LINCOLN — Dylan Rogers made it a Texas two-step.
Nebraska football landed its second Lone Star State recruit for the 2023 class when Rogers, a 6-foot-2, 235-pound linebacker from the Houston area, announced his commit Tuesday on social media.
He and Argyle (Texas) defensive lineman Riley Van Poppel are of NU’s recruiting renaissance in Texas, a state that once supplied the Huskers with some of their best players. The pipeline slowed after Nebraska moved to the Big Ten, but multiple Nebraska assistants, including running backs coach Bryan Applewhite, has it flowing again.
“Coach Applewhite says Nebraska is kind of similar to Texas — the temperature and the weather,” Rogers told The World-Herald before his June 17 official visit to NU. The three-star prospect — who has 137 tackles, four sacks and four interceptions over the past two seasons at Cypress Woods High School — unofficially visited Texas on June 24-25. The Huskers beat out Colorado, Houston, Kansas State and Missouri, as well.
Like 2023 commit Hayden Moore, Rogers was recruited by inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud and likely projects to that spot, although Rogers could play some on the edge of the defense, as well. He is the 13th commit in the Husker class and continues a strong summer run for the Huskers, who received commits on June 3, 6, 13, 21 and 24 and July 2.
The success is a contrast to Nebraska’s struggles last summer coming out of the worst part of the COVID pandemic. Coach Scott Frost revamped his assistant coaching staff and hired a new senior director of player personnel, Vince Guinta, who worked at Baylor before joining NU’s operation this spring.
The addition of Guinta and Applewhite, who coached at TCU last season, has given Nebraska a recruiting jolt in Texas, which boasts 67 four-and-five-star prospects, according to 247Sports Composite service. Van Poppel ranks 46th among prospects in the state. Rogers ranks 127th.
