On Monday, Nebraska hosted another unofficial visitor in what has become a very busy month of prospects on campus. Three-star lineman (HV rating: 82.5) Brant Banks (6-8, 250) from Westbury Christian High School in Houston, Texas, made the long drive to Lincoln to check out what Nebraska had to offer. The emerging 2019 prospect says the trip was worth the 12-hour drive through the night.
“I was really surprised by how awesome it was to be honest,” Banks said. “Getting to meet all the coaches out there was great. I was very impressed with all the facilities and all the amenities they have for athletes. They offered me a couple months ago so I’ve really been talking to and staying in contact with them since then. Coach [Mike] Dawson, Coach [Scott] Frost and Coach [Greg] Austin are who I talk to the most.”
Often, prospects are excited to meet the staff in person after building up rapport on the phone. They like to see if the phone personalities match up in person. Banks was no different when he told me what it was like to finally get to interact with the staff face to face.
“It was awesome, I really liked Coach Dawson. He had an awesome energy. We were sitting in his office and watching film, he was telling us how the defense plays and what they’d do with me. I really liked it. I like him as a man and a coach. He’s a great leader. Coach Frost wasn’t there but I got to FaceTime with him a little bit. I wish I could have met him in person but it was so cool meeting everyone else and see the campus.”
Banks along with his mom and dad made the drive from Houston. He told me that they arrived in Lincoln at about 6 am on Monday, slept four hours in the hotel, then hit campus. It was well worth it according to Banks.
“It was worth it because getting to meet all the coaches and see the campus was awesome. [My parents] liked it a lot. They were really impressed, too. The academic part, my mom loved that. We went in the academic advisor’s area and they told us how they have the most academic awards for the student-athletes. That was really impressive. Also, we went in the sports performance lab where they can measure pretty much everything. We were all pretty much impressed by that.”
It turns out that Nebraska is recruiting Banks for defensive line which is different than most schools. He tells me that he’d play anywhere a coach put him, but it’s cool to see a new perspective of things when he talks to a college coach. He’s actually played more defense than offense in his life so he is comfortable there. Banks will surely be looking into each coaching staff recruiting him since his number-one factor in his college choice will be the staff.
“I’m really looking for a good coaching staff. One that I know will be there for me and have my back. Beyond being good coaches, which is a must, they have to be good men.”
http://www.hudl.com/video/3/5608352/5a2824b33863481da470b2e2
Greg is the Recruiting Analyst for Hail Varsity and has covered Husker athletics since 2013. He has always had a passion for sports while growing up in the Chicago area. As he got older and had to hang up his cleats and sneakers, he realized his passion for sports went beyond just watching and attending games. He has covered many events from the Rose Bowl to championship boxing matches. If he’s not talking sports, he’s hovering over his grill. He is married to an amazing woman, Kim, and they have a dog that barks when Greg yells at the TV during games.
