ORONO – The University of Maine football team announced the signing of blue chip recruit Shawn Bodtmann of Scranton, Pa., on Tuesday.

Bodtmann, a one-time prized recruit of the University of Nebraska, was rated the 18th best football player in Pennsylvania and a three-star prospect by the recruiting Web site Rivals.com.

“It’s a huge weight off my shoulders,” Bodtmann told the Scranton Times Tribune.

“Financially, it’s the perfect situation, and I have a chance to play. It’s a pretty good deal.”

The 5-foot-11, 205-pound player is expected to play either outside linebacker or running back for Maine.

“We are very excited to have Shawn Bodtmann join our program. He has demonstrated the characteristics of the type of student-athlete we want representing our program. He is a winner in the classroom, on the field and in his community. We expect him to have a huge impact on our program,” Maine coach Jack Cosgrove said in a statement.

Bodtmann, 18, verbally committed to Nebraska in April 2008, but had the offer rescinded by the Cornhuskers earlier this year shortly before the National Letter of Intent signing day.

The exact reasons are unclear, but Bodtmann’s former high school coach told the Scranton newspaper that Nebraska had concerns about an injury during his senior year and that he had reportedly lost weight. The university also reportedly had a numbers crunch and wanted to offer scholarships to some walk-ons.

Bodtmann had broken his collarbone during his senior season at West Scranton High School.

He led West Scranton to the district championship during his junior campaign when he rushed for more than 1,400 yards and scored 22 touchdowns. On defense that season, Bodtmann recorded 100 tackles, four sacks and four interceptions.

According to the Scranton Times Tribune, Bodtmann had been recruited by both Syracuse, Connecticut and Army before verbally committing to Nebraska. With his choices limited after the university’s late decision, he chose Maine over Western Carolina and Fordham.