Nebraska football players prep for National Signing Day

As he takes a break from preparations for this weekend's International Bowl in Arlington, Tex., Millard West (Omaha) standout defensive end Harrison Phillips will don his International Bowl jersey, sit down with his all-star peers and let it become known, officially, where he is going to play college football.

The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Wildcat committed to Stanford months ago, but he won't make it official until Wednesday morning when he and his Team USA teammates attend an International Bowl National Signing Day breakfast and jamboree.

Like most Nebraska kids growing up, Phillips wanted to compete for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers. However, an offer was not made available during his junior season, and Phillips moved on.

"I was expecting to get an offer and I guess they didn't pull through," Phillips said. "I just felt like they were keeping me in their back pocket, like they were stringing me along."

Phillips wasn't without offers. In fact, once he received a couple invitations early in the recruiting process, the offers started to steamroll. Eventually Phillips received around 30 offers. At one point, Phillips was real fond of Kansas State and he also had an interest in Northwestern. But once he took a visit to Stanford, Phillips knew his recruitment was over. He wanted to be a part of the Cardinal.

"I had to earn my scholarship at Stanford," Phillips said. "They worked me out hard and put me through every drill possible. And when I left, I had an offer in my hand.

"When they said my name, they said it proudly and with respect. That was important to me. Their academic program, of course, is second to none and that's important too – after all the NFL isn't forever. And I like what their football program has been able to do during the BCS era," he said.

While Phillips is heading out to the west coast to continue his football career, Nebraska's three other FBS recruits are staying home to compete for Bo Pelini and the home-state Huskers.

Lincoln Southeast players Luke Gifford and DJ Foster will sign their Husker paperwork at a rally at the high school with several of their classmates, while Mick Stoltenberg of Gretna will officially become a Husker at 4 p.m. at the high school Wednesday afternoon.

Gifford was interested in keeping the recruiting process short. So when the Huskers offered, the 6-foot-3, 198-pound safety pulled the trigger.

"It is a privilege and an honor to play at a school with so much tradition," Gifford said. "I would love nothing more than to win a championship while I'm there. I would love to do that for the fans and for the state. I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to play in front of the best fans in the country."

Soon-to-be Husker offensive lineman Foster has enjoyed the recruiting process through its ups and downs. But the 6-3, 312-pound three-star athlete is ready to end the process and begin the next chapter of his athletic career.

"I feel like I took advantage of all my resources and did everything that I could in making this decision," Foster said. "I definitely like this class of recruits. We talk to each other and I think we know each other pretty well. I'm still talking to Kenyon Frison and trying to get him to come in. But I think this is a special class either way, and I'm happy to be a part of it."

Stoltenberg isn't sure what position he'll play at Nebraska. But the 6-5, 250-pound lineman always knew where he wanted to play collegiately. Once the Huskers made an offer, Stoltenberg's recruitment ended almost as quickly as it started.

"I grew up a fan of Nebraska football and they are still second to none to me," Stoltenberg said. "I love the fans and how loyal they are. I love the facilities. I really enjoyed going to the different camps and competing against the other guys. It was a fun ride, but quick."

There is always more to the recruiting process at Nebraska. The Husker program does not rely solely on signing the three-, four- and five-star athletes. Nebraska's coaching staff is famous for its walk-on program, which is the heart and soul of Husker Nation.

Some walk-ons, including those that played 8-Man football, are more famous than some of the great recruiting classes signed by Bob Devaney, Tom Osborne, Frank Solich, Bill Callahan and now Pelini.

On the eve of signing day, fifteen Nebraska prep athletes had committed to compete at either FBS or FCS programs and Nebraska itself had received commitments from 26 athletes. An additional 17 prospects have agreed to walk-on for the Big Ten power Huskers. Fifteen of those athletes played high school football in the Cornhusker State.

Kearney Catholic wide receiver Blake Holtmeier will sign his letter of intent to walk on for Big Red at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday with the rest of the star athletes who are prepared to compete at the next level.

"It's a big deal," Holtmeier said. "You walk around town and you see the people wearing Nebraska T-shirts and you realize that you are a part of that. The entire state is behind you, and that's a big deal to me."

Garrett Poppen of Giltner admitted that he probably would have walked on at Nebraska even if he had received offers from other D-1 schools. The 6-foot, 205-pound linebacker went to several camps, including Oklahoma State, Wyoming, North Dakota State, Nebraska and Iowa, but received only D-II offers and had some interest from D-I schools.

"I don't think I could play for anybody else," Poppen said. "It would feel like I was playing for a rival school and I don't know that I could do that."

To keep updated with recruiting news in Nebraska and throughout the country visit the MaxPreps Signing Day homepage. We'll have content on the home page and some live streams of recruit announcements, and more.

Also check out this link to learn more about the International Bowl.