Signee Analysis: Quarterback TJ Lateef

There's no denying how much the transfer portal has changed the landscape of college football. No position has been more affected than the quarterback spot.

Of the top 50 high school quarterbacks who signed with FBS programs in the recruiting classes of 2017 through 2020 — according to the 247Sports Composite rankings — 126 of the 168 players tracked had transferred at least once during their time in college. That's 75 percent. Of note: Out of 200 signees, 22 changed positions and 10 retired for medical reasons or quit playing with eligibility remaining.

Based on further data, if a top 50 QB signee doesn't start one game in his first two years on campus, there's an 87 percent chance he'll end up leaving the program.

Those numbers might come as a shock to some, but Husker fans know all about QB attrition.

Nebraska watched Daniel Kaelin leave for Virginia in December, then essentially brought in his replacement five days later with Purdue transfer Marcos Davila. Both were members of the 2024 class.

Even with inevitable attrition at the position, it's still every team's goal to bring in the best QB it can in each recruiting cycle. Let the competition play out and adjust accordingly. Rinse and repeat.

Quarterbacks typically commit by spring of their junior year, so the groundwork gets laid early. Nebraska was working on its 2025 class QB within a month of Matt Rhule taking the Husker job in November 2022.

Husker coaches spent the 2023 calendar year focusing on two primary targets: Stone Saunders and Alex Manske.

Saunders, an ESPN four-star recruit, was the initial top target, visiting Lincoln in January and March. The Huskers were in a tight race with Kentucky — whom Saunders eventually signed with in December.

The pecking order changed in June 2023, when coaches watched both Saunders and Manske throw in-person at a Husker camp. Manske, an On3 four-star and Elite 11 finalist, stood out and overshadowed Saunders, leapfrogging him on the priority list. Not long after, the staff pivoted away from Saunders.

Nebraska was considered the leader for Manske, who visited Lincoln five times between June and October. That all changed when Dylan Raiola had an eleventh-hour change of heart and signed with the Huskers in December 2023.

Manske committed to Iowa State over Texas A&M on Feb. 1, 2024, and signed with the Cyclones in December.

Matt Rhule hired Glenn Thomas in mid-January 2024. With Raiola's signing scaring off Manske, the Huskers turned to their new QB coach to reassess their board and identify new targets.

It wasn't long before Nebraska zeroed in on TJ Lateef. Glenn Thomas and then-offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield stopped by Orange (Calif.) Lutheran High School to get to know Lateef and made a strong enough impression that after he was offered in person on Feb. 5, the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder immediately scheduled an official visit.

Just prior to the Huskers' offering, Lateef released a top 7 of Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas A&M, Georgia, Arizona, Colorado and Florida State. The Huskers made a great initial impression but they had a lot of ground to make up.

Once they offered, the Huskers were the most consistent team in his recruitment. Glenn Thomas spoke with Lateef three times a week, and either he or Satterfield texted with him daily. By the time Nebraska got Lateef on campus, they were trending heavily to gain his commitment.

TJ Lateef during his Nebraska official visit. | @TJeezy9_/Instagram

Lateef was in Lincoln for his official visit April 26-28, choosing to be in town for the spring game so he could experience a small sample of what the game day environment would be like and also to see how the coaches worked during a game.

During his visit, Lateef loved the connection he felt with the coaching staff and the overall atmosphere around the program. He also liked having the opportunity of being developed by Thomas, who has over two decades of college and NFL experience working with quarterbacks.

Lateef admitted he was tempted to commit during the visit, but decided to return home and discuss his recruitment with his family to make sure he was certain. He ended up committing on Mother's Day, May 12, with Colorado and Ole Miss also being finalists.

Considered one of the best 2025 quarterbacks on the West Coast since his sophomore season, Lateef was a three-year starter and an all-league selection as a sophomore and junior. He finished his prep career completing 550-of-837 (65.7 percent) passes while throwing for 6,491 yards and 53 touchdowns. He also accounted for 659 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.

He has proven himself against some of the best high school football competition in the country while playing — in my opinion — the nation’s most difficult conference. He led his team to back-to-back trips to the CIF Southern Section playoffs, including a semifinal appearance as a senior. His Orange Lutheran team finished the 2024 season 8-4 and ranked No. 13 in MaxPreps National Rankings. The Lancers lost to No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), No. 4 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) and twice to No. 5 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.).

Lateef has been turning heads on the camp circuit since the 2022 offseason, often being mentioned as one of the top signal-callers at each event he attended. The culmination came on May 20, when he earned an invitation to the Elite 11 Finals — the nation’s premier high school quarterback camp.

Roughly 500 quarterbacks worked out at eight different regionals (Los Angeles, Austin, Oxford, Orlando, Columbus, Atlanta, Las Vegas, State College) held throughout the spring trying to earn one of the coveted spots. Lateef earned his invitation based on his standout performance at the Los Angeles Regional held at Leuzinger High School on March 17, where he won the Accuracy Challenge for his class.

There's no higher honor for high school quarterbacks. The event brings together 20 of the country’s best signal-callers for three days of competition and training, which took place June 18-20 in Los Angeles. Of the 20 participants, five ended the 2025 cycle rated as a five-star prospect by at least one of the four major recruiting services, with the 15 others being labeled four-star prospects.

Lateef has all the tools you’re looking for in a college quarterback. His arm talent is evident with him capable of making throws to all three levels. He's a fluid athlete with an athletic frame and nice physical upside. He shows good pocket mobility and does a good job of extending plays with his legs, whether that’s buying time to throw or gaining yards as a runner.

He has a nice all-around game. He throws really well on the run and shows the ability to deliver the ball from different arm angles. He's a pocket passer with dual-threat ability. You can utilize him in zone read and RPO concepts and the defense has to respect what he can do with his feet.

Lateef has a natural calm and commanding presence under center and has displayed toughness and poise throughout his high school career directing a well-conceived offense at Orange Lutheran.

His game is still coming together and he's by no means a finished product. The ball comes out of his hand smoothly, and he can generate pretty impressive power and velocity, but he sometimes needs to load up to get it there. He'll need to tweak some things in his throwing motion, but he'll have two proven QB developers in Lincoln to help him fine-tune his mechanics and footwork.

He will also need to further develop his frame to hold up in the Big Ten.

Marcos Davila looks for a receiver during Purdue's 2024 spring game. | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK

Along with incoming Purdue transfer Marcos Davila — offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen's top QB target in 2024 — Lateef gives Nebraska its third blue-chip high school quarterback recruit in the last two classes, and gives the staff another quarterback to develop behind Dylan Raiola. The hope is that one or both are willing to stick around for the next couple seasons to be groomed as Raiola's potential successor.

Lateef is rated a four-star prospect by Rivals and ESPN, and he's ranked as the nation's No. 143 and No. 152 overall prospect, respectively. An early enrollee currently participating in winter conditioning, Lateef was able to join the Huskers on their bowl trip and took part in a few practices as well.

Along with senior Jalyn Gramstad — the 2023 NAIA Player of the Year — Lateef and Davila will head into spring ball with the goal of earning the QB2 spot for the 2025 season.

Signee Analysis: Quarterback TJ Lateef

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