We are on the cusp of the early signing period opening up in college football. This has been a wild two weeks. We’ve seen major shifts in the landscape of the sport. Here at Nebraska the program had to hire a new offensive staff, figure out which players were returning and recruit high school and portal players.
Let’s take a look at five burning questions as we enter the early signing period.
How much bigger can the high school class be?
On the morning of signing day eve, the Huskers have 10 high school commits for the 2022 recruiting class. The team lost Nevada running back Ashton Hayes on Monday dropping that number by one. We have been consistent that the Huskers would take 13-to-16 players from the high school ranks. How many more will be joining the 10? I feel good about Nebraska and Minnesota running back Emmett Johnson. He announces his decision on signing day at 3 p.m. Central. New Jersey defensive back Jaeden Gould (6-2, 200) is set to make his announcement Tuesday at 4 p.m. Central. I love the Huskers’ position with Gould, too. Will that be it for high school players this week? The Huskers had a handful of other high school targets on campus during the offseason. Some could pick Nebraska.
How much more help from the portal and JUCO?
Nebraska isn’t messing around when it comes adding players from the transfer portal. Coach Scott Frost said the Huskers would be looking for more immediate help for 2022. That help is coming from the portal and JUCO. The Huskers have the hot hand in the portal. The team has already landed three scholarship players. Offensive lineman Kevin Williams Jr., kicker Timmy Bleekrode and defensive back Tommi Hill have pledged to Nebraska. The program is poised to add several more to the mix. Transfer punter Brian Buschini, JUCO defensive back DeShon Singleton and transfer offensive lineman Hunter Anthony are all in the mix to join the Huskers, too. Nebraska will also add at least one wide receiver and a quarterback.
What’s the impact of new coaches?
The Huskers have 90% of the coaching search complete. What type of impact can the new hires have on the recruiting trail? It’s a tough task to ask three new coaches to hit the ground running and make an impact for this signing period. Offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, wide receivers coach Mickey Joseph and offensive line coach Donovan Raiola helped host official visitors last weekend. It was their first fews days on campus. It will take time to mesh what the trio is looking for with the big board already established. The bigger impact for the Huskers with the new coaches may be in the transfer portal. Quick use of their connections to different players and other coaches could help.
When will we know about quarterbacks?
For many Husker fans this is the question of the offseason. There hasn’t been a ton of public traction with quarterback targets in the portal for the Huskers. Don’t take that to mean nothing is happening behind the scenes. Hail Varsity was the first to report that the Huskers had serious interest in LSU transfer quarterback Myles Brennan. Several coaches, including Scott Frost, visited him last week. He does have an offer from Nebraska. Sources tell me that special team analyst Bill Busch is the lead recruiter on Brennan. The signal-caller is weighing his options, including Florida State. Things change daily with how many quarterbacks are entering the portal. Brennan is the clear No. 1 target for me right now. Nebraska’s new quarterback should join the team in early January. That way he’d be here for the spring semester and winter conditioning. The Huskers would be put in the best situation for success then.
Will there be any surprises?
We’ve all seen enough signing days to know that there are always surprises. Those can be good or bad for the Huskers. The Huskers have had their share of both over the years. The last few days have been good momentum-builders as we get closer to Wednesday. There are a handful of players with scheduled announcements involving the Huskers. If the team can snag them plus one surprise, it will be a great week for the Huskers.
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.
