• Brion Carnes signs his letter of intent to play at Nebraska:



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LINCOLN — Brion Carnes wants to win the Heisman Trophy. Oh, and play for a BCS championship.

Worried about setting the bar too high?

“I'm not afraid of anything,” Carnes said. “I'm confident about my ability, and I know I can play at the highest level.”

That level was not Western Kentucky.

Carnes, the much-discussed quarterback out of Bradenton, Fla., picked the Huskers over the Hilltoppers in a signing-day surprise on Wednesday. After pledging to WKU during a visit last weekend to the school coached by longtime family friend Willie Taggart, Carnes switched late to NU.

The addition of Carnes and safety Corey Cooper, a fellow four-star prospect from Maywood, Ill., boosted the profile of a 21-player class and helped soften the afternoon blow dealt by Owamagbe Odighizuwa. Odighizuwa, the five-star defensive end from Portland, Ore., signed with UCLA over Nebraska and Oregon State, announcing his decision in a nationally televised ceremony.

NU coach Bo Pelini said he knew of all three players' plans before Wednesday. He may have been the only one.

Husker fans sat on edge as signing day arrived. They were rewarded with early news that Cooper had ended his silence of several weeks about recruiting and picked Nebraska over Illinois and Notre Dame.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Cooper visited Lincoln for the Huskers' 10-3 win over Oklahoma on Nov. 6. At the time he was committed to the Illini.

“That really shocked me when I came down there and saw how passionate the fans were,” Cooper said.

Cooper investigated further and found more to like about Nebraska. He said he saw how NU's safeties improved, and he enjoyed getting to know Pelini and secondary coach Marvin Sanders.

“The coaches on the defensive side of the ball were really impressive,” he said.

Nebraska impressed Carnes on his visit three weeks ago. The quarterback's relationship with the Huskers developed after South Florida fired coach Jim Leavitt last month, causing Carnes to rethink his pledge to the Bulls.

He made a trip to Western Kentucky a week after the NU visit.

“He felt like there were people he trusted who wanted him to go to Western Kentucky,” said Chris Conboy, Carnes' position coach at Manatee High School.

Taggart, like Carnes, played quarterback at Manatee — as did Carnes' cousin, ex-Nebraska All-American Tommie Frazier.

“Brion grew up watching Willie Taggart,” Conboy said. “This has been a very difficult process. He felt like he had the whole thing and was headed to South Florida. And then this happened. Today is the first time I've seen him smile in a week.”

Western Kentucky, which opens next season at Nebraska, is riding a nation-high 20-game losing streak.

“I had to do what was best for me,” Carnes said. “When I went to Western Kentucky, I felt like people were pressuring me. I had to ask myself if this is what I really want, to be at a program that's upcoming.

“I've always had a dream for myself, and that was to be on a high level team. I want to play in a BCS championship and win the Heisman Trophy. I want to bring the Heisman Trophy home and tell the young people how hard work pays off.”

Carnes' cousin finished second in the Heisman voting as a senior in 1995. Frazier also won a pair of national titles.

Frazier said he's talked with Carnes and his family for several months about the recruiting process. What did he say?

“Use me as your guide,” Frazier said. “But I'm not going to tell you where to go. I'm excited, but I would have been excited wherever he went.”

Frazier said he felt sorry for Carnes about the South Florida situation. USF pulled its scholarship offer last week before Carnes visited Western Kentucky. As for the commitment to the Hilltoppers, Frazier said, he thought that Carnes “got caught up in the moment.”

Carnes threw for more than 6,000 yards in winning 39 of 51 games as a four-year starter at Manatee. He topped 2,500 yards passing and tossed 24 touchdowns, leading his school to a berth in the state finals.

His fluency in the spread offense differentiates him Frazier, a master of the option. Their personalities differ, too.

“He's a little bit more quiet and he's not as blunt as I am,” Frazier said. “He'll grow into a leader. He'll succeed because of who he is, not who he's related to.”

Contact the writer:

402-444-1031, mitch.sherman@owh.com

• The World-Herald's Mitch Sherman on the Nebraska 2010 recruiting class:



• Nebraska coach Bo Pelini at the signing day press conference:



• The 2010 Husker recruiting class:

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