A call, a camp and a commit: How offensive lineman Jake Peters picked Nebraska

There’s something about watching a high school offensive lineman bulldoze over a safety to the whistle. Cedar Falls (Iowa) tackle Jake Peters does that a lot in his three-minute Hudl highlight film. He likely did it a lot more in whatever film Nebraska football coaches could access. So while his 6-foot-3, 270-pound frame kept most Power Five schools from offering a scholarship, it didn’t deter service academies and FCS national champion South Dakota State. And it didn’t deter the Huskers from inviting Peters to a June 10 football camp. There, he earned a scholarship that turned into an official visit, which on Sunday turned into NU’s 11th commit for the 2024 class. “I really love how they believe in me, because I believe in myself,” Peters said. “But having other people believe in me, too, is really good. I like that a lot.” He’ll move to either guard or center at Nebraska, where offensive line coach Donovan Raiola has been grooming 6-1, 290-pound Justin Evans-Jenkins as the next center once NFL prospect Ben Scott heads to the pros. On film, Peters’ quickness and agility in reaching second-and-third-level blockers recalls that of Evans-Jenkins’ prep work. But college football can be a game of measurables, so Peters got wait-listed at a number of Big Ten and Big 12 schools. In late May, as he built his plan to earn scholarships at June camps, he got a call from NU assistant director of player personnel Keith Williams. We like the film, Williams told Peters. Come on out. “That’s where it all started,” Peters said. “That was my first contact with Nebraska. Two weeks before the camp.” Peters earned the scholarship offer. With limited space in the class, he scheduled the official visit, and was sold on Raiola’s approach with the room. The linemen stick together, five-as-one. “I just saw the family that they had at Nebraska,” Peters said. “That was my favorite part. I was hanging out with the o-line group, just a super tight-knit group of people that I could really fit in with. And the coaching staff is a family as well. And Coach (Matt) Rhule, when you get here, it’s like you’re a part of his family. The facilities are great, but the people – they sealed the deal for me.” Peters is the second offensive line commit in the 2024 class, joining Houston Klein Cain’s Gibson Pyle as a verbal pledge. He’s also Rhule’s first commit from Iowa, where Nebraska had begun to make recruiting inroads in recent years. NU still hopes to land Logan-Magnolia (Iowa) offensive tackle Grant Brix, a Top 100 prospect and four-star recruit who just finished an official visit to Kansas State. The Strength U, a training facility, near Iowa City, has helped Peters work on interior line play. Current Husker Henry Lutovsky has worked at Strength U, as well. Peters said he grew up an Iowa fan. His extended family roots for the Hawkeyes. Now, they’ll have a new team to follow. A rival.