SALINAS >> The minute Nyziah Hunter put his name in the transfer portal, his phone sounded like an emergency announcement.

“I swear I got 170 calls on that first day,” the former Salinas High receiver said. “My phone was blowing up. In the transfer portal you get offers right away.”

Narrowing his decision to three schools in a week was challenging. Yet, it became a little less stressful for the 19-year-old Hunter after visiting Nebraska last week.

“Coach (Matt) Rhule has a plan for me,” said Hunter, who committed Friday to Nebraska. “The goal for me is to get to the league (NFL). I believe coach Rhule will get me there.”

Hunter is the first athlete from the county to play at Nebraska since former North Salinas High and Hartnell College lineman Carl Nicks spent two seasons in Lincoln, eventually being drafted by New Orleans and winning a Super Bowl.

Hunter, who returned Friday from Lincoln, seized an opportunity that he felt he would not have received at Cal, where he spent the past two years, redshirting his first season.

“I left Cal to get a better opportunity,” Hunter said. “Cal is a great school. But going to the Big 10 Conference will create more views, more exposure. It’s going to help me get to the league.”

Nebraska finished 6-6 this past season and will face Boston College on Dec. 28 in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium.

In his first season on the field this past fall, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Hunter caught 40 passes for 578 yards, leading the Bears with five touchdown catches.

“I wanted to play with Dillan Raiola (Nebraska quarterback),” Hunter said. “I will get the ball more. I will have more production. It’s a big-time change.”

Hunter, whose suitors included Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Arizona State, had visits scheduled for Kansas State and Oklahoma State before deciding to fly back to San Jose.

“This was hard,” Hunter said. “The process is more stressful. More schools were contacting me. I had other visits lined up. Nebraska was my first and it just felt right.”

Highly recruited out of high school after catching 58 passes for 1,038 yards and 16 touchdowns, Hunter called this procedure more challenging.

“Coming out of high school, recruiting is more of a process,” Hunter said. “You get to meet the coaches, see the school, do your research. In the portal, offers are made immediately. Schools want an answer.”

One thing Hunter is excited about is playing in the Big 10, which includes Indiana and Ohio State, two teams in the college playoffs, as well as Oklahoma, Colorado, USC and Wisconsin.

“The biggest reason is they are giving me an opportunity to be the No. 1 guy,” Hunter said. “I want to make a difference. It’s the type of offense I want to be a part of.”

Hunter, who broke the Salinas High school record in the 100 meters as a junior in 2022 in 10.62 seconds in going to the state meet, will be one of the fastest players in the Big 10.

“Right now, I feel a lot of relief,” said Hunter, who just got off a plane in San Jose. “I was stressed out. When you are on the phone, you don’t know who is being genuine.”

Hunter is scheduled to leave in January for Lincoln, where he’ll be a full participant in spring ball. He will have three full seasons of eligibility left.

“I hope to declare for the draft in two years,” Hunter said. “What I can get better at is being a leader. Hold people accountable and lead by example. Being a California kid, it will be a big adjustment. As long as I’m balling, I will be fine.”