Malachi Coleman, a wide receiver with four stars and the top recruit in Nebraska, chose the Cornhuskers over five other colleges during a Saturday event. While Joseph was responding to a different query during a weekly press conference, a reporter announced that Coleman had signed with Nebraska.
The reporter apologized to Joseph after he originally said he “wasn’t through answering” a previous query, and the Cornhuskers’ coach then clarified Coleman’s signing by saying he was “joking.” The next question was if Joseph had talked to Coleman following Saturday’s statement. After delivering his remark, Joseph laughed before departing the press conference and inquiring of the program’s media relations team whether he had made a mistake. According to Keith Mann, a spokesman for Nebraska, Joseph promptly contacted the compliance office of the university after making his statement during the news conference to ensure that staff members were aware of it.