For years, Willis McGahee III ran through defenses on the gridiron, being a Heisman finalist in college and spending 10 years as an NFL running back. Two decades after his University of Miami career ended, his son Willis McGahee IV is approaching the start of his own collegiate journey.
McGahee IV, henceforth referred to as McGahee in this article, committed to Nebraska on Saturday. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker at Columbus High School (Miami, Fla.) is ranked as a three-star player on 247Sports and had 19 offers, according to the outlet.
As a junior at Columbus, McGahee had 50 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss and eight sacks, according to MaxPreps. He helped Columbus go 14-1 and win the Class 4M Florida High School Athletic Association championship as the Explorers finished No. 23 on the USA TODAY High School Sports Super 25 national rankings.
On3 reported that McGahee visited Nebraska in March and April and was on campus for the spring game. He spoke highly of the coaching staff led by head coach Matt Rhule.
“I liked how Coach Rhule addressed the team before practice started. He told them he knows practice won’t be perfect and that we welcome mistakes. That would’ve taken the edge off for me if that was my first practice. I was impressed with how the coaches were coaching. It’s the type of coaching style I prefer,” McGahee said to On3.
McGahee is the fourth Nebraska commit in the class of 2024, according to 247Sports. The Cornhuskers hope these commits are the start of a strong recruiting class, as neither of the last two classes have ranked in the top 30 nationally, per 247Sports.
