Nebraska football had several blue-chip defensive back targets in the 2028 cycle on campus Saturday for the Big Noon matchup with No. 7 Indiana. Amidst some national targets on campus, 2028 Waverly-Shell Rock (Ia.) three-star athlete Jayden Stephens could have slipped under the radar, but instead the Huskers sought him out to offer the 6-foot, 180-pounder.
“It meant a lot to receive an offer from a program like Nebraska, especially while being on campus,” he told Hail Varsity. “It shows that they truly believe in me, and I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
Stephens has taken in a game in Memorial Stadium before. He was last on campus last September to see the Huskers dominate Houston Christian. This time around, Memorial Stadium felt different.
“It was great to be back in Lincoln for the game,” he said. “This one felt different just because of the hype around the game with both teams being 5-0 and Nebraska feeling like they had something to prove.”
Communication with Nebraska’s staff picked up since June 15, the first date college coaches could directly contact 2028 recruits. Saturday served as an opportunity to develop his relationships with the staff.
“This year with me being able to actually text and call coaches really helped me form relationships with coaches,” he said. “I’m not in a ton of communication [though]; I let my dad handle it during the season. I came back to Lincoln to see a good game and continue to build my relationships with the coaches there.”
Stephens contributes in all three phases for Waverly-Shell Rock (Ia.) and has recruiting attention at both wide receiver and defensive back. Nebraska sees the 6-foot, 180-pounder contributing in the secondary.
“I had some good conversations with Coach [Tyler] Yelk and Coach [Rob] Aurich,” he said. “We spoke about how they saw me fit into their program.”
Stephens kept a close eye on the secondary, particularly the safeties, and can see his play style fitting in with what Nebraska is looking for moving forward.
“I saw the defense fly around and play with energy and physicality, which is something that I have in my game as well,” Stephens said.
Nebraska is working to land several prospects from the Hawkeye State in addition to the three-star. Stephens spent all game with Sioux City (Ia.) East four-star wide receiver Isaiah Grant, who’s rapidly ascending on Nebraska’s wide receiver board.
“I spent the whole day with Isaiah Grant,” he said. “He’s one of my good friends and it was good to see that Nebraska is recruiting him hard as well.”
Coming out of his second trip to Lincoln, with an offer from the Huskers in hand, Nebraska has emerged towards the top of the three-star’s recruitment.
“Nebraska is a program I’m excited about and after the visit they definitely pique my interest,” he said. “They definitely fall toward the top of my list right now and I look forward to the rest of the process with them.”
