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Nebraska Football's 4-Star QB Commit Keeping Recruitment Open?

Nebraska's 2025 quarterback commit T.J. Lateef has been "N" since May, but while at the Elite 11 Finals earlier this month he gave an interesting answer to a question about whether his recruitment is closed for other schools.
Kaleb Henry|
Orange Lutheran Lancers quarterback TJ Lateef (9) throws a pass against the Chandler Wolves during a football game at Chandler High in Chandler on Sept. 8, 2023.
Orange Lutheran Lancers quarterback TJ Lateef (9) throws a pass against the Chandler Wolves during a football game at Chandler High in Chandler on Sept. 8, 2023. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY

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For the second year in a row, Nebraska football is set to add a quarterback who competed at the Elite 11 Finals.

Well, maybe.

TJ Lateef committed to the Huskers back in May with a simple "IM HOME" quote post of news of his commitment on X.


Earlier this month he competed at the Elite 11 Finals, something both Husker freshman Daniel Kaelin and Dylan Raiola did last year. Speaking with Tom Loy of 247 Sports while there, Lateef was asked a simple question: Is recruitment completely shut down?

"Recruitment is... ," Lateef began. "We won't speak on that."

Not a very convincing answer for Husker Nation.

Lateef did say he plans to enroll early. That would put the 2025 four-star quarterback in Lincoln in less than seven months. But NU will first have to keep a seemingly open recruitment locked down through early signing day Dec. 4.

Communication from the coaches was credited for why Lateef committed to Nebraska in the first place.

"I felt wanted," Lateef said. "I felt like that was the place for me to be. Being in Lincoln, there's not a lot of things you can do to get in trouble. Being in Lincoln was a place that my family felt safe with me being in that environment."

As for how the Elite 11 went for Lateef, he said it went well.

"(I) got a chance to compete against a lot of good quarterbacks," Lateef said. "Keep the main thing the main thing; your next throw is your best throw. That's the biggest thing that I learned from my past two days being here."

Lateef ultimately finished outside of the top 11 at the event, but would still be a major get for Matt Rhule and company should he stick with the Huskers and sign in December. The Huskers will have to fight off other suitors, including those that had offers out to Lateef like Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Miami, Michigan State, Penn State, and Texas A&M, among others.

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Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

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