Lincoln Southwest's Grant Buda (14) celebrates his interception return for a touchdown against Norfolk in the end zone last October at Seacrest Field.
Nebraska's 2021 walk-on class keeps growing.
Recently, the Huskers have been on a mini-run of adding verbal pledges from Lincoln standouts.
The latest to join NU's walk-on class is Lincoln Southwest's Grant Buda, who announced his plan to play football at Nebraska via social media Saturday afternoon.
COMMITTED🔴⚪️🌽 #GBR☠️ pic.twitter.com/DQh7x5RDw6
— Grant Buda (@GBuda52) January 30, 2021
Buda, listed at 6-foot and 205 pounds, was a first-team all-city pick by the Journal Star this fall. He was listed as an athlete on the defensive side of the ball.
On the season for the Silver Hawks, Buda was credited with 94 tackles (14 for loss) and four sacks to go along with a pair of interceptions and a fumble recovery, according to MaxPreps. He also caught seven passes for 91 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Buda's grandfather, Joe Buda, is a former Husker who played center in Lincoln in the late 1960s. His great-uncle, Sandy Buda, was the coach at Nebraska-Omaha.
“Grant is one of the hardest-working kids, and that, along with his positive attitude, helps him be a good leader for us,” Southwest head coach Andrew Sherman told the Journal Star this fall.
Buda is the 16th-known member of NU's 2021 walk-on class and the third straight from the city, joining Southeast athlete Taveon Thompson and Southeast defensive lineman Maddox Burton.
| Name | Position | Hometown (School) |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Booker | DB | Grand Prairie (South), Texas |
| Derek Branch | DB | Lincoln (Southeast) |
| Grant Buda | ATH | Lincoln (Southwest) |
| Alex Bullock | WR | Omaha (Creighton Prep) |
| Maddox Burton | DL | Lincoln (Southeast) |
| Blake Closman | DB | Omaha (Millard North) |
| AJ Collins | DB | Omaha (Creighton Prep) |
| Sam Hoskinson | LB | Elkhorn (South) |
| CJ Lilienkamp | DB | Bellevue (West) |
| Grant Lohr | ATH | Jenks, Okla. |
| Joey Mancino | OL | Holmdel, New Jersey |
| Kelen Meyer | K | Ord |
| Evan Meyersick | TE | Omaha (Millard West) |
| Weston Reiman | OL | Weeping Water |
| Carson Rohde | OL | Sumner (S-E-M) |
| Beau Schaller | OL | Waukee, Iowa |
| Matthew Schuster | RB | Ashland (Ashland-Greenwood) |
| Jarrett Synek | QB | Hastings |
| Taveon Thompson | ATH | Lincoln (Southeast) |
| Payton Weehler | ATH | Mt. Ayr, Iowa |
| Aiden Young | RB | Elkhorn |
DB | MARQUES BUFORD
Rank: ***
Hometown: Buford, Georgia.
DB | KOBY BRETZ
Rank: ***
Hometown (school): Omaha (Westside)
TE | JAMES CARNIE
Rank: ***
Hometown (school): Firth (Norris)
RB | GABE ERVIN
Rank: ***
Hometown: Buford, Georgia.
TE | THOMAS FIDONE
Rank: ****
Hometown: Council Bluffs, Iowa.
LB | MIKAI GBAYOR
Rank: ***
Hometown: Irvington, New Jersey
WR | KAMONTE GRIMES
Rank: ***
Hometown: Naples, Florida.
QB | HEINRICH HAARBERG
Rank: ***
Hometown: Kearney (Kearney Catholic)
WR | SHAWN HARDY II
Rank: ***
Hometown: Kingsland, Georgia.
ILB | WYNDEN HO'OHULI
Rank: ****
Hometown: Mililani, Hawaii.
LB | RANDOLPH KPAI
Rank: ****
Hometown: Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
LB | CHRIS KOLAREVIC
Rank: N/A
Hometown: Traverse City, Michigan (transfer from Northern Iowa)
OL | HENRY LUTOVSKY
Rank: ***
Hometown: Mount Pleasant, Iowa.
LB | SETH MALCOM
Rank: ***
Hometown: Tabor, Iowa.
WR | LATRELL NEVILLE
Rank: ***
Hometown: Missouri City, Texas
OL | TEDDY PROCHAZKA
Rank: ****
Hometown (school): Elkhorn (Elkhorn South)
TE | AJ ROLLINS
Rank: ***
Hometown (school): Omaha (Creighton Prep)
RB | MARKESE STEPP
Rank: ****
Hometown: Indianapolis
WR | SAMORI TOURE
Rank: **
Hometown: Portland, Oregon.
DE | JAILEN WEAVER
Rank: ***
Hometown: Antioch, California
DB | MALIK WILLIAMS
Rank: ***
Hometown: Buford, Georgia.
OL | BRANSON YAGER
Rank: ***
Hometown: Grantsville, Utah.
Contact the writer at pgabriel@journalstar.com or 402-473-7439. On Twitter @HuskerExtraPG.
Parker Gabriel
Husker football reporter
Parker joined the Journal Star as the University of Nebraska football beat writer in August 2017. He previously covered Montana State athletics for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle and graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2012.
