LINCOLN — Nebraska football coach Scott Frost stopped in over the lunch hour. Students at Columbus Lakeview High School went on pause for a minute to process that fact.
“There were probably a lot of kids on Snapchat when that happened,” Lakeview coach Kurt Frenzen said.
Frost, on the first day of the recruiting contact period, wasn’t at Lakeview to see any player in particular. He was there, in effect, to make the kind of house call that an NU head coach hasn’t made, well, since the last time an ex-Husker football player led the program. Frost was there to check in, say hello and represent Husker football.
“Frank Solich in 2002,” Frenzen said when asked the last time a coach had come to his school without any specific prospect to call upon. “It’s great to see a Nebraska coach coming out here again.”
Frenzen said Frost stopped by Lakeview, Columbus Scotus and Columbus High School. He was on his way to Norfolk later in the afternoon. Frost asked Frenzen about a few players in the region and reminisced about their high school days, since the two were about the same age.
“He stayed for 45 minutes and he wasn’t in a hurry to leave,” Frenzen said.
Frost was expected to be in Lincoln this weekend, as Nebraska hosts several prospects on official visits. But Frenzen said he appreciated Frost making the rounds.
At least one other Husker coach, running backs coach Ryan Held, went out to recruit on Friday morning, visiting outside linebacker prospect Dylan Jordan of Pittsburg, Kansas, whose recruiting attention has grown exponentially in recent weeks. Auburn and TCU both offered scholarships in early January, and Jordan was headed to Utah for an official visit this weekend. Jordan will visit Nebraska Jan. 25.
Norfolk Catholic’s Dylan Kautz has narrowed his college choices to three
Norfolk Catholic senior Dylan Kautz has narrowed his college options.
“I want to be decided in a couple of weeks,” he said. “I’m visiting Wayne State on Sunday and am working on finding dates to visit South Dakota and Nebraska in the next few weeks then hopefully decide after that.”
The 5-foot-9, 178-pound running back rushed for 7,580 yards in four seasons as a four-time 1,000-yard rusher. He rushed for 2,737 yards and scored 47 touchdowns — 45 on the ground — in 13 games. However, football may not be the sport he chooses in college.
“Wayne State is really the only football scholarship option for me right now,” Kautz said of the Division II school. “South Dakota and Nebraska are potential options to run track depending on my times this season.”
Kautz is a three-time state champion in the 100 and 200 meters, with a personal best 10.67 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 21.63 seconds in the 200. He has a standing walk-on offer to play football at Nebraska. A consideration is running track and walking on to the football team at Nebraska.
“Nebraska is still an option but it would have to work out financially,” he said. “The time commitment to run track and walk-on to play football would be a lot.”
Kautz has run an 4.44-second 40-yard dash multiple times. At Nebraska’s June 22 Friday Night Lights camp, Kautz ran that time twice.
Wayne State wants him to play running back, Division II schools Sioux Falls and Augustana offered full scholarships to do the same. Wayne State is closer to home and Kautz has a connection with quite a few people on the team.
“A lot of the bigger Division I schools want me to walk on for football and I really don’t want to put myself and my family in that financial situation,” he said.
