Nebraska Men's Basketball Secures an Official Visit from No. 3 Overall Player in 2027

If Fred Hoiberg has his way, Nebraska men's basketball will continue to elevate its program from afterthought to mainstay while piggybacking off the success of the 2025-26 team.

That is made evident by the recruiting success the Huskers have had in recent years, and now it appears the Big Red are in contention for their most high-profile recruit yet. As first reported Tuesday by Dushawn London of 247Sports, five-star forward Ryan Hampton has locked in an official visit with Nebraska on March 8.

As NU races toward the finish of the regular season, its results on the court are becoming an opportunity for the staff to springboard into sustained success. What the Huskers can do on and off the court in the next few weeks can set the stage for the continued ascension of college basketball's biggest riser this year. With that in mind, here's the latest on the nation's No. 3 player in the 2027 class, and who the Big Red will battle for his signature.

Hampton, a junior in high school who has scholarship offers from 24 Division I schools, is about as highly coveted as they come. As the 2025-26 college basketball regular season comes to a close, the DME Academy (FL) star has set himself up with a busy start to the most important month in the sport. Though he'll still have a full year before joining the program of his choosing, the 6-foot-6 small forward will visit four Power Four schools in less than a week.

NC State will start things off on March 2, before the talented prep recruit makes a quick turnaround trip to Ole Miss. The day after that, he will travel to Texas to watch the SMU Mustangs. After a short break to catch his breath, Hampton will visit Lincoln to watch No. 12 Nebraska take on Iowa on March 8 in the Huskers' regular-season finale.

It appears SMU has a noticeable lead on the rest of the pack. However, seeing as the Huskers are the only team that is currently ranked, they may climb up his interest board after his visit. With the Hawkeyes in town, it may be most raucous environment of the season at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

While things with Hampton are heating up, the Big Red have already secured the verbal commitment of another forward in the 2027 cycle. Ty Schlagel of Cretin Derham Hall (MN) is a consensus four-star recruit who committed to Nebraska in October over other Big Ten programs such as Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

Listed at 6-foot-5, the junior is the Huskers' only commit, but if Hoiberg and company have their way, he could be joined by as many as two more players in his class.

Though Schlagel can put the basketball in the hoop on his own, the Big Red could use another high-profile addition to pair with him. They've hosted several visitors and seem determined to keep in contention for some of the nation's best recruits.

Joining the team next season is a pair of four-star signees from the 2026 recruiting class. The highest-ranked is Colin Rice, a 6-foot-7 forward from Waukee Northwest (IA). The Huskers' Pryce Sandfort attended the same high school, and the two share a lot of similarities in their game. Regarded as the nation's No. 81 overall recruit, Rice chose the Big Red over nine other Division I programs.

Also signed is Jacob Lanier of Parkview Magnet (AR). Listed at 6-foot-5, he is a lengthy guard that can flat out score. Earlier in the season, Lanier scored his 2,000th career point and will look to immediately help Hoiberg's team offensively next year. The Arkansas native also manages to turn defense into offense at a high level and could lessen the blow of losing Sam Hoiberg in the backcourt in 2026-27.

Nebraska hosted another five-star in the 2027 class unofficially earlier this year. Dawson Battie is a 6-foot-8 forward with offers from 18 Division I schools, and the Huskers seem to be in a good spot to land his commitment. They'll have to make up ground, also with SMU, but he left Lincoln in good spirits after his first trip to campus.

The level of athlete NU has managed to intrigue during the most noteworthy season in program history is impressive. Despite being arguably underfunded in terms of revenue sharing prior to the year, Hoiberg and company have vastly overachieved. Now, it appears that will change moving forward, and Nebraska will likely continue its investments in men's basketball as the success continues in future years. Still, how they finish the 2025-26 season will tell a lot. Not only to recruits, but for boosters as well. For now, they'll focus on rounding out the regular season on a high note before aiming to become the first Husker basketball team to win an NCAA tournament game.

If able to finally achieve that goal, the ceiling of this program will undoubtedly rise, and so too will its stock with top-tier recruits. That's not to say they can't land players of Hampton and Battie's caliber without doing so, but it sure does get a whole lot easier if they do. That was the goal for this team prior to the season, and despite climbing as high as No. 7 in the AP poll at one point in the year, it hasn't changed.

The nation's best want to play with the best, get coached by the best, and win like the best before moving on to professional careers, so proving that the route to doing so is possible at Nebraska is something Hoiberg will likely need to show this year. There's plenty of time before Hampton's decision will be made, so don't be surprised if this draws out for the foreseeable future, but March 8 is sure to be one of, if not the most important dates of the calendar year. For now, they're in contention, but a strong showing against Iowa to end the regular season could see them vault into the lead. The focus remains on winning the game, of course, but there could be a whole lot more riding on the contest than a 2025-26 regular-season split with the Hawkeyes.