Matt Rhule picks interest in Four-star 2025 linebacker considering move to Nebraska.

It’s no secret, several members of the 2025 recruiting cycle are off the board. But there are still a few elite talents left, including Christian Jones.

The four-star prospect is one of just four linebackers inside the Top247 of the ’25 class still uncommitted. With the start to the season around the corner and his recruitment potentially hitting its peak, Jones is focused on the former more than the latter.

“The main thing is just focusing on my team right now,” Jones said. “Westside football. Not really too worried about anything else, I’m focused on our Thursday game this week. From there, kind of just taking it a week at a time.”

“In the recruiting process world, I would say probably going to try to start accumulating a good idea of where I want to go here soon.” Jones added.

Jones leads Omaha, Nebraska based Westside High School into a season opening game against Omaha North on Thursday night. It’ll be the start to his final year of ball at the prep level, something he’s been reminded of on occasion.

“I’ve been playing varsity for four years, so it almost felt like every year you’re a senior,” Jones said. “But now, all my upper classmen friends are gone and that’s kind of when it’s start to feel different. Honestly it hits me at times, this is my last go around and I’ll be in college in a couple months. But it definitely hits my parents more than me, I don’t really look into the future that much.”

Speaking of not looking too far into the future, visit plans for the season remain flexible. Jones has some scheduling conflicts he’ll have to work through, important ones to say the least, but he’ll still be keeping a watchful eye on Saturdays.

“It’s still kind of up in the air,” Jones said. “We do have Saturday practices, so, I want to be there.”

“I’m definitely watching the programs I’m interested in, that’s for sure,” Jones added. “Seeing how well they’re playing and if the coaches, what they say all offseason are really there, are they actually a man of their word. Seeing if they really do put in that work and get better. That’d be the main thing, seeing if coaches are actually telling you the truth.”

As for who Jones might be stopping by to see if he can get things ironed out, it’s still likely down to two. A contender tandem that’s been in it for awhile remains the focus.

“Yeah, I would say Oklahoma and Nebraska are pretty high up on the board for me,” Jones said.

Starting with Oklahoma, it’s been made clear this is a recruit the Sooners are all-in on. No surprise with Brent Venables, Zac Alley, James Skalski, Henry Weinreich and Rufus Alexander, to name a few, all part linebacker-minded staff. To no surprise, this has impressed Jones.

“It honestly feels like you don’t really go to too many programs that have such a defensive minded head coach and defensive coaching staff in general,” Jones said. “That sticks out a lot, because they make their defense for their linebackers and they want their team to be built around their linebackers. Not many schools have that, which is intriguing.”

“Zac Alley is a very smart, young coach who knows his stuff and has a good coaching style,” Jones said. “Coach Venables is a very good player’s coach, I have not met a single guy that’s played for him that doesn’t like him. Like one of my best friend’s dad played for him at Kansas State and he joked ‘You should just go there today’, he told me he’d send his kid away to play for Venables right away. Coach Venables is a very personable coach, does all the right things, keeps the main thing the main thing and he knows how to build a culture.”

Venables wants Jones part of that culture. Oklahoma’s head coach wants the talented backer out of Nebraska to be part of that linebacker-centric program. That’s been made clear to Jones frequently, whether on a visit or on a given day.

“I get calls and texts from Venables and Alley,” Jones said. “Coach Venables will FaceTime me all the time and not many head coaches do that, I would say that’s kind of a telltale sign to me.”

Venables and Alley have had some help, too. Some of those linebackers they’re trying to build their program around have given Jones a positive glimpse into what life is like inside that position room.

“We were with Danny Stutsman and I never expected to meet the guy,” Jones said. “Would think he would be a big-timer, but he’s pretty down to earth and real cool. That whole linebacker corps was real nice and when I was on my visit there, they’re treating me like I was their teammate of two years or three years.”

Yes, it’ll be tough for Jones to time his visits this season. But he does plan to get back to Oklahoma at some point during the fall to check in on all those figures mentioned.

“Yeah, I want to get out to Norman this season at some point,” Jones said. “What I’m watching is Zac Alley’s first year, seeing how fast and confident the players play with. Cause you can tell if they know their stuff or not, if players are hesitant or not. Seeing how well Alley implemented his defensive mind, cause a lot of people keep saying he’s a mini me of Venables, so want to see that.”

Right there with Oklahoma is Nebraska, the in-state school that’s put in the same amount of effort in recruiting Jones. While a program like the Huskers’ can be tough to view fairly because of in-state influences, Jones has felt good about his ability to evaluate both contenders through the same lens.

“I never had a dream school growing up or anything like that,” Jones said. “It would be different if Nebraska was my dream school but I don’t have a dream school. At the same time, I don’t have a problem going out of state, so that plays a factor as well. A lot of people tell me to go to Nebraska, I’m a Nebraska kid, but I’m like, eh, it’s my career, my journey and my life. I don’t really listen to anyone else besides my parents and close family. No one’s opinion is going to sway me one way or another.”

The Huskers are hoping to be the choice at the end of it all for the top-ranked player within state lines. Nebraska sees the perfect fit, on-and-off the field, in someone like Jones.

“Their pitch is they want to keep all the in-state kids at Nebraska and keep building off that,” Jones said. “Bringing that Nebraska culture back, I would say Matt Rhule has hired really well. The coaching staff, everyone knows their job, everyone knows they need to win and he’s said that. Better way to phrase it, Rhule set the expectations high and everyone knows what the expectations are.”

One aspect of Nebraska’s program that Jones has made a note of, the NFL ties. Having a staff nearby that can help realize professional aspirations is a serious plus.

“They’ve coached at every level and they know what the expectations are,” Jones said. “They know what they need to develop and to get players to the league, they know what needs to be done. Coach Rhule has done it at many places, so I’d say his experience of knowing what needs to be done stands out.”

Jones doesn’t have much of a timeline in-mind. He plans to let the early portion of the season play out and go from there. But whenever the time comes, he looks forward to making that life-changing decision.

“Just closing that chapter,” Jones said. “Your high school career, finding that one spot that you feel you won’t have any regrets. No looking back of like, oh, I should’ve gone there or done this. Just looking forward to figuring out where I want to go.”