LINCOLN — Nebraska already had its offensive linemen.
And the quarterbacks.
Now the Huskers have their running back, too. NU landed a commitment Wednesday night from its most coveted running back prospect, Aaron Green of San Antonio James Madison High School.
Green, rated as the nation's No. 5 back by rivals.com, announced his commitment to Nebraska in ceremonious fashion at Maranatha Bible Church, joined by his teammates, coaches, family, pastor and a large audience.
“Nebraska's the place where I can become a better man,” Green said.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Green picked NU over Texas, Florida State and California. His pledge leaves Nebraska with 15 for its class of 2011, a group stocked with offensive talent. Eligible to sign in February, the class features four offensive linemen, plus quarterbacks Jamal Turner of Arlington, Texas, and Bubba Starling of Gardner, Kan.
But Green is perhaps the biggest catch yet. Rivals rates him No. 28 nationally among all players, and ESPN's Scouts, Inc. places Green third among running backs nationally and as the No. 10 overall prospect.
He exploded onto the scene as a sophomore in 2008, rushing for more than 2,000 yards in Texas' 5A classification, including 428 and a city-record nine touchdowns against Kerrville Tivy. He fought injuries last year en route to an 1,100-yard season.
This year, Green has rushed for 1,307 yards and 16 touchdowns in eight games.
“Aaron's a make-you-miss guy,” said his coach, Jim Streety. “In the open field, he's just dynamite at our level. And he has really developed into a much stronger runner this year. I attribute that to the strength, but he certainly looks like he could put on another 10 to 15 pounds very easily at Nebraska.”
Green's brother, Andrew Green, is a redshirt freshman defensive back at Nebraska. Aaron Green made an official recruiting visit to Lincoln this month for the Huskers' game against Texas, a 20-13 UT win.
Their father, Tony, played defensive back at Baylor. Cousins played at Kansas and Alabama A&M, and uncle Gary Green was an All-America cornerback at Baylor before a nine-year NFL career with Kansas City and the Los Angeles Rams.
Aaron Green developed a strong relationship with NU assistant Ron Brown through the recruiting process.
“He's a very spiritual young man, and he felt like he could continue to grow spiritually there,” Streety said. “I know that from the times I was around them, Aaron and Ron Brown interacted very well. It's a good fit. I think he'll be happy there.”
Green described the selection of a school as a “long, stressful process.”
“It wore me down,” he said. “Nobody cares how busy you are. They just keep calling. I'm relieved that it's over.”
As for Texas, the Longhorns rarely lose players they covet so close to home. UT secured a commitment this summer from Malcolm Brown of Cibolo, Texas, regarded as the nation's No. 1 back.
“I think that probably set the stage for him not to go there,” Streety said.
The coach said he asked Green if he spoke with any UT coaches during the visit to Lincoln.
“He said he didn't,” Streety said. “He said the whole thing was very positive, that the weekend was great. The fact that Nebraska lost, I don't think he gave that a second thought. He thinks they're going to compete for a national championship.”
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