BLAIR, Neb. — Of all the senior football players in the Omaha area, Blair linebacker Jake Schany was the only one Wednesday to sign a FBS national letter of intent.

"There's guys walking on,'' said Schany, who signed with Ohio.

But you're the only one getting scholarship money right away.

"I hadn't thought about it that way,'' the first-team All-Nebraska defender said amid the laughter from his parents and Blair school officials at the signing.

"It's a cool thought."

Schany is one of four known Football Bowl Subdivision scholarship recruits from Nebraska, the smallest class from the state in many years. The Metro Conference was shut out for the first time in recent memory, maybe for the first time since the national letter of intent program started in 1964.

Only Lincoln Southeast tight end Sam Cotton, son of NU assistant coach Barney Cotton, signed with the Huskers. That, too, is believed to be an all-time low in instate recruits.

Giltner linebacker Drew Ott signed with Iowa. Lincoln Southwest's Tay Bender already is enrolled at Kansas State and the quarterback/athlete recruit had no signing ceremony.

Besides football, college soccer, track and field, and cross country teams also began their signing periods on Wednesday.

Schany said Ohio coach Frank Solich was planning to not recruit any other high school players at linebacker and was bringing in only one junior college player.

"I've got a good feeling,'' Schany said. "When Coach Solich visited me about a week ago, that was the icing on the cake."

Notre Dame tradition a winner for Talcott

Millard North goalkeeper Brian Talcott turned down an impressive list of schools for Notre Dame.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pounder said he also drew interest from Creighton, Duke, Charlotte, Wake Forest and some smaller area schools.

Irish coaches said they liked his communication on the field and his size. Talcott liked Notre Dame's academic and soccer tradition.

"I was pretty excited to join it,'' Talcott said.

Coaches first noticed Talcott at a Notre Dame camp and again when his club team played at the Disney Cup in Florida.

Talcott said playing on good club teams with the Gladiators and Omaha FC played a big role because the better the team, the more he was noticed.

"I've benefitted from a lot of good coaching and teams,'' he said.

It also helps that he has a 4.026 grade-point average.

Talcott has started since he was a freshman and is hoping this is the year the Mustangs finally go to state. They've lost 2-1 in the district final the past three years.

"I think we'll be all right this year,'' he said. "We're going to be definitely closer as a team. I think we'll be better as a team, actually.''

— Marjie Ducey