2022 commit Denim Dawson to enroll early at Nebraska
When Denim Dawson first decided to reclassify from the 2021 class to '22 and take a post-grad year at Southern California Academy this summer, he did so with the hope of attracting more recruiting attention.
His plan worked to perfection when he received an offer from Nebraska and then committed to the Huskers this fall as part of their 2022 class.
But with his college plans now set, the 6-foot-6 three-star wing decided to get a jump on his development at the next level.
Dawson confirmed to HuskerOnline.com on Tuesday that he plans to enroll early at NU at the end of the semester. He will join the program on Dec. 27 and plans to redshirt the rest of this season to preserve his four years of eligibility.
"With my post-grad year, the plan was to try and get a good offer, and that happened quicker than I expected," Dawson said. "I talked to my family and to (SCA head coach Julius Von Hanzlik), and we all thought and being able to get to Nebraska early would be the best thing to do just to get a jump on everything."
Dawson will be allowed to practice every day with the Huskers and even travel with the team to road games once he's enrolled and moved on campus.
He plans to sign his National Letter of Intent on the first day of the fall signing period on Wednesday, Nov. 10.
Nebraska had one open scholarship for the 2021-22 season because two seniors, Kobe Webster and Trevor Lakes, were granted extra seasons eligibility by the NCAA due to COVID-19 and did not count towards NU's 13-scholarship limit.
Dawson played his senior high school season at Orange (Calif.) Lutheran last year and averaged roughly 16 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 40 percent from 3-point range.
Georgia Tech and Iona were the other two finalists on Dawson's list before choosing Nebraska.
Now with a sixth-month headstart on his development at the Big Ten level, Dawson expects to make an immediate impact on both ends of the floor next season.
"I kind of just want to take everything in," Dawson said. "I've been looking at social media, and they've got Nebraska as one of the top slept-on teams. I just feel like me being able to be a part of that - even if I'm not playing, I'll get to learn a lot.
"Especially with guys like Bryce (McGowens) and Trey (McGowens), or really anybody on the team, they can kind of take me under their wing and help me through this redshirt year so I can learn as much as I can."
Dawson is one of four commits in Nebraska's 2022 class, along with Ramel Lloyd Jr., Blaise Keita, and Jamarques Lawrence.
All four recruits are expected to sign their National Letters of Intent to the Huskers on Wednesday.
