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