Four-star DB Jaeden Gould commits to Nebraska

Jaeden Gould's recruitment has been full of twists and turns but the four-star defensive back out of Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic had his fair share of options at the end of his recruitment. A high-profile prospect at a young age, Gould's offer sheet quickly expanded during his sophomore season. Rutgers, the in-state school, was all over him but he wanted to branch out and see different schools. At various points between now and then, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Michigan were the favorites before Gould settled on USC. The Trojans picked up his his commitment in June and he stuck with his choice through the firing of Clay Helton. Shortly after Lincoln Riley was named head coach at USC, Gould reopened his recruitment. Nebraska was the only team to get a visit after his decommitment and the Cornhuskers landed his commitment.

"I just felt like I had the closest relationships with them," Gould said. "I visited there going into my sophomore year and I have some familiar faces there. I really felt comfortable and my official visit went really well.

"I watched them throughout the year," he said. "I know they're right there on the brink of success. They've been competing with some of the best teams in the Big Ten as well as Oklahoma. I feel like they're going in the right direction but need a couple pieces to really change their program around and I feel like I can provide that.

"One of the biggest things for me was the opportunity to play early," said Gould. "They only have like eight DBs on scholarship. My goal is to come in and contribute early so I feel like this is the best opportunity for me to do that.

"Rahmir (Johnson) was telling me that the coaches are all good people," he said. "The players too. They all have your best interests at heart. The Nebraska fans love their football. They love their Huskers. Everybody is going to look out for you if you're doing the right things. They're going to help you in all aspects of life. I really felt like that was one of the biggest things for me, seeing that support throughout the community and school."

Gould has a solid safety skill set and brings good instincts to the field. He is a physical tackler and does a good job getting ball carriers to the ground when they're in the open field. Gould is opportunistic when the ball is in the air and uses his length and size to his advantage when competing for jump balls. He'll most likely end up a safety at the college level and should have a productive career if he gets into the right system and stays healthy.

Nebraska was the beneficiary of the coaching carousel here and ended up with a talented defensive back in their class. Scott Frost and his staff have a fairly small recruiting class this year but Gould will likely end up the highest rated of the bunch. Nebraska did a good job getting Gould to reconnect with former teammate and current Husker Rahmir Johnson and that helped seal the deal. Now Nebraska will get a pretty talented defensive back to try to work into the rotation next season.