When Jesse Coffey visited Nebraska in early June, one element of the Lincoln campus made him feel like he’d never left home — the Texas-style hospitality.

Jesse Coffey

It made a lasting impression on the Guyer offensive tackle, who gave his oral commitment to the Cornhuskers on Tuesday.

Oral commitments are non-binding. The first day recruits can sign a letter of intent is Feb. 4.

Coffey (6-7, 290) said he chose Nebraska over Kansas, Texas A&M and a slew of other Division I scholarship offers.

“It was almost a Texas atmosphere with how polite the people were,” Coffey said. “The facilities, as well as the coaches, are state-of-the-art.”

Coffey said he favored Nebraska because he felt the school would give him a strong opportunity to reach the NFL.

Timing also was important. He said he wanted to give his commitment before practice begins next month so he could focus on the upcoming season at Guyer.

Coffey is rated No. 36 nationally among offensive tackles by recruiting  Web site Rivals.com, and is listed No. 80 in the Texas Top 100, which includes all positions.

Coffey is the first offensive lineman in the class of 2009 to commit to Nebraska, which hired a new coach, Bo Pelini, in the offseason.

He also is the second Guyer lineman to commit to a Big 12 school since April. Fellow offensive tackle Kyle Clark previously committed to Texas Tech. The pair are the first Division I commitments in the short history of Guyer’s program.

“They’ve had the size that’s going to catch everybody’s eyes, and they’ve gotten stronger,” Guyer head coach John Walsh said about Coffey and Clark. “The game film doesn’t lie, and both of these guys block the people in front of them. They’ve both got a lot of upside.”

In addition, Coffey might be a future teammate of former Ryan defensive lineman Josh Williams, who signed with Nebraska earlier this year.

TODD JORGENSON can be reached at 940-566-6871. His e-mail address is tjorgenson@dentonrc.com .