'll be asked to learn at Nebraska.

As an early enrollee, Terch was able to join the Huskers on their bowl trip and took part in a few practices as well. He's in the middle of winter conditioning and will take part in spring ball. With Addison Williams taking over the room, it'll be interesting to see if Terch sticks in a secondary under construction or moves to receiver — another room in the middle of a facelift.

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