Nebraska football could be getting yet another highly touted defensive back added to its 2019 class if the chips fall just right. DJ James was a commit to Mississippi State until Sunday night. After having plenty of interest over the last few months by several schools, including the Huskers, he finally announced he was going to be a "free agent" for the last few weeks of the 2019 recruiting cycle. Now the Huskers are going to have to ramp up their recruiting if they want to land the former SEC commit because there is another school that is coming hard after the 3-star defensive back.

DJ James has two teams that could be considered the leader

Now that James has officially decommitted from Mississippi State he's been looking hard at a couple of schools in particular. The Nebraska football team has stepped up big time, trying to get the cornerback into Lincoln for good. The timing of James' decommitment might be a hint that the Huskers have spent quite a bit of time on a lost cause.

The Oregon Ducks might be the final beneficiary of Mississippi State's loss. James returned home from a visit to Eugene this past weekend. Considering he just got back and has pulled the trigger on not calling himself a commit, it would seem as though the Ducks have the inside track. Nebraska still has a shot at hauling the defensive back in, but they are going to have to show where he would fit and how.

Nebraska football looking for defensive upgrades

The Huskers have been working hard to haul in as many talented defensive players as possible as they close up the 2019 recruiting cycle. The coaching staff got a big boost this weekend when Noa Pola-Gates announced he was going to be a Husker. While the staff would like to add DJ James to the defensive backfield, the former Mississippi State commit might be slipping through their fingers.

The good news is that Scott Frost and company tend to find the pressure points for their targets. If they believe they are still in the running, they might be able to find the right buttons to push and haul him back to Lincoln for one more visit. The biggest problem for the Huskers is that Oregon has deployed former Nebraska football assistant Donte Williams as the lead recruiter for this prospect.

He's got knowledge of Lincoln other coaches in Eugene don't have.

No matter how this fight shakes out, it seems as though the Nebraska football team and the Oregon Ducks are going to know where DJ James is going to land sooner, rather than later.
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