2023 (Freshman)
Ethan Nation played in seven games as a true freshman. He recorded one tackle and had seven punt returns for 23 yards. Nation made his Husker debut against Northern Illinois and had one tackle against the Huskies. He had the first punt return of his career for four yards at Michigan State. He added a six-yard return against Maryland. Nation had another six-yard punt return at Wisconsin. Against Iowa, Nation returned three punts for seven yards.
Before Nebraska (Roswell High School)
Nation joined Nebraska from Roswell High School in Georgia. Nation was one of the nation’s top defensive backs and was selected to play in the 2023 Under Armour All-America Game.
A talented two-way player, Nation had nearly 100 career tackles and 12 interceptions, according to MaxPreps. On offense, he had more than 1,000 receiving yards with 16 total touchdowns.
In his senior season, Nation was the co-athlete of the year in his region. He totaled 36 tackles on defense with three interceptions, 11 passes defended and one fumble recovery. Nation also caught 27 passes for 427 yards and three touchdowns on offense while finishing with 629 all-purpose yards. His play helped Roswell to a 12-2 record and a trip to the state semifinals. The Hornets made the state quarterfinals and finished with a 10-3 record in Nation’s junior season. He totaled 37 tackles with one interception, three passes defended and one forced fumble. On offense, he caught 45 passes for 565 yards and 10 touchdowns. Nation also made a big impact as a sophomore, recording eight interceptions.
Nation was regarded as a four-star prospect by ESPN, which tabbed him as one of the top 20 cornerbacks and top 170 overall players in the country. Nation had offers from many of the country’s top programs and chose Nebraska over his other finalists Auburn, Houston and Ohio State.