Nebraska prep athletes get scooped up on National Signing Day

Video: Ben Stille's highlights vs. Scotus High School

Mother Nature tried her hardest to stifle National Signing Day for Nebraska's prep athletes by dumping anywhere from 5 inches of snow to over a foot and a half on the Cornhusker State just hours before athletes were scheduled to sign National Letters of Intent Wednesday.

However, Ashland-Greenwood's Ben Stille, as well as the rest of Nebraska prep nation, wasn't about to let a little bit of the fluffy, white stuff get in the way of officially announcing where he will continue to play football and pursue a degree.

Stille signed with the University of Nebraska despite 5 inches of snow falling throughout the early part of the week in Ashland.

"It was definitely a dream of mine, as it is with any of the kids playing football here," Stille said by phone Wednesday after signing to play for head coach Mike Riley at the Big Ten power. "So when you get an offer from them, Nebraska goes straight to the top of the list."

Before committing to Big Red, Stille did face a hang-up of another kind. The 6-foot-5, 3-star tight end was forced into playing a game of phone tag with Riley as the second-year coach was about to offer Stille a football scholarship.

Ashland-Greenwood football coach Ryan Thompson explained it like this.

"Coach Riley called and wanted to make an offer, and I think I may have mixed up a ‘4' with a ‘5' or something like that," Thompson recalled of the moment that he gave Stille Riley's contact information. "Ben ended up getting hold of a lady or something. But we eventually got it all figured out."

Stille committed to Nebraska in June, and for the most part schools discontinued their pursuit. Iowa State was the only school to continue to make contact. But Stille put a stop to his recruitment and said he never wavered from his commitment to the Cornhuskers.

"This is pretty awesome. I guess I grew up in the culture of the fans here," Stille said. "Nebraska's fans, and the coaches, had a lot to do with the decision I made. It's great to be a part of this family."

Rush dots the ‘I's and crosses the ‘T's to play football at Wyoming

Wyoming offensive line coach Scott Fuchs visited with Aurora's Gavin Rush early and often during the recruiting process. And Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl, a former Huskers assistant, played the role of closer, as the Cowboys earned Rush's signature Wednesday.

Unlike Stille, however, Rush had to send his signature from home via the fax machine after 18 inches of snow and a strong wind blew into Aurora Tuesday.

As for the kind of player Fuchs and Bohl are getting? Aurora coach Kyle Peterson did not hold back on his praises.

"He's a kid that plays his tail off. We've had a lot of success here, and a lot of it had to do with Gavin's leadership," Peterson said by phone Wednesday. "He took our linemen under his wing. He was a hard worker in the weight room too. He led by the example that he brought to the table. Gavin made the job of coaching easier for me, that's for sure. The kid has a great motor and it's not always easy to find that in a guy his size."

Peterson said Rush would be a perfect fit at guard for Wyoming, but he also predicted that the 6-3, 290-pound guard/defensive tackle might be used at center as well.

Engelhaupt gets his Big Red call late

Just before the 2016 calendar turned to February, Norfolk Catholic's David Engelhaupt was preparing to sign an NLI to play football for Bohl at Wyoming. But once the page flipped to February, a call from Nebraska offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf changed everything.

The flurry of a finish began when Langsdorf called with an offer on Monday. On Tuesday, Engelhaupt flipped from Wyoming and committed to Nebraska. And on Wednesday, Engelhaupt joined Stille and 19 other athletes in signing and becoming Riley's first full recruiting class at Nebraska.

"He was great for us on both sides of the ball," Norfolk Catholic coach Jeff Bellar told the Omaha World Herald Tuesday. "He has great hands, and he has great burst. He really gets off the line of scrimmage well."

Engelhaupt, who rushed for 1,465 yards and 39 touchdowns as Bellar's running back last fall, is being projected as an H-back or a tight end at Nebraska. The 6-3, 235-pounder runs a 4.5-second 40-yard dash.

Bubak already hitting the books at Arizona State

Lincoln Christian's Jared Bubak avoided the usual signing day drama by graduating from high school early and enrolling in classes at Arizona State after signing a Grant-In-Aid.

The 6-4, 240-pound tight end did finish the process on Wednesday when he signed his letter of intent and will participate in spring practice with the Sun Devils. Bubak is listed as a tight end on Arizona State's 2016 signing day page after playing quarterback for Matt Farup last fall.

Noah Fant officially becomes a Hawkeye

First Noah Fant did his homework – taking phone calls and listening to anyone interested in his abilities on the football field - then he checked with his gut. And everything felt right as the 6-6 tight end signed and delivered his signature to the University of Iowa.

"I just wanted to make sure," Fant told the Omaha World Herald Wednesday. "It was actually really surprising how many people didn't understand that. I mean, everybody has their own opinion. I got new offers after I committed to Iowa. I just wanted to check those out and be 100 percent sure I was making the right decision."

Iowa's 2016 Signing Day page lists Fant as a tight end.

Lenners and McDonald sign with Kansas State, Air Force Academy

As expected, Lincoln Southwest's Nicholas Lenners, listed as a tight end on Kansas State's Signing Day page, and Millard South (Omaha) player Barrett McDonald each grabbed a pen and signed with the schools they had previously committed to.

Lenners inked his name with Big 12 power Kansas State after committing to play for Bill Snyder, while McDonald, a linebacker, made his intentions official by going with the Air Force Academy on Wednesday.

Be sure to keep up with the latest photos, videos and information on top recruits on the MaxPreps Signing Day Page.