Latest news with #HuskerGames
Yahoo
12-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Women's flag football coming to Division I school in California
Another Division I school is pursuing the addition of women's flag football. In a letter to the campus community published on Friday, Cal Poly athletic director Don Oberhelman said the school could add women's flag football as a varsity sport as early as 2027. Cal Poly is the sixth Division I school at the NCAA level to announce its intentions of starting a women's flag football team. The members of the Big West follow Alabama State, Long Island, Mercyhurst, Mount St. Mary's, and UT Arlington. Back in February, flag football made a significant stride in gaining ground in the college ranks when the NCAA recommended adding it to its Emerging Sports for Women program. Should flag football be granted status in the program at the 2026 NCAA convention, there could be a ways to go before fans see something like an NCAA Tournament for the sport. Still, as flag football barrels toward its debut at the Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles, interest in it seems to be growing at the collegiate level. Nebraska AD Troy Dannen said folks should keep 'a close eye' on women's flag football after hosting an exhibition contest at the Husker Games in April. Last month, ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips told SB Nation the conference is 'watching' what's happening in flag football and the conference has had 'a few preliminary conversations' about the sport. On May 9, 2024, in an email obtained by SB Nation through an open records request, NCAA Senior Vice President Felicia Martin wrote to Division I athletic directors: 'The combination of flag football's Olympic recognition and its expanding popularity among youth and high school players has elevated its importance as one of NCAA President Charlie Baker's top priorities for the Association.' The email included stats about the sport's growth and links to videos and a learning portal. In announcing the addition of flag football at Cal Poly, Oberhelman wrote that he hopes that being early on investing in the sport and building a program quickly will allow it to 'embark on a legacy of success' similarly to how the Mustangs have performed in beach volleyball 'which continues to pay dividends.' Beach volleyball is a sport that also grew from the NCAA's Emerging Sports for Women program and now has championship status. The Mustangs have been to five NCAA Tournaments for beach volleyball and have advanced to the national semifinals in each of the past two years. Cal Poly is also elevating its STUNT program from club status to a varsity sport. 'Both of these additions are part of the university's long-term planning to increase opportunities for female student-athletes,' Oberhelman wrote. 'This is particularly important as Cal Poly's female student population has increased over the last 12 years from 42 percent of enrollment to 51 percent.' While just a handful of Division I schools have added women's football, many more have at the Division II and III levels. This past season, the Division III America East held a full varsity season of women's flag football capped off with a conference championship, becoming the first NCAA league to do so. Jacqie McWilliams-Parker — commissioner of the CIAA, the Division II HBCU conference — told SB Nation that she hopes to have flag football as a varsity sport in the league during the 2026-27 academic year.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nebraska quarterback recruit to announce future destination
A Nebraska quarterback target will announce his college choice on Thursday afternoon. Class of 2027 four-star quarterback Trae Taylor is announcing his commitment on May 1 at 3:30 p.m. CT. Taylor is deciding among four potential suitors. The QB will choose the Illinois Fighting Illini, the LSU Tigers, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, or the Texas A&M Aggies for his college destination. Advertisement According to the On3 recruiting rankings, he is ranked as the No. 3 player in the state of Illinois for 2027 and the No. 12 quarterback in the country. Last season, Taylor threw for 3,061 yards and 20 touchdowns for Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, IL. Taylor was in Lincoln this past weekend for the Husker Games. On3's Steve Wiltfong put in a prediction that the quarterback will commit to Nebraska. Taylor is announcing his commitment on the 247Sports YouTube channel on Thursday, May 1, at 3:30 p.m. CT. Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions. This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: Nebraska football quarterback target Trae Taylor to announce school
USA Today
01-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Nebraska quarterback recruit to announce future destination
Nebraska quarterback recruit to announce future destination A Nebraska quarterback target will announce his college choice on Thursday afternoon. Class of 2027 four-star quarterback Trae Taylor is announcing his commitment on May 1 at 3:30 p.m. CT. Taylor is deciding among four potential suitors. The QB will choose the Illinois Fighting Illini, the LSU Tigers, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, or the Texas A&M Aggies for his college destination. According to the On3 recruiting rankings, he is ranked as the No. 3 player in the state of Illinois for 2027 and the No. 12 quarterback in the country. Last season, Taylor threw for 3,061 yards and 20 touchdowns for Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, IL. Taylor was in Lincoln this past weekend for the Husker Games. On3's Steve Wiltfong put in a prediction that the quarterback will commit to Nebraska. Taylor is announcing his commitment on the 247Sports YouTube channel on Thursday, May 1, at 3:30 p.m. CT. Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
USA Today
30-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Nebraska's top quarterback target lands expert prediction
Nebraska's top quarterback target lands expert prediction FONG BOMB: On3's @SWiltfong_ has logged an expert prediction for Nebraska to land elite 2027 QB Trae Taylor🌽 Taylor ranks No. 40 NATL. (No. 3 QB) in the class. Read: — On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) April 30, 2025 Nebraska football received a prediction in their favor for class of 2027 quarterback Trae Taylor. On3's Steve Wilfong put in the prediction on Wednesday morning. Taylor is the third-ranked quarterback nationally in the 2027 class and the second-ranked player in his class from the state of Illinois, according to the On3 recruiting rankings. He is being recruited by Nebraska's quarterbacks coach, Glenn Thomas. He was in Lincoln this past weekend for the Husker Games. Taylor is coming off a 2024 high school season that saw him record 3,061 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions, according to statistics from Currently, the 2027 Nebraska football recruiting class has zero commitments. It would undoubtedly be a cornerstone commitment of the class and continue to strengthen the Huskers' quarterback room for the future. Husker fans should feel confident that the program will land Taylor. Recruiting can change quickly, but things look promising so far. Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
New York Times
28-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Nebraska football concludes spring with ‘Husker Games': 10 thoughts from the festivities
LINCOLN, Neb. — Spring turned into summer, figuratively, Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska staged the Husker Games, a first-time event, that featured a giant garage sale of memorabilia and apparel, tours of the Osborne Legacy Complex, competitions in the spirit of an NFL Pro Bowl, and, yes, a bit of football. Advertisement So was it a hit? Well, about 8,000 fans attended the scrimmage — approximately 10 percent of the figure on this day in 2018, when the popularity of the Red-White game peaked at Nebraska. Last year and in 2023 under coach Matt Rhule, the crowds exceeded 60,000. 'I just can't wait til this place is sold out,' said wide receiver Dane Key, the transfer from Kentucky on track to lead his position group in the fall. The measure of success from Saturday, though, involved more than exposure. Nebraska nixed television options and held its top 60 players out of the scrimmage to avoid transforming the final practice of April into a showcase of talent for interested outside programs. A year after Nebraska lost two key pieces in the spring game to injury, Saturday was simply a fun finish to five weeks of offseason practice. The Huskers accomplished plenty on the field this spring. Here are 10 observations from the end of spring in Lincoln: 1. Dylan Raiola is on solid ground atop the roster. The sophomore quarterback took a few snaps with the Nebraska women's club team in its flag game against Midland at Memorial Stadium. Raiola tossed the ball from 50 yards into a basketball hoop as part of a QB competition during a break in the scrimmage. DR from downtown. 🎯 — Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) April 26, 2025 Raiola helped call plays. Rhule used a microphone to speak to fans periodically, but it was Raiola who thanked them at the end for attending. Little moments illustrate Raiola's readiness to lead. He's displayed steady growth since his freshman season ended in December with a win in the Pinstripe Bowl. Raiola said he's more vocal with teammates. His command of the offense has improved. His confidence is up. 'As a leader, it becomes who you are,' he said. 'You don't want to be that leader where you're sometimes on, sometimes off. It's that consistency of being the same guy every day.' Advertisement 2. Nebraska's QB stable is deep but unproven. With Raiola and top backup Jalyn Gramstad on the sideline, true freshman TJ Lateef and Purdue transfer Marcos Davila directed the first two quarters of action. Both of their first drives ended in interceptions, but Nebraska has talent at the position. Lateef, an early enrollee out of Compton, Calif., showed pocket awareness. Davila, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound redshirt freshman from Midland, Texas, possesses the ideal size to survive in the Big Ten. He threw a touchdown pass to DJ Singleton. DJ All Day 💯 TD 👉 DJ Singleton — Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) April 26, 2025 3. Young defenders flashed. Freshmen Tanner Terch and Kahmir Prescott recorded interceptions in the first half of the scrimmage. Defensive linemen David Hoffken and Mason Goldman registered sacks. The Huskers who scrimmaged Saturday are fighting for position on the bottom half of the roster — and ultimately to move into the top 57. With a 105-player limit likely off the table in 2025 after a federal judge moved last week in the House settlement case to protect active athletes from mandated cuts, a smaller roster is still coming. Nebraska used the spring to identify 18 to 20 defensive players in spots to contribute as starters or in packages as part of John Butler's scheme. The final scrimmage helped organize depth pieces. 4. In Rhule's program, players swap positions in every offseason. This spring, Nebraska shifted Ian Flynt from tight end to defensive line and Landen Davidson from offensive line to defensive line. Flynt and Davidson, entering their second seasons in the program, moved in a bid to add depth up front on defense. Nebraska is thin on experience behind Elijah Jeudy, Cam Lenhardt and Riley Van Poppel. It signed Jaylen George and Gabe Moore out of the portal in the winter. Advertisement Defensive linemen come at a high premium in the spring portal. Nebraska might stand pat with what it's got. 5. Trent Uhlir and Vince Genatone switched spots. Uhlir, a redshirt freshman, is now playing linebacker, and Genatone, a junior, flipped to running back. The move for Genatone comes with some intrigue. He's a 225-pound Montana transfer out of North Platte, Neb., who ran a 10.5-second 100-meter dash while in high school. Genatone played special teams at Nebraska last season. Can he get traction at running back? The Huskers need someone to break out. 6. Brett Maher, the former NFL kicker who punted and kicked at Nebraska in 2011 and 2012, joined Tristan Alvano and Nico Ottomanelli in a kicking competition before the scrimmage. Maher coaches the Nebraska kickers, and he's done good work with Alvano. The third-year kicker from Omaha Westside performed well on Saturday. He appears on track to regain his freshman season form after an injury kept him out last year. John Hohl emerged in Alvano's absence in 2024, hitting 10 of 15 field-goal attempts. Hohl was sidelined this spring and did not kick Saturday. 7. The Huskers' new leader on special teams, Mike Eleker, delivered an inspiring performance. Rhule challenged the 53-year-old Ekeler to show his strength on the bench press, pledging $5,000 to the Teammates mentoring program for each rep at 225 pounds that Ekeler completed. He got 13. Rhule then doubled the donation to $130,000 after former Nebraska linebacker Will Compton finished 15 reps. Compton and his 'Bussin' With the Boys' podcast co-host Taylor Lewan served as guest coaches at the Husker Games. 8. Raiola praised the leadership of Key, naming him among seven Huskers who've directed efforts to set a high standard in the offseason. The others, in addition to Raiola, are Lenhardt, offensive linemen Justin Evans and Henry Lutovsky and linebackers Marques Watson-Trent and Gage Stenger. Advertisement Rhule has helped Key find his voice as a leader since the receiver arrived in January. Key has embraced the role. 'I feel like everybody on this team respects me,' Key said. The order of depth at receiver features Key, Jacory Barney, newcomer Nyziah Hunter and Janiran Bonner, with freshmen Quinn Clark, Cortez Mills and Isaiah Mozee also pushing for work under new assistant Daikiel Shorts. 9. Barney won the fastest-man competition. He predicted the victory last week. After his 55-reception season last fall, the sophomore from South Florida set a goal to 'be unguardable' in 2025. Barney has worked this year on his route running and body control. 'Mastering my game,' he said. 10. Plenty of smiles at Memorial Stadium followed the NFL Draft selections Saturday of defensive lineman Ty Robinson (fourth round to Philadelphia) and tight end Thomas Fidone (seventh round to the New York Giants). Wide receiver Isaiah Neyor (San Francisco), safety Isaac Gifford (Carolina), defensive lineman Nash Hutmacher (Baltimore), linebacker John Bullock (Tampa Bay), wide receiver Jahmal Banks (Baltimore) and center Ben Scott (Tampa Bay) signed free-agent deals. Despite the unorthodox format of the spring conclusion, it allowed for a festive atmosphere and showcased progress in this third year under Rhule. Nebraska has many strides to take. Chief among the priorities: sign and develop first-round picks. Eleven Big Ten players were drafted in the first round on Thursday. Nebraska's last first-rounder remains Prince Amukamara, 14 years ago.
