photo by: Landon Cory/Journal-World photo

Free State defensive back Ethan Prescott celebrates a second quarter Interception against Olathe East in Lawrence on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023.

Ethan Prescott’s first college football offer came this past spring from Nebraska-Kearney, which he visited during the school’s spring game.

Prescott fell in love with the school, the coaches and the team. As other schools in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association reached out and recruited him, the experience from that first visit at Nebraska-Kearney was hard to top.

That gave Prescott the confidence in his decision to commit to the program last Wednesday, following another visit to Nebraska-Kearney for a 27-7 homecoming win over Missouri Western State.

“I was talking to a lot of other schools in the MIAA… I was able to figure out which one was the best fit for me, and that ended up being Kearney,” Prescott said. “I’m so excited to go there and spend the next four to five years there.”

When Prescott was going through his recruiting process, he took the time to visit a lot of the teams around the MIAA with his parents. What stood out about Nebraska-Kearney was the fit on the football field as well as the communication between him and the coaching staff.

“It was really just about the coaching staff — how did they treat me?” Prescott said. “I wanted to go somewhere I knew where I stood at, I knew where I was going in, if they were honest going in. They’ve been completely honest, and they’ve been respectful to me and my family.”

The coaches at Nebraska-Kearney have spoken with Free State head coach Kevin Stewart frequently, which gave Prescott the confidence that the staff was paying close attention to who Prescott was as a player and a person.

Prescott will have some familiar faces on the team next year. He joins two recent Free State graduates, receiver Landon Leipold and safety Noah Rupp, at Nebraska-Kearney. Both Leipold and Rupp committed to the program last winter, and their love of the program helped ease any concerns that Prescott had.

“To talk to them and hear how much they love it too and how amazing everything is — the coaching staff, everything around them, the school — and to know that I get to go there and not have to worry is great,” Prescott said. “And I get to play defense again with Noah, which is awesome.”

The Lopers are 5-3 this season, which matches the team’s win total from last year when the Lopers went 5-6. The team’s 3-3 conference record has it fifth in the standings. Last season, the Lopers went 3-6 in conference and were seventh.

Nebraska-Kearney is on the rise in the conference, which is already one of the best in Division II football. Playing consistently against the best at the Division II level for a rising program is an exciting challenge for Prescott.

“It’s a blessing to know every week you have a hard game, no matter who you play because that conference is so deep, and every team you’re going to face is going to give you a battle,” Prescott said. “There is no easy week, no easy game. You have to go out there and play football and have fun.”

Prescott will play defense with the Lopers, but his position on the team is somewhat in flux. For Free State, Prescott plays a hybrid role between an outside linebacker and a box safety. Luckily, the Lopers run a 4-2-5 scheme on defense, meaning the fifth defensive back can often take on linebacker responsibilities. Prescott’s experience in the role at Free State can help the transition to college.

“I’m kind of in the middle right now between (linebacker and safety),” Prescott said. “I probably fit in as the fifth defensive back and kind of move around a little bit depending on the formation and down and distance.”

To prepare for his eventual role with the Lopers, Prescott said he’s going to be focusing on improving his size and speed, while bringing the intense physicality that has been instilled in him at Free State to Nebraska-Kearney.

“That (physicality) really has helped us get where we are,” Prescott said. “Most teams don’t want to really mess with our offensive line, our D-line because of the physicality we bring every play. That’s really a credit to Coach Stewart and all the coaches because they’ve really hammered at us physicality over and over, and that’s what this team is.”

Prescott suffered a UCL injury in Free State’s early October game against Shawnee Mission South, but the linebacker is still focused on his high school team. He said he’s working on getting healthy for his college career, while hopefully being able to come back for a playoff push with the Firebirds.

For the next few weeks, Prescott can forget about what comes next for his football career, now that he’s committed and has his future planned out. In the meantime, he’s excited to see what the Firebirds can do, and what he can do to help them for the playoffs.

“Hopefully we have a good week this week, bounce back and start the playoffs,” Prescott said. “I know we’re going to be a tough team to stop, and we’re going to make a run this year, for sure. I’m excited for it.”