BREAKING: Five-Star Edge Rusher David “The Ghost” Washington Stuns College Football, Flips Commitment from Ohio State to Nebraska
LINCOLN, NE — In a recruiting shockwave that redefines the trajectory of the Nebraska football program, David “The Ghost” Washington, the five-star defensive end from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and the consensus No. 1 overall player in the 2025 class, announced his stunning decommitment from Ohio State on Tuesday, pledging instead to play for Head Coach Matt Rhule and the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
The announcement, delivered on the “247Sports YouTube Channel” from a packed school auditorium, marks the most significant defensive recruiting victory in Nebraska’s modern history. Washington, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound generational pass-rusher with explosive speed and technical mastery, had been the crown jewel of Ohio State’s top-ranked class, seen as the next in a legendary line of Buckeye defensive linemen.
“A man’s word is his bond, but a man’s destiny is his own,” Washington stated, swapping a black hat for a red ‘N’ amid a stunned silence. “My heart led me to a place where I’m needed to build, not just maintain. The belief Coach Rhule and Coach [Terrance] Knighton have in me, the vision for this defense, and the passion of an entire state is powerful. I’m coming to Lincoln to bring a national championship back to Memorial Stadium.”
For Head Coach Matt Rhule, this flip is a program-altering, culture-confirming masterpiece. Following the monumental quarterback flip of Dylan Raiola a year prior, landing the nation’s premier defensive prospect—and stealing him directly from a Big Ten and recruiting titan like Ohio State—proves Nebraska’s rebuild is accelerating at an unprecedented pace. It validates Rhule’s developmental pitch and signals that the Cornhuskers are now lethal predators on the recruiting trail.
The on-field implications are transformative. Washington possesses the rare ability to single-handedly disrupt an offensive game plan. His commitment instantly gives Defensive Coordinator Tony White the most feared edge rusher in the class of 2025, a cornerstone around which to build a championship-level defense. Furthermore, it acts as a powerful magnet for other elite defensive talent, catapulting Nebraska’s recruiting class into the national top ten and signaling a complete roster revitalization.
The national ramifications are profound. For Ohio State, this is a devastating loss in a position of critical need, a rare instance of a Buckeye legacy-level recruit spurning Columbus. For the Big Ten, it announces Nebraska as a resurgent powerhouse capable of wrestling elite talent from the conference’s traditional bullies. For the college football landscape, it is the clearest sign yet that Nebraska’s dormant brand power, combined with Rhule’s proven blueprint and a unified NIL approach, is once again a dominant force.
In Lincoln, the news has ignited a frenzy of belief, solidifying the notion that the long-awaited return to national prominence is not a dream, but an imminent reality. David “The Ghost” Washington is more than a recruit; he is a defensive revolution. Matt Rhule has now secured franchise players on both sides of the ball, and the message to the sport is unequivocal: Nebraska is not just coming; they are arriving with the nation’s very best talent leading the charge.
