Nebraska Cornhuskers Football

Nebraska football coach Bill Callahan hit the recruiting daily double Friday.

The Cornhuskers received oral commitments from Josh Freeman, a 6-foot-5, 226-pound quarterback from Grandview, Mo., and Menelik Holt, a 6-3 wide receiver from San Diego.

The pair are the third and fourth recruits for Nebraska's 2006 recruiting class, and they synchronized their commitments after meeting in Lincoln at this spring's Red-White game.

Freeman said he was ready to commit nearly two weeks ago, but waited so he and Holt could commit together.

"We planned it out ever since we were at the spring game," Holt said. "We both fell in love with (Nebraska) the first time we were there."

The two players sat with Marlon Lucky, Zackary Bowman and others at the Red-White game. Freeman and Holt exchanged numbers and continued talking throughout the spring.

Both said the coaching staff's honesty helped to secure their commitments.

"Just talking to the coaches, I got a feel that they were really into me," Freeman said. "They want to develop me as a quarterback and take them to national championships."

Freeman's commitment came after a long relationship with NU recruiting coordinator Scott Downing, who visited Freeman during his freshman year. He also attended Nebraska's Elite Quarterback Academy last summer.

"He got me out of Spanish class," Freeman said. "I think I was taking a nap."

Nebraska will be getting a strong-armed quarterback who is listed by Rivals.com as the No. 93 overall prospect in the nation for the 2006 class, though the recruiting service also lists him as a tight end.

Freeman said Notre Dame and Arkansas were pursuing him as a tight end, but he said he will definitely be playing quarterback in Lincoln. He turned down offers from Iowa and several Big 12 schools, including Oklahoma.

Last year, Callahan secured blue-chip quarterback Harrison Beck from Florida, then said he wouldn't recruit any other quarterbacks. He also signed junior college transfer Zac Taylor, but only after securing Beck's permission first.

Freeman said the coaching staff told him he was their man for the 2006 recruiting class.

He led Grandview High School to a 5-5 record last season and completed 55 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,400 yards and 23 touchdowns.

He said it didn't take long to realize Nebraska was where he wanted to end up.

"After talking to coaches everywhere, I realized Nebraska is going to be the best, unless there is somewhere up in Canada that's better," Freeman said.

He will be joined by Holt, who attended the same San Diego high school as kicker Jordan Congdon, a 2005 NU recruit.

Holt said his coach broke the news that Nebraska had offered a scholarship.

"I was driving with my coach, and it was a red light, and he said, 'How would you feel about playing there, because they just offered you,'" Holt remembered. "I almost died. It was a big surprise."

He was already tired of the recruiting process, which had netted him offers from San Diego State, Utah and Idaho, and interest from Michigan and Oregon.

"I was thinking about it, and there was really no downside to committing," Holt said. "If you can't find a downside, why not go ahead? I'd rather make my decision than sitting around and thinking about it."

*Panico leaving Huskers *

LINCOLN - Santino Panico will not be returning to the Nebraska football program and has been granted a release from his scholarship by the Huskers.

Panico was unavailable Friday for any comment about his future.

"We are disappointed he is leaving the program," NU coach Bill Callahan said in a statement, "but we wish him the best."

Panico was excused from the team midway through spring practice for what Callahan termed personal reasons. The receiver and punt returner never came back to the team.

Panico played as a freshman in 2004, becoming Nebraska's regular punt returner two games into the season. But the native of Libertyville, Ill., averaged just 3.1 yards for his 22 returns, and NU ranked last in the Big 12 at 5.8.

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