Nebraska's Big Dogs of the Week: 10 First Bests from Week 1

The season has finally started in the Cornhusker State and we at Prep Redzone Nebraska are amped up for what we saw in Week 1. So much so, it will probably take a handful of tape breakdowns to capture all that we could find, but we start off with ten of our Big Dogs of the Week.    WR: one touchdown DB: one interception   It was a great day for Lincoln Southwest's [player_tooltip player_id='2231032' first='Phillip' last='Simpson'] on both sides of the ball as the 6'4 180 pounder showed the athleticism that surely will fit at the next-level at either position. This young man looked like a natural at the safety position with not only his long range, but his ball skills when he tracked the ball down for an interception. Those long strides also paved the way with ample seperation on his touchdown reception, as I got to say that I am SUPER surprised this young man hasn't came off our 2027 watch list yet but surely will very soon.   <a href="https://x.com/pj4_305" data-type="link" data-id="https://x.com/pj4_305">TWITTER</a>     31 carries, 205 rushing yards, Four touchdowns   Baer was one that was hard to miss in Week 1 who logged over 200 rushing yards along with four touchdowns for Ralston against Bellevue East. He quickly showed off a downhill runner that doesn't take long to show off his durability thru contact. The outside speed is another area that caught our attention during Week 1, as Baer showed off elusiveness that showed off a blue-collar type running ability. The now 6'0 190 pounder should surely be a 2028 that cracks our rankings very soon.   <a href="https://x.com/baerblecha" data-type="link" data-id="https://x.com/baerblecha">TWITTER</a>     15 tackles   One of the harder hitting linebackers that caught our attention during Week 1 was Fort Calhoun 2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2129203' first='Quentin' last='Billesbach'] as one that was consistently knocking ball carriers backwards with pure authority against Arlington. Just about every tackle that Quentin logged, was either in the backfield or within the first couple of yards which is a credit to the growth this young man has shown with his vision in the inside box. An All-State honorable mention as a sophomore, and one that surely should move that bar forward that's showing off a great start to his junior campaign.     12 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, and one sack (just 2.5 quarters played)   You have to mention that the stat line you see for Kale is in just 2.5 quarters played in Week 1 against Broken Bow, which he almost got his sack total from last year in ONE game alongside with double-digit tackles. The 6'4 200 pounder is not one that you want to meet in the inside box, as he shows you right away on tape what a mismatch he is at the linebacker position. He showed off quicker hands getting off his blocks too and appears to be more rangy in his senior season. At the tight end position, Kale had one receiving touchdown as well that really showed the development off the top of his route with his agility as he made that touchdown look almost effortless from an athletic standpoint. Kale holds four offers thus far and surely should get more in my eyes with a senior season eval from some schools I am sure upcoming.   <a href="https://x.com/kale_kaiser" data-type="link" data-id="https://x.com/kale_kaiser">TWITTER</a>     137 rushing yards, one touchdown   A name that rose up out this 2027 class out of Millard West over the weekend, was running back [player_tooltip player_id='1699961' first='Trapper' last='Fichtl']. He showed off his fluidity he has at his disposal with a persistent amount of splash runs with his great yet patient vision he showed off especially along the edges of the inside box. You can surely see the growth from a season ago with his change of direction, as I felt that was key in some of his bigger runs when he got the edges. No offers yet for Thatcher, but surely one that if I were a college recruiter I would keep tabs on for a senior eval who had a quite productive Week 1.     82 receiving yards, one touchdown   Carver is one that I saw quite a bit this summer yet I still feel since then he's made quick growth with his development starting with his Week 1 for Gretna East against Norris. You can't always see what a WR can do after the catch the best in a camp setting and that the first area I see growth from his 2025 campaign as nearly half of his receiving yards were after the catch. The 6'2 195 pounder got a lot of NAIA attention this summer, but he's one that I feel geuninely grades out at the Division II level and if he can put together more consistent outings like Week 1 showed, that senior eval could resonate with some Nebraska and Dakotas D2 schools.     3 sacks, 6 tackles, a herd of pressures and pancakes   One of the members of our Lincoln All-City Team had himself a mosnterous Week 1. When he made his tackles you could feel the blister he put on the ball-carriers with his forceful physicality. With his pass-rushing ability, he showed off hands that blasted thru the offensive linemen he went up against and brought the agility with his footwork forward when the quarterback moved up in the box to elude pressures. Harper is surely looking like a stockriser already out of this 2027 class in the DL group out of Lincoln Standing Bear.     6 tackles, one interception, two pass breakups, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one receiving touchdown   You could say it was kind of a revenge game for 2028 defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='2129211' first='Jase' last='Coke'] as he took on his old team Lincoln Standing Bear and based on reading the stat line above, he was eager to compete against his old club. The forced fumble and recovery showed a great pursuit angle on the ball as Jase wasted no time finding the ball quickly in his hands. This kid is really instinctive in press man coverage and finds the ball with consistent ease. Not only that, but his ability to crack down on ball carriers that are loose coming into his level of the field is another area that Jase showed off in Week 1. Another mover in my eyes early this time in the 2028 class.     326 total yards (312 pass, 14 rush), two touchdowns, three school records broken   One quarterback out of the gates that we were fired up about when our Lincoln All-City Team came out was [player_tooltip player_id='1870042' first='Eli' last='Schafer'] of Lincoln North Star, who had a big Week 1 in a triple overtime win over Norfolk. College coaches ought to watch the first rep Eli throws on tape against Norfolk. Heavily pressured outside of the pocket, yet makes a next-level throw that should grade out out high in a high school recruiter's eyes. He also threw a 98-99 yard bomb with again some steady pressure but was pretty unphased from a poise perspective as he drive the ball with great precision deep down field. The proficency was there for the taking on all three levels as one of my favorite Week 1 performance amongst the quarterback group that I have watched so far.     4.5 sacks, 5.5 tackles for a loss, two quarterback hurries, one rushing touchdown   Easily one of the top defensive performances out of Week 1 came from Platteview 2028 defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='2129264' first='Oakley' last='Osborn']. Oakley showed off a bouldering get off when he got off his blocks in the tape reps I got to watch and surely wrecked some havoc in the Hastings backfield on a persistent basis. His lateral movement also showed off an excellent release downhill when he got off his blocks and showed great range with his size getting to the near edges of the field. Oakley is a 2028 defensive end that I surely think could blow up in this 2028 class.

The season has finally started in the Cornhusker State and we at Prep Redzone Nebraska are amped up for what we saw in Week 1. So much so, it will probably take a handful of tape breakdowns to capture all that we could find, but we start off with ten of our Big Dogs of the Week.