Waukee Northwest's Colin Rice takes the ball down the court on Valley High School. Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Waukee 6-8 Forward Colin Rice Commits to Nebrasketball Over Iowa, Illinois

Originally posted on Nebraska Cornhuskers on SI
By Kaleb Henry | Last updated Jul 24, 2025 2:52 PM ET

Nebraska football and volleyball may have plenty going on with media days and preseason polls, but basketball just picked up a headline-snatching commitment.

Colin Rice, a 2026 6-foot-8 forward out of Waukee, Iowa, has committed to the Huskers. He made the new first known to Rivals on Thursday.

https://t.co/Pk8EXlb1Ax pic.twitter.com/wmdQQwbRTv
— Nebraska Men's Basketball (@HuskerMBB) July 24, 2025

Rice picked Nebraska over Iowa, Illinois, Northwestern, and others. He made visits to all four of those programs this summer.

According to 247Sports Composite, Rice is a four-star prospect. He is the No. 45 small forward in the nation and third-ranked prospect in Iowa.

Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Last season for Waukee Northwest, Rice averaged 12.5 points and 7.2 rebounds a game, while shooting 53.6% from the field and 37.8% from 3.

Rice is the first commit for Fred Hoiberg's 2026 class.

Nebraska is coming off a 21-14 season that ended with a title at the College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas. The Huskers return five lettermen from last season, including starters Berke Büyüktuncel and Sam Hoiberg, along with Connor Essegian, who averaged 10.7 points per game off the bench last season.

The Big Red will also have new pieces that weren't part of the 2024-25 campaign. Rienk Mast, a third-team All-Big Ten selection in 2023-24, is back after missing last season with an injury. The Huskers have also brought in several transfer portal pieces, including former Husker guard Jamarques Lawrence, who was part of the last Nebraska team to make the NCAA Tournament.