The second and final National Signing Day was on Wednesday, seeing several big-time programs finalizing their 2024 recruiting classes. There were only a few notable recruits still set to make decisions, which included Tucson (AZ) Salpointe Catholic defensive end Keona Wilhite, who decommitted from the Washington Huskies last month.
After Kalen DeBoer left Washington to take over the head coaching position with the Alabama Crimson Tide, Wilhite opted to open things back up and consider other options on the table. On Wednesday, he signed with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, helping the program finish strong for the first full class under Matt Rhule. Before the commitment from Wilhite, Nebraska sat with the No. 18 overall ranking on the 247Sports composite ranking.
Wilhite put together a tremendous senior season for the Salpointe Catholic Lancers. In 13 games, he led the squad with 18.5 tackles for loss and recorded 60 total tackles. Both those numbers outpaced teammate Elijah Rushing, who is considered a five-star recruit that signed with Oregon. Wilhite also recorded eight sacks, had another 27 quarterback hurries, an interception, and four pass breakups.
The majority of major recruiting platforms peg Wilhite as a three-star recruit, the exception being Rivals which has him rated as a four-star and the No. 24 edge defender in the 2024 recruiting class. They also rate him as the No. 14 player in the state of Arizona, an area that is putting out more and more talent over the last couple of years.
The 6-5, 230-pound pass rusher opted for the Cornhuskers over a very impressive offer list. Some of the top schools that have shown interest include Nebraska, Washington, Michigan State, Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA, and Oregon State.
2024 3⭐️ DL Keona Wilhite commits to #Nebraska
Wilhite was previously committed to #Washington, but has chosen #Nebraska over #UCLA pic.twitter.com/h8S1LkdCct
— 247Huskers (@247Huskers) February 7, 2024