.COSTA MESA, Calif.– Nebraska quarterback dedicate TJ Lateef is taking his high school team to new levels, a handful of months before he registers in Lincoln as component of a recruiting class that he counts on to do the very same for Matt Rhule’s Huskers.Lateef, a four-star possibility in the 247Sports Composite, sent Orange Lutheran High School to a 42-20 triumph on Friday evening over Junipero Serra. Lateef accounted for 3 goals as well as helped Orange Lutheran combat a second-half rally after Serra cut a 28-point halftime deficit to eight.Orange Lutheran, 8-3, is rated 16th country wide by MaxPreps. It is going to play No.
7 St. John Bosco next week in the university’s first-ever appearance in the CIF-Southern Segment Department 1 semifinal sphere. The winner might experience No.
1 Mater Dei in the championship round.Lateef, 6 feet 1 1/2 inches and 195 pounds, mentioned he is actually “100 percent secured” on Nebraska ahead of the beginning of the early signing time frame on Dec. 4. He is actually a headliner in the Huskers’ 20-member course that stands 20th across the country after the flip on Thursday of four-star linebacker Dawson Merritt from Alabama to Nebraska.” Our experts’re going to acquire a married couple much more men (to flip),” Lateef said Friday night.
“We’re heading to shock the globe.” Nebraska remains to operate to turn Millard South strict side Chase Loftin coming from Fla Condition. Loftin, a four-star possibility, aided his Omaha staff obtain Nebraska’s Class A championship with a succeed on Friday evening. It will encounter two-time defending champ Omaha Westside at Memorial Arena.
Four-star pass receiver Cortez Mills of Home, Fla., an Oklahoma commit, likewise continues to be a target of the Huskers.Nebraska aide Keith Williams checked out Lateef on Friday night at Orange Shore College. Orange Lutheran hopped out to a 28-0 lead as Lateef racked up on a 12-yard run as well as linked for 22 lawns along with Arizona Condition limited end commit AJ Ia.Adversity struck for Orange Lutheran in the 3rd one-fourth as Serra, responsible for quarterback Ryan Hopkins, a 2026 aim at of a number of Huge Ten programs, led a comeback. Lateef exited the ready one play in the 3rd fourth along with a lower leg injury, yet he came back to direct pair of touchdown drives in the 4th quarter, leaping over a protector to arrive at the end region from 4 lawns out for the final score.” I only needed to maintain the fellas resolved, and our experts took momentum back,” Lateef said.
“I’m regularly mosting likely to keep tranquil. Remain the same fella in the hardest opportunities.” Lateef devoted to Nebraska in Might after his April visit for the springtime game. He is actually remained strong to the Huskers via an eventful fall in Lincoln that featured the introduction of correct freshman Dylan Raiola as the best QB as well as the change at offensive planner, along with Dana Holgorsen joining the course in early November as well as managing as the play customer this week.Williams and quarterbacks instructor Glenn Thomas have sustained frequent contact throughout the season along with Lateef, who’s thrown for greater than 2,000 yards as a senior.Lateef has not yet checked out along with Holgorsen.
Rhule stated this week he would love to always keep the past scalp train at West Virginia as well as Houston on staff to operate the Nebraska offense in 2025. Of Raiola, Lateef stated, “I recognize Dylan. He’s a wonderful regulation football gamer.
Yet my opportunity is heading to come. I’ll use and contend and allow the rest participate in out. One thing regarding me, I am actually certainly not heading to duck competitors.
He’s a fantastic football player. Yet I am actually, also.” Lateef mentioned he organizes to register at Nebraska in January.Required reading( Photograph: Mitch Sherman/ The Sports).