Danny Kaelin: The Class of ’24?

Nebraska lost its chance to sign Class of 2024 five-star QB recruit Dylan Raiola a couple of weeks ago. Sadly for Husker fans, he is taking his talent to the two-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs.

As of two weeks ago, Nebraska hadn't signed another QB in the class. Matt Rhule needed to find a quarterback. Not to worry. Just 50 miles away from Lincoln there happened to be another elite quarterback who is also in the Class of '24. He is Danny Kaelin, a 6-3, 200-pound QB for the Bellevue West Thunderbirds.

But there was one small problem. Danny was committed to Missouri. Despite his commitment to the Tigers, he always wanted to play for Nebraska. The only thing standing in his way had been Dylan. But then Dylan took off to Athens, Georgia, leaving the Husker QB door wide open.

So what did Kaelin do?

He quickly decommitted from Missouri. And the very next day, he committed to the Huskers.

As Chief Inspector Clouseau would say, "The cass eez-a sol-ved!"

So what do we know about young Mr. Kaelin? 

For one, he'll be a senior this fall at Bellevue West. Last year through 11 games he threw for 3,186 yards, 36 TDs and had only 7 INTs. Not bad.

The Thunderbirds went 7-4. But two of those four losses were to Class A runner-up Gretna and one to eventual Class A champion Omaha Westside.

In 2022, Danny rushed for only 175 total yards. But his 15.9 average still gave headaches to opposing defenses. A glance at his highlights shows his elusiveness. If he can improve his rushing numbers, his stock may continue to rise this fall.

Elite 11 Academy

Danny has also been invited to the Elite 11 Academy this summer. What is that, you ask? The Academy began in 1999. Each year since then, the top quarterbacks in the country are invited to the camp. They get a chance to be instructed by some of the best coaches in the business.

Who else is coming to the Academy this summer?

Well, one of them may have heard of. Dylan Raiola. Yup that one.

Here are some of the the QBs who have also graduated from the Academy:

Tom Brady, Joe Burrow, Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins, Justin Fields, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Trevor Lawrence, Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Brock Purdy and Matthew Stafford.

Not bad company.

Quarterbacks Zane Flores (Gretna High) and Max Duggan (Council Bluffs Lewis Central) are also recent grads of the Academy.

It's safe to say that young Danny Kaelin is a very special player.

How ’Bout Them Huskers

Will and I have resumed our weekly podcasts. This week, we delve into the softball team's 2-2 run in the NCAA Tournament and the Husker baseball team's 2-2 run in the Big Ten Tournament. We also talk about what Keisei Tominaga's return means to the Husker basketball program. Included in our discussion is the Husker volleyball opener Aug. 30 in Memorial Stadium. The Athletic Department last week added 8,000 more tickets to the event. Those additional tickets should break the all-time attendance record for a women's athletic event at 91,000.