Nebraska's 2022 recruiting class is just starting to take shape, but the Huskers have wasted little time in fortifying their depth at wide receiver.Â
The latest addition came Sunday when three-star pass-catcher Grant Page (Boulder, Colorado) verbally committed to Nebraska.Â
Page is listed at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds.Â
I am Blessed and Humbled to say I have committed to the University of Nebraska!!!!!! 🌽☠ï¸ðŸ”´âšªï¸
— Grant Page (@Grant_Page23)
In just seven games as a junior at Fairview, he caught 58 passes for 815 yards and nine touchdowns and also logged three interceptions as a defensive back. According to MaxPreps, Page had 1,250 yards and 15 touchdowns on 76 catches in 12 games as a sophomore in 2019. Those numbers have led the state of Colorado each of the past two years.Â
"He makes everything look easy," Fairview head coach Tom McCartney told the Journal Star. "It looks effortless to him, the way he runs, just makes plays. He’s a football star as well as a star basketball player, and so whether he’s on the court or on the field, he just makes things look easy and it comes natural to him.
"He has the gift to run, competes for that ball and wants that ball."Â
Page is the second wide receiver in Nebraska's 2022 recruiting class already, joining Victor Jones Jr. from Orlando, Florida.Â
The Huskers also hosted All-American Bowl invitee Landon Samson on the first weekend of June.Â
Page fits the mold of what Nebraska has looked for in recent recruiting cycles considering his height and length. Jones is listed at 6-2 and all three of the receivers NU signed in the 2021 class — Latrell Neville, Shawn Hardy II and Kamonte Grimes — are 6-3 or taller. Offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Matt Lubick has put a premium on size and now has a player in the fold from the state where his family — including his dad, former longtime Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick — calls home.Â
"The Lubick family in Colorado, they’re well-known and so I like to follow (Matt) and his brother as they’ve done different things," McCartney said. "They’ve been at some really cool places. Recruiting, most recently with COVID, has been unlike any other time, so I’ve had a little bit of a conversation with him but not a ton. It’s nice to have that connection and, of course, when I was talking to Coach Lubick, I definitely brought up Kenny Bell and then Phil Bland."Â
McCartney is entering his 29th year at Fairview, so he coached both former standouts at the school before they began their Husker careers.Â
Page, like Bell, plays both ways for Fairview and also is a standout on the basketball court.Â
"He took probably every snap the entire year," McCartney said of Page. "It was shortened and condensed because of COVID, but he played seven games and it probably felt like 14 because he played every play. And he still makes it look effortless. It doesn’t look like the guy ever gets tired."Â
Page's first offer came from Colorado State before he played a down on varsity his sophomore year, then they started coming in more frequently after he led the state for the first time.Â
As he started narrowing down his choices, though, Page ended up taking visits to only Nebraska and Kansas State.Â
"There’s a lot of cool places out there, but what’s my best fit? What’s the best thing that’s in my best interest? As we’ve had some talks, I know he’s been out to several different places and he’s had a chance to compare and look at different things," McCartney said. "He speaks very highly of Nebraska. I’m kind of a student of the game, and so I know a lot about Nebraska. Just to hear Grant talk, it seems like he’s done his homework. He understands the fanbase, he understands the tradition. He understands the winning culture.
"There’s so many cool things about the program that he was bragging on when he got back from his trip. I could see and hear a lot of excitement in his voice."Â
Page was the sixth member of NU's 2022 class and the fourth to verbally pledge in the past two weeks. Lincoln Southeast linebacker Jake Appleget became No. 7 and No. 5, respectively, later on Sunday. Of Nebraska's commits so far, five — Page, Jones, running back Ashton Hayes (Reno, Nevada), quarterback Richard Torres (San Antonio) and tight end Chase Androff (Lakeville, Minnesota) are all on the offensive side.Â
2022 Husker football recruits
Name
Position
Hometown (School)
Stars
Jaeden Gould
DB
Oradell, N.J. (Bergen Catholic)
****
Chase Androff
TE
Lakeville, Minn. (South)
***
Jake Appleget
LB
Lincoln (Southeast)
***
Malcolm Hartzog Jr.
DB
Prentiss, Miss. (Jefferson Davis)
***
Ernest Hausmann
LB
Columbus
***
Victor Jones Jr.
WR
Orlando, Florida (Olympia)
***
Jalil Martin
DB
Chicago (Kenwood Academy)
***
Brodie Tagaloa
DL
San Francisco (De La Salle)
***
Richard Torres
QB
San Antonio, Texas (Southside)
***
Gage Stenger
OLB
Omaha (Millard South)
***
DeShon Singleton
DB
Hutchinson (Kan.) CC
***
Decoldest Crawford
WR
Shreveport, LA (Green Oaks)
***
Emmett Johnson
RB
Minneapolis (Holy Angels)
***
Justin Evans-Jenkins
OL
Irvington, NJ (Irvington)
***
Photos: Recruits get a taste of Husker football at Friday Night Lights
The guys give highlights after hitting the road for Big Red Blitz stops earlier this week, break down the latest recruiting happenings and talk hoops.