Trevin Luben left a lasting impression on the Memorial Stadium turf last month.
The Wahoo senior running back, with the snow whipping around him and his teammates, rushed for 268 yards and five touchdowns in the Warriors' 38-0 victory against Pierce in the Class C-1 state championship game on Nov. 26.
The Warriors enjoyed their first state championship, and once the celebration juices settled down, it hit Luben.
"The next time," he thought. "That's definitely when it hit me. That's crazy that I'll be able to play in front of 90,000. It's something I dreamed about as a little kid growing up in Nebraska."
Luben was one of 19 players to sign walk-on offers with Nebraska on Wednesday. He did so with his parents, coach Chad Fox and his teammates by his side.
Luben said it hasn't hit him yet: The idea that he'll be wearing scarlet and cream next fall. He's not alone.
People are also reading…
NU's walk-on class includes 16 other in-state players who share a similar affection for Nebraska football.
Bladen Bayless (Beatrice), Nate Boerkircher (Aurora), Baylor Brannen (Millard West), Elliott Brown (Elkhorn South), Casey Doernemann (Guardian Angels Central Catholic), Broc Douglass (Grand Island), Isaac Gifford (Lincoln Southeast), Ty Hahn (Johnson-Brock), Ashton Hausemann (Norris), Braden Klover (Southern), Keegan Menning (Fremont), Mason Nieman (Waverly), Nouredin Nouili (Norris and Colorado State), Eli Simonson (Archbishop Bergan), Grant Tagge (Omaha Westside) and Xavier Trevino (Lincoln Southeast) will funnel into NU's walk-on program with state boundaries.
"This is a really big class and I like how they're bringing it back with full force like this," Luben said. "We have a lot of talent, and it will be interesting to see how everyone develops over these next four, five years and what role they'll play."
Luben expects to work at running back, but "I'm up for playing wherever, honestly, wherever they see me."
Scott Frost has put together some strong walk-on classes since coming to Nebraska, and the NU football coach expects the groundwork to start showing soon.
"I think starting next year it is just going to get to a point where it is helping us more and more," Frost said of the walk-ons. "I think this might be as good of a class as we have had since we have been here."
Frost pointed to the additions of Gifford and Hahn, two players who could have taken on full-ride scholarships elsewhere, but will wait their turns at NU.
"Ty Hahn from Southeast Nebraska is a receiver that is as good as a lot of scholarship guys around the country, he just played eight-man football," Frost said. "He is right down the road."