Nebraska stays hot with commitment from Texas linebacker Dylan Rogers

Nebraska landed its commitment in the last week on Tuesday afternoon as Cypress (Texas) Woods three-star linebacker Dylan Rogers made his pledge to the Cornhuskers.

Rogers took just one official visit in the month of June when the Houston-area linebacker made it out to Lincoln where a large number of coaches connected with him including Scott Frost, inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud, area recruiter Bryan Applewhite, defensive coordinator Erik Chinander and director of player personnel Sean Dillon.

"Throughout this recruiting process, they've been hitting me up," Rogers said. "I've been talking to Coach Ruud, Coach Applewhite, Coach Frost, Coach Chin, Coach Sean Dillon. We've just been building relationships since before I even went up there for the official visit."

On his official visit, there was a family vibe that immediately stood out in Lincoln within players and coaches.

"When I got up there last month, they treated me like I was family and they treated my family like they were family," he said. "I got the family vibe from them and the whole team, they treated me like I was their brother and part of the team."

The developmental piece behind Barrett Ruud, a former Cornhusker himself, also stood out for Rogers in his decision-making process.

"They develop great linebackers and great football players that went on to the league," he said. "Coach Ruud went to Nebraska and then he went to the league and played with the Buccaneers and some other teams. I'll be getting coached by a former player at Nebraska and a former NFL player."

His role on the Nebraska defense will see him play multiple roles within the second level.

"They see me at both the MIKE and the WILL, so I'll be playing both in the defense," Rogers said. "If it's a base, I'll be playing in MIKE. But if we're in nickel or something like that, I'll be playing WILL."

With his use in the defense, Rogers sees an opportunity to see the field early in Lincoln shortly after he enrolls.

"If I go up there and handle business, I feel like I can start early," he said.

But first up, Rogers will look to lead his high school team deep into the playoffs out of one of Texas' more challenging districts.

"Go far in the playoffs and hopefully go to state," he said. "The main goal is to win district first and go on from there."

At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, Rogers is the No. 87 ranked player from the state of Texas and the No. 22 ranked inside linebacker in the country for the class of 2023, according to Rivals.

A tackling machine in Texas 6A football, Dylan Rogers' IQ in the second level is something that could be invaluable early on in his time at Nebraska. Pair that with his college-ready frame and open-field tackling ability, and it's easy to see why Rogers sees an opportunity to touch the field early in Lincoln.

His knowledge in the second level is especially seen in coverage where he had four interceptions in just seven games during his junior season. Taking away the middle of the field has allowed his defense to be stress-free between the hashes in the pass game while his open-field tackle ability also keeps things limited in the run game.

Staying healthy during his senior season will be big in helping his transition into the college game after injuries kept him out for a good chunk of his junior year. With development being taken to the field in 2022, Rogers could have another standout season for Cy Woods.