The Cornhuskers have seen their share of recruiting rollercoasters. And let’s face it, every miss or mishap echoes louder when Big Red is involved. For the 2026 cycle, Matt Rhule isn’t stacking commitments like cordwood, but don’t let the numbers fool you. They got a dozen hard commits so far, including standouts like four-star tackle Claude Mpouma and new receiver flip Nalin Scott. But the entire process needs a little check. In today’s NIL-fueled landscape, where athletes can bounce through the transfer portal any time, any recruiting slip-up is a program-wide blunder. And Nebraska just made a big one.

Nebraska’s class is all about slow-cooked quality over quick quantity. Like we have the 2027 class, the seeds for which are already being watered. With just one commit so far (elite QB Trae Taylor), Rhule is setting the table for something bigger. But, amid this entire recruiting saga, imagine you skip the most crucial part of it. Yes, Nebraska football, bless their corn-fed hearts, went and forgot to send out the ‘official offers’ to some of their prized recruits.

Nebraska fans, you truly can’t make this stuff up. According to reports swirling on social media, including a tweet from Wilson D. Sports, “#Nebraska forgot to send recruits ‘official offer’ emails/graphics today (per multiple Husker commits & targets). That CAN’T happen. Unbelievable.” After this, several prized prospects were baffled, wondering if the Huskers wanted them at all. When you look at Nebraska’s recruiting fiasco, it’s genuinely wild to think this happened under Ryan Callaghan’s watch. This wasn’t just any staffer. Callaghan, the Huskers’ director of recruiting systems and strategies, had a résumé stacked higher than a Nebraska snowdrift. The guy engineered three top-20 classes and five in the top 25. He prided himself on building the ultimate recruiting database.

Callaghan ran the behind-the-scenes operation with military precision (until now!). Callaghan once told the press, and nobody doubted him. His whole job was making sure nothing slipped through the cracks. Yet here we are, in the middle of a recruiting cycle, the system gets a flat tire, and nobody notices until X starts buzzing and blue-chip kids are complaining. The Huskers have built themselves an entire recruiting army. Matt Rhule has put together a full-blown task force, led by folks like Vince Guinta and Callaghan. You’d think with this precision platoon, and a custom software system, which is apparently “the best in the country,” that nothing falls through the cracks. But then comes recruiting season, and somehow, the whole armada forgets the most basic step.

Nebraska’s recruit revival with Tory Pittman on board

Nebraska’s pursuit of five-star safety Tory Pittman III is turning into one of the most compelling recruiting sagas out of Lincoln, especially with that whole “forgot to send official offers” mess hanging over their heads. Pittman, an Omaha native and the top defensive back in the 2027 class, has been on Nebraska’s radar for years. Now, with his fifth star freshly earned and Rivals projecting him to commit to the Huskers, the stakes couldn’t be higher. “Nebraska. From the jump, they’ve tried to get to know me as a person. Coach Matt Rule, he just kept in communication since my 8th grade year when they first offered me,” Tory said.

Despite the recruiting hiccup where Nebraska apparently dropped the ball on sending out formal offers to some recruits, the Huskers’ staff isn’t sitting idle. They’re working nonstop to reel in Pittman, who’s not just a prized target but a local legend in the making. Four-star QB Trae Taylor, Nebraska’s lone 2027 commit so far, is putting in extra work trying to get Pittman on board, practically acting as an unofficial recruiter for Rhule’s program.

The irony doesn’t escape. Even with the entire Nebraska stumbling over the basic step of recruiting, Pittman’s interest is still on Lincoln. Now with Pittman’s commitment looking like the crown jewel for the 2027 cycle, Rhule and Co. are scrambling to make sure no more paperwork slips through the cracks. They know that locking in a homegrown superstar like Pittman could be the foundation for turning the program’s fortunes around.