Road to June 15th: Recruiting Storylines for Nebraska 2025s
We’re closing in on that big day. Every year on June 15, the open contact period opens up between college programs and prospective student-athletes who have finished their sophomore year of high school. This time around, that landmark date affects…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWe’re closing in on that big day.
Every year on June 15, the open contact period opens up between college programs and prospective student-athletes who have finished their sophomore year of high school. This time around, that landmark date affects the Class of 2025. Let the recruiting journies begin.
As we prepare for the start of this recruiting cycle, it’s worth dedicating some time toward rehashing a few storylines and players to watch from Nebraska’s star-studded Class of 2025. We’ll be recounting old memories, assembling recruiting guides, and offering updates as commitments start to trickle in.
But, of course, recruiting is a process that doesn’t happen overnight. One reminder stands above the rest: an athlete is not defined by the volume of calls or offers received right as the clock strikes midnight. Finding the right fit for this important life stage is a process, and I’m thrilled to watch it unfold over the many weeks, months, and years to come. We’re just getting started.
So, let’s kick this conversation off with a few trends and storylines that we’ll be following as the festivities get rolling a week from now.
Which regions, conferences, or colleges score big in Nebraska?
Surely we have some college volleyball junkies on this site. I definitely fall into that category. It should be no surprise that we’re all anxious to see which college programs will garner our future interest by picking up some Nebraska talent from the Class of 2025.
Of course, the in-state colleges will continue to loom large. The Huskers boast three homegrown standouts. Creighton, meanwhile, has four Nebraska natives on the roster with the most recent addition being Destiny Ndam-Simpson from the 2023 class. Nebraska Omaha has everyone beat with eight in-state contributors.
But other D1 programs outside of state lines have established Nebraska pipelines of their own. South Dakota stands out right away, as the Yotes are on a multi-year run of signing at least one Nebraska player per class. After notching three Nebraska pledges in the 2024 class, we can probably expect a little more action as we turn the page to the 2025s.
Other notable D1 pipelines include Iowa State, Kansas State, South Dakota State, Western Illinois, and Wyoming. We’ll see if any of these programs generate early headlines this time around.
But the college volleyball landscape expands far beyond the D1 level. It’s always a safe bet to see a massive share of Nebraska players bound for D2 schools, particularly those programs in the Central Region and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. This includes in-state powerhouses like Wayne State and Nebraska-Kearney. But Wayne State and UNK also have to compete against a wealth of Nebraska talent at some of their cross-region competitors, including Northwest Missouri State, Sioux Falls, Minnesota State, St. Cloud State, and more.
And the list goes on. Nebraska Wesleyan will always be one to watch at the Division 3 level. We’ll also be paying particularly close attention to the NAIA ranks with schools like Midland, Doane, Concordia, and Bellevue finding extraordinary success with players from right down the road.
Which position group gets the ball rolling?
Nebraska’s Class of 2025 has depth and talent at every position. With that said, though, which position group captures some early momentum in the recruiting cycle?
Perhaps you could make a case that defensive specialists will help kick things off in the Cornhusker State. Nebraska has become known for its backcourt standouts, after all. Our 2025 rankings features three defensive specialists in the top ten and five in the top fifteen. It’s quite an accomplishment for a position group that notoriously gets the short end of the stick in regard to rankings, but these exceptional athletes have earned their spot among Nebraska’s best.
Don’t discount the frontcourt, however. You’ll be able to see so much Nebraska pin talent take on Nationals shortly, including many at the Open level. Middle blockers are also surging up the leaderboard with good fits at every level of collegiate volleyball. Stay tuned for more details on all these position groups over the next week.
Any big-time opportunities for small-town stars?
This is a big one.
You can always count on some under-the-radar small-town gems to make a big impact at the next level. Nebraska prep athletes have almost made this their calling card lately, and this goes for any division of college volleyball. It never fails.
Small-town talents have become incredibly prevalent in some of our recent club features. This is somewhat of an evolving trend that owes much of its emergence to the rise of small-town clubs like Nebraska Pride/Gold and South Central NE. Both of these groups will field teams at Nationals with Nebraska Pride being a particularly intriguing group for the 2025s.
Then, of course, we still have the high school stars looming in small-town venues, too. College recruiters will be paying close attention to how these rising juniors perform once fall action resumes before long. This helps hammer home the idea that recruiting is a process–2025s still have half their high school careers left!