Even Claude Mpouma can’t quite believe the ride he has been on the last year or so.
“I feel sometimes like I’m dreaming,” the rising senior told the Sun-Times. “Somebody wake me up.”
But the Mount Carmel offensive lineman’s meteoric rise to prominence in football is real. He’s a four-star prospect who’s No. 4 in the state and No. 169 nationally in the 247Sports composite rankings for the 2026 recruiting cycle.
Mpouma reached another milestone late last month. Less than a year removed from playing the first football game of his life, Mpouma committed to Nebraska.
The Cornhuskers were among more than 30 Division I programs to offer Mpouma a scholarship, including 14 from the Big Ten, six from the SEC and Notre Dame.
He’s the second local player to commit to Nebraska in recent months, joining rising junior quarterback Trae Taylor from Carmel.
“I talked to [Taylor] a lot,” Mpouma said. “He feels like Nebraska is a good place. He’s got a pretty good relationship with the coaches.”
Mpouma said he has a similar comfort level with coach Matt Rhule and his staff.
“I feel like Nebraska ended up being the best place for me,” Mpouma said. “The development would be great for me.”
The 6-7, 308-pounder knows that part is key, given his lack of football experience. A native of Cameroon who speaks five languages, he came to the United States as a freshman to play basketball at Culver Academies in Indiana. But that wasn’t a great fit, and he transferred to Phillips for his sophomore year, starting for the Wildcats’ Class 2A state champions.
Phillips coach Ivan Simmons talked Mpouma into coming out for football last season. Thanks to impressive showings at summer camps, he had three Division I offers before he had even played a down. Recruiting interest continued to build, but Mpouma freely admits there were growing pains.
“It was really frustrating,” Mpouma said last season. “Especially when we had the first game [a 50-0 defeat against Brother Rice]. After our first loss, I was like, ‘Am I really good at this? Do I really want to come back?’ ”
But he did and just kept getting better.
“I feel like on a scale of 1 to 10, I went from being a 5.5-6 to an 8.5,” Mpouma said.
National recruiting analyst Clint Cosgrove sees plenty of upside in Mpouma.
“The dude just started playing, and he’s like an absolute animal on the field,” Cosgrove said. “He’s so light-footed. He’s already using his hands. He’s an elite athlete blocking in space.
“If he continues to develop at this rate, he’s a potential first-round [NFL] draft pick.”
Mpouma transferred to Mount Carmel after the football season and was a key rotation player for the Caravan basketball team down the stretch.
Cosgrove isn’t surprised that Mpouma is good in more than one sport.
“The kid was born to do whatever he wants to do athletically,” Cosgrove said. “He just brings a unique skill set to everything he does. He has so many physical gifts.”
Making his college choice during the summer was a priority for Mpouma.
“That was the goal for me, to commit before the season, so I can focus on the season,” he said.
He’s joining a Caravan program with several other Power Four prospects and high expectations after winning three consecutive state titles.
“We’re looking amazing,” Mpouma said. “We’re looking like we’re going for a four-peat.”
