LINCOLN — For purposes of Nebraska's interest, the Brion Carnes story began in the summer of 2006.

On the cusp of his freshman year at Manatee High School in Bradenton, Fla., Carnes got exactly one summer football workout alongside Ryan Rubino, the rising senior and returning quarterback on the team that advanced to the 5A semifinals a year earlier.

Then Rubino, also a star shortstop in baseball, injured his shoulder on a dive into second base. His 2005 backup had moved out of town.

Next in line for the starting QB job in Florida's hotly contested and talent laden largest classification?

A 160-pound freshman. Brion Carnes

“We knew it was going to be him,” said Chris Conboy, the Manatee quarterbacks coach.

Carnes never took a snap at practice with the freshman team. His first game, played on live television and before a crowd of 8,000, came against Manatee's chief rival, Bradenton Southeast. Carnes and the Hurricanes lost 28-21, but coaches knew then that the kid would bring many wins.

The lone quarterback recruit in the 2010 Nebraska signing class unveiled last week, Carnes didn't get heavily involved with the Huskers until last month — when his commitment of more than a year to South Florida ended after the school fired coach Jim Leavitt.

It just so happened that the Huskers needed a QB after Tyler Gabbert did like big brother Blaine, backing out of a long-standing pledge to NU in favor of home-state Missouri.

The turn of events may make it seem like the Carnes-Nebraska marriage was one of convenience. But by all accounts, the Huskers did not sign Carnes just to get a QB in the class. In fact, in the end, they may have come away with the best prep quarterback in Florida.

“He's an exceptional athlete,” said NU assistant Tim Beck, the lead recruiter on Carnes. “And he's a leader. You see it in how he carries himself. He's a very mature guy, kind of quiet until you get to know him, but then you see that he's very competitive and driven to win.”

Carnes won 39 games in four seasons. The last one, 28-20 on Dec. 11 over St. Thomas Aquinas of Fort Lauderdale, snapped the 37-game winning streak of the two-time defending 5A Florida champion and the No. 1 high school team nationally, according to USA Today.

Carnes threw the decisive touchdown pass with four minutes left. Manatee lost a week later in the title game, 21-14 to Tampa Plant despite Carnes' 264 yards passing, to finish 13-2.

He'll be remembered in Florida, coaches say, not for that last loss, but as the winningest QB in Manatee history. And that includes his cousin, Tommie Frazier, though Frazier did win a title as a senior in 1992 before leaving for an All-America career at Nebraska.

“Down here, you see a lot of great players who run around and throw it all over the place, but they don't operate in a system,” said George Smith, the legendary coach at Aquinas denied his sixth state title by Carnes. “Just from watching (Carnes), I thought the team fed off him very well. They had other great players, but really, it was all about him.”

He threw for more than 6,000 yards in 51 starts, including 2,697 with 24 touchdowns as a senior. More than that, Conboy said, Carnes' leadership paced Manatee.

So how will Carnes do in a competitive QB situation at NU? It's hard to tell, because there haven't been many QBs in the Manatee system who ever wanted to compete with Carnes for the job. More than 10 Manatee quarterbacks transferred to other schools during Carnes' reign, Conboy said. Three of four years, he was the only QB on the roster.

And whatever happens, Carnes will surely be close to the action. According to Conboy, Carnes missed a couple of weeks as a junior when he suffered a concussion. Even then, he stayed with the team every day. When the second team took the field in practice, Carnes kept his place in the backfield. Same with the third team.

“He didn't miss a single practice in the spring,” Conboy said. “He was just a very consistent, durable guy. Everybody knew he was going to be there for every rep.”

The win over Aquinas avenged a 36-29 defeat in the state semifinals from 2006. Manatee missed the playoffs in Carnes' junior year. Days after the season ended, he accepted the South Florida scholarship, turning down early offers from Clemson and Georgia.

Nebraska noticed Carnes early, too, Beck said, as it recruited Manatee receiver Eric Williams, now at Purdue.

But Carnes bit hard on the Bulls, often attending practices in Tampa last season. He knew many of the USF players by their first names and hoped to wear his jersey No. 10 as a freshman at the Big East school.

Meanwhile, the Huskers went after Gabbert.

“We kind of both went separate ways,” Beck said. “But there was a natural connection. I think he always knew of Nebraska. And once our situation changed, we went back and expressed an interest.”

Carnes had developed a strong relationship with South Florida offensive coordinator Mike Canales, who landed at North Texas. New USF coach Skip Holtz unexpectedly pulled Carnes' offer less than a week before signing day.

The quarterback visited Nebraska and Western Kentucky — coached by ex-Manatee QB Willie Taggart, a longtime family friend. Carnes trusted him. He committed to the Hilltoppers last weekend on the trip, but the Huskers didn't back off.

“I think he was still kind of confused,” Beck said.

Sure enough, Carnes switched to NU on Tuesday, the eve of signing day. Just a few months ago, no one could have foreseen such a result.

Carnes, despite his glittering résumé, figures to be a redshirt candidate next fall based on the experience returning at NU. Waiting his turn would represent major change for Carnes. As for his number, veteran I-back Roy Helu's likely got it for another year.

When Carnes does compete for a job at Nebraska, he'll find other talented quarterbacks. No one will shrink from the challenge. Not everyone will end up happy.

“It'll be interesting to see how he handles the redshirt year or being the backup,” Conboy said. “Brion's never spent much time on the bench. He's always been that guy who kind of rose to the top.”

And that, undoubtedly, is one reason why NU coaches are happy to have him.

Contact the writer:

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

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