Owen Price’s latest stop in Lincoln gave the 2028 Grand Island Central Catholic four-star linebacker another chance to size up Nebraska - and to keep building on a relationship that’s been gaining steam since the Huskers offered him at camp in June.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound defender said Saturday was his first visit back to Nebraska since that offer, and the time away only made the in-person part matter more. Price has been in steady contact with defensive coordinator Rob Aurich and linebackers coach Rob Dvoracek, and he came away feeling that connection has only grown.
“It’s definitely gotten closer,” he said of his relationship with Aurich and Dvoracek. “They’re definitely some people I appreciate and respect.
They’ve done a great job of contacting me and reaching out, just checking up on me. Definitely have become close with them, they’ve done a great job recruiting me and I like what I see from Nebraska.”
Memorial Stadium wasn’t exactly new territory for him. Price said he’d been to more than five games before, though it had been nearly a year since his last trip to Lincoln. Even so, the atmosphere still stood out - or rather, didn’t surprise him much at all.
“Fans are always really loud,” he said. “I’ve been to like 5+ games, the rest of the recruits were shocked but I was like, this is Nebraska. I know this place and this is pretty normal to me, but it was cool.”
On the field, Price is working primarily at EDGE this fall for Grand Island Central Catholic, but his next-level home is still very much up for discussion. Defensive end, outside linebacker, inside linebacker and even tight end have all been part of the conversation. Nebraska is looking at him on defense, and Saturday gave him a closer look at how the Huskers are using some of their veterans.
“I would say I was watching Owen Chambliss a lot, kind of seeing what the ‘backers are doing and watching the ends quite a bit,” he said. “No. 5 [Anthony Jones Jr.], we were watching him a lot, just seeing their technique and learning off of it.”
He said he was able to take away a few small technical adjustments after watching Nebraska’s edge rushers in warmups and during the game. And as the talks about where he fits best continue, Price isn’t boxing himself into one spot.
“Biggest thing for me, whatever gets me on the field,” he said. “I can play anything, that’s just kind of the mindset I have going into it.”
The recruitment picture around him is crowded. Nebraska, Iowa, Oregon, Kansas State, Minnesota and Penn State are among the schools pushing for his commitment, while Missouri, Oklahoma State, Indiana, Wisconsin, Duke and Miami are also monitoring. Price said he has thought about making an early decision, but he’s not interested in rushing the process.
“There’s definitely been some early consideration but just got to take it slow and take my time,” he said. “I still have two years, so I don’t want to rush into anything and then have to back out.”
He did say he expects to have a “pretty good idea” when the time comes to shut things down and commit.
Price still has two more Nebraska visits penciled in, with trips expected for Oct. 31 against Washington and Nov. 21 against Ohio State. For now, he says he wants to keep learning more about the program while keeping an eye on the defense on the field.
“I just want to see the defense go out there and show out,” he said. “I think on my part, I need to be better about asking questions about the program. There’s definitely some blanks I need to learn about.”
Back home, he’s helping Grand Island Central Catholic stack wins. The team is 4-0, and Price has been a major part of that start with 24 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks and eight quarterback hurries.
“We’re rolling right now,” he said. “Haven’t had a loss so far, every victory has been a blowout so far so morale’s high.
We’re just close-knit group of guys, every varsity guy is really good friends. I can’t complain about anything, it’s good so far.”
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Nebraska spent part of its recent game against North Dakota watching two players head for the sideline early, with Carter Nelson and Jahsear Whittington both leaving because of injuries. The more notable concern is Nelson, who had to be helped off the field and was later spotted with a knee brace and crutches, a sign the situation could be more serious than a routine in-game tweak.
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