On Saturday, 4-star (HV Rating: 94.1) offensive tackle Turner Corcoran committed to the Huskers while in town for the spring game. The Lawrence (Kan.) Free State star became the third known member of the 2020 recruiting class, joining quarterback Logan Smothers and wide receiver Zavier Betts. Corcoran represents a huge recruiting win for Nebraska.
Building the #PipeLine back Piece by Piece. Cornerstone Get!Huge step forward for the program. #GBR pic.twitter.com/oJKUAPpi9f
— Coach G (@GregAustin2717) April 13, 2019
Here are five thoughts on the commitment.
Habit of landing top targets continues
Dating back to the class of 2018 when Scott Frost and his staff arrived, they have made a habit of securing their top targets. Adrian Martinez, Maurice Washington and Caleb Tannor fit the bill in the 2018 cycle. Nick Henrich, Wandale Robinson, Bryce Benhart, Ty Robinson and Noa Pola- Gates were among the top targets overall in the 2019 class. Now that Corcoran is in, this trend bodes well for defensive tackle Nash Hutmacher, offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten and others.
Back-to-back major tackle recruits
Down the road Nebraska will have 2019 signee Bryce Benhart and Corcoran at tackle paving the way in this offense. The work that offensive line coach Greg Austin is doing on the recruiting trail should not go unnoticed. He’s reeled in perhaps the two best tackle prospects in the Midwest in consecutive classes. It’s too soon to say The Pipeline is back but you can see the building blocks are sliding into place.
Beat out heavyweights
In August, Corcoran released a top seven of Nebraska, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State plus the home-state schools, Kansas and Kansas State. He never publicly announced trimming down the list, but all indications are that Nebraska, Oklahoma and Ohio State were the final three. Going toe to toe with those schools for a top prospect is never easy but credit the staff for doing a great job with his recruitment.
Another peer recruiter
These days it is pretty common for players to help peer recruit after they join a class. However, it can have a bigger impact when the peer recruiting is done by a quarterback or a highly-rated player. The Huskers already have their quarterback (and strong peer recruiter) in Smothers. Now they have one of the top tackle prospects in the nation to help him out. Corcoran plans to be an active recruiter for Nebraska going forward.
Sensational prospect
Last season, I went down to Lawrence to see Corcoran plays and came away very impressed. Sometimes you’ll see offensive linemen that are bigger and stronger than their opponents so they just push them out of the way and are done. Not Corcoran. Once he gets his hands on a defender it’s hard for them to shake him loose. He looks to finish blocks every time or find someone else to hit. He’s a punishing run blocker and has the tools to be good in pass protection as well.
https://www.hudl.com/video/3/7627950/5b8d82db0c53d6055c7926c8
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.
