LINCOLN — Omaha Burke coach Paul Limongi said much of his football program's recent success has to do with the sense of brotherhood and unity on the Bulldogs.
Jordan Nelson, Carson Collins and Mitch McCann proved how thick it is Wednesday.
All three Burke seniors signed paperwork to walk-on next season at Nebraska. Each turned down some Football Championship Subdivision and NCAA Division II scholarship offers to take a shot at playing at the highest level in their home state.
"The three of them had a pretty open mind about where they might play at the next level," Limongi said. "All three looked at some options and just came to a decision, I think, pretty much together. With Nebraska, it's not just the football program but the school and the environment Lincoln has for kids.
"What's exciting for me and our program is that they're together."
Nelson, Collins and McCann led a list of 18 walk-ons released Wednesday by NU. Seventeen of those are in-state players that will try to make future marks as Huskers.
"We'll see how it plays out, but it's probably the most talented group (of walk-ons) we've brought in," NU head coach Bo Pelini said. "I feel real good about what we were able to do with the walk-on class."
Limongi said Barney Cotton and Jeff Jamrog led the interest in his trio and that Pelini visited the school for the first time. Burke was 12-1 and lost in the Class A championship game last season after going 10-2 and falling in the state semifinals the year before.
"We've been trying to encourage them down there that we have a couple good football players that deserve some scholarship offers," Limongi said.
Nelson and Collins were two of the top six rushers in Class A last season.
Nelson, a 5-foot-8, 175-pound tailback, ran for 1,791 yards (8.8 per carry) and 13 touchdowns. Along with 700 yards on 24 receptions, he broke the school record for all-purpose yards and was a World-Herald All-Nebraska selection.
"The kid is so gifted athletically," Limongi said. "Great speed and explosion. We finally had him for all 13 games this year and, boy, did he have an impact."
Collins gave the Bulldogs a second 1,000-yard rusher in the same backfield. The 5-10, 220-pound fullback finished with 1,324 (7.9 per carry) and 17 TDs, and was second-team All-Nebraska.
McCann is a 6-1, 225-pounder who played both inside linebacker and tight end. As a third-year starter at linebacker, he made 125 total tackles as a senior despite missing nearly three games with a dislocated elbow.
McCann's father, Pete, was a teammate of Jamrog's on an Elkhorn Mount Michael state championship team in the 1980s before finishing his high school career at Burke.
"Any time you've got three guys coming from the same football team being able to continue playing together at the next level with the same opportunities as the others, it's special," Limongi said. "They all have different strengths, but they all have the same type of mentality that will help them be successful, no matter what they do."
A look at some other notable Husker preferred walk-ons announced Wednesday:
• Andy Janovich was a two-way force for Gretna who will play fullback at Nebraska. Janovich was a first-team All-Nebraska pick who rushed for 799 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior, averaging 7.6 per carry. He also stars in wrestling, where he is a defending Class B state champion and went unbeaten as a junior at 189 pounds.
• Ryker Fyfe was The World-Herald All-Nebraska quarterback after leading the Grand Island offense that averaged almost 400 total yards and 40 points a game last season. Fyfe threw for 1,921 touchdowns and 20 touchdowns and also rushed for 746 yards and 14 scores.
• Linebacker Taylor Hoffman will be the first player from Oakland-Craig to join the Husker program since the early 1980s. Other options included an offer from Wyoming.
• Spencer Lindsay will try to mimic the success of current NU kicker Brett Maher, who went from Kearney to Husker walk-on to All-Big Ten performer. Lindsay made 17 of 22 field goals over his last two seasons with the Bearcats, with a long of 44 yards.
• Robby Painter of Centennial, Colo., is the only walk-on from outside Nebraska. The 6-6, 270-pound offensive lineman initially committed to Eastern Washington, and also had an offer from UNLV.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1042, rich.kaipust@owh.com
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