The cranberry sauce was surely delightful, but suffice it to say it wasn't the day's highlight.
For Hunter Miller, this past Thanksgiving came with more than turkey and trimmings. It brought with it an invitation to walk on and play football at Nebraska.
At that moment, from Cross County had one offer on the table, coming from Northern Colorado. Liberty University would jump in later, but by then, the heart was already set and the challenge accepted.Â
"As soon as I got that offer from Nebraska, I knew that's where I wanted to be," said Miller, whose background at Cross County includes some eight-man football.
He had a Husker bedroom growing up, after all. He also knew a guy like him had a chance at a place like Nebraska. Guys like him are a significant slice of the history of program.
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A guy like him, Cole Conrad, also wasn't loaded up with scholarship offers a few years back coming out of Archbishop Bergan in Fremont. Now, Conrad will head into the fall with a strong chance to win Nebraska's starting center job as a junior.
"It's a very inspiring thing to see those guys who have worked their way from the bottom all the way to the top," Miller said. "So that's what I'm striving for."
He's not the only one of his Nebraska Shrine Bowl teammates with that on his mind. A couple of other soon-to-be Husker walk-ons from the South team stood just a few feet from him: wide receiver Christian Banker and , both of Omaha Skutt.
— a Class B record. He had a knack for highlight catches. If he could get just one hand on it, there was a fair chance he'd bring it in.
He comes to Nebraska at a position where walk-on receivers like Brandon Reilly, Bryan Reimers, Gabe Rahn and Conor Young have all shown you can earn attention if good enough.
And Hixson will join Miller as a 6-foot-4, 275-pound body in Mike Cavanaugh's O-line room.
Hixson had offers from the Air Force Academy and the University of South Dakota. But before picking one, both filled up their spots on the same weekend. He was looking at the University of Northern Iowa. They offered two other in-state kids instead.
"My last option was UNL, and I think it was a great option," Hixson said. "It was a no-brainer."
If you want a glimpse into Hixson's mentality, go back to that he was considering the Air Force Academy.
"I don't like an easy way," he said. "I was thinking with the Air Force, that would have been a really tough challenge just to get through it. And I don't think UNL is any different — starting from walk-on to try to win a scholarship."
Banker and Hixson don't have to look far for inspiration either.
Their head coach at Omaha Skutt was Matt Turman, who took key snaps as Nebraska's quarterback during the march to the 1994 national championship. Matt Vrzal is another Skutt coach who was on two Husker national championship teams.
"They put in lots of work, and it paid off for them, even if it was a moment in a game or starting," Hixson said. "I just want to start to play, and experience Husker football."
The message both Miller and Hixson received: Be ready to work harder and get stronger.
Sounds right to their ears.
But first, one more chance to play with their peers from the high school level. It's a whirlwind weekend.
On Saturday at 2 p.m., they'll compete in Kearney in the Shrine Bowl. On Sunday, they'll be moving. College life begins.
"Playing with Christian and Trent, it's fun this week getting to know them a little better," Miller said, "and building those relationships before we move to Lincoln on Sunday and get our journey started."