NU lands North Dakota offensive lineman

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BY BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star

Add a big boy from North Dakota to Nebraska’s football recruit list. Brent Qvale committed  Saturday, giving the Huskers 11 known oral commitments in their 2009 class.

At 6-foot-7 and 300 pounds, Qvale is a standout in three sports in the town of Williston — a town of about 15,000 that’s roughly 20 miles east of the Montana border.

He’s an all-stater in football and basketball, and a two-time state champion in the shot put. Qvale was also strongly considering Wisconsin, but the Huskers won out. Barney Cotton was his primary recruiter.

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Brent Qvale (Scout.com)

Brent Qvale (Scout.com)

“He’s got great leadership,” said Qvale’s football coach, Todd Matthews. “He’s the type of kid where he carries it in a way that kids just gravitate toward him.”

An honor student, Qvale is as good off the field as he is on it, Matthews said. “The kind of kid where if you asked him on a Saturday morning to help you move furniture, he’d be there.”

And to think that Brent isn’t even the tallest in his family. His brother Brian plays basketball at the University of Montana. He’s 6- 11.

The Huskers now have three offensive linemen in next year’s  recruiting class. Qvale joins Nick Ash of Keller, Texas, and Jess Coffey of Denton, Texas.

“He comes from a rural setting in North Dakota, a friendly atmosphere type of place,” Matthews said. “When he went down to Nebraska’s camp, he was sold on the family-type of atmosphere that Nebraska brought. He was sold on how the coaches were just down to earth.”

Reach Brian Christopherson at bchristopherson@journalstar.com or 473-7439.