The dog days of summer is usually how we would describe this stretch of time between the period of recruiting where visits can take place and the start of fall camp. We were trending that way until Nebraska hired a new athletic director on Wednesday. The Huskers now have Trev Alberts running the department. As Alberts settles into his new role, he will have a lot of moving parts to figure out.
As for recruiting we are still in the calm before the storm phase. Still, there is plenty to dive into this week.
Let’s get to the Recon.
2022 Commits
Chase Androff, Tight End, Lakeville, Minnesota
Jake Appleget, Outside Linebacker, Lincoln, Nebraska
Ernest Hausmann, Outside Linebacker, Columbus, Nebraska
Ashton Hayes, Running Back, Reno, Nevada
Victor Jones Jr., Wide Receiver, Orlando, Florida
Grant Page, Wide Receiver, Boulder, Colorado
Hayden Schwartz, Defensive End, Jacksonville, Florida
Richard Torres, Quarterback, San Antonio, Texas
2022 Needs
| QB | 0 | DL | 1 |
| RB | 0 | MLB | 0 |
| WR | 0 | OLB | 1 |
| TE | 0 | DB | 2 |
| OL | 2 | K/P | 0 |
The Recon:
>> My recruiting notebook on Thursday covered what is next position-wise for Nebraska’s 2022 recruiting class. Let’s dig deeper into that here. Offensive line and defensive back are the clear two priorities right now, mostly because the Huskers don’t have a commitment at either spot.
The issue is not having interested players though. Nebraska had several linemen and defensive backs on campus in June that it is still in good standing with. The Huskers would prefer to land Jake Maikkula and/or Valen Erickson on the offensive line. At defensive back the preferred targets are Jaden Mangham and Markeith Williams. The question is if Nebraska can lock down a commitment from any of those preferred players before the season.
Except for Maikkula, each player has official visits to use this fall. It’s dangerous for the Huskers to let prospects get that far away from their official visits to Lincoln before picking a school.
>> After athletic director Trev Alberts’ press conference this week the media spoke with Nebraska baseball coach Will Bolt. It was a big week for the baseball program and Bolt oculd not have been more thrilled.
“Yeah, a lot of positives coming out from the draft,” Bolt said. “It’s always a very tenuous time where we’re holding our breath. We want to recruit enough players that have a chance to get drafted. There’re several guys that could have been that had a pretty high number and their commitment to Nebraska is pretty high. We couldn’t be happier for those that were drafted to have a chance to go on and play professional baseball.
“Again, you’ve got to top 100 picks in your program. Those are things that we need to do more often. We need to make sure we have those type of prospects year in and year out so we can have a sustained level of success.”
There is so much momentum in the baseball program right now. That program might be trending up more than any other on campus outside of volleyball.
>> Another program that you hear consistent buzz about is the Nebraska basketball program. Coach Fred Hoiberg reeled into a big-time recruiting class. The team also just added guard Alonzo Verge Jr. which is a good addition. Hoiberg is liking what he sees from the team this summer.
“We have an unbelievable group of guys,” Hoiberg said. “Not only have we increased the talent of our group but just the character of our team, their work ethic. You almost have to kick them out of the gym. When you have a group that loves to play and loves to compete and is in the gym together.
“We get four hours a week on the floor with them right now. So, it’s so important to have a group that can bring the group with them into the gym, and we’ve got that group right now.”
There is a lot of hope that this will be a breakout year for Hoiberg’s program.
>> We are starting to turn our attention to the start of fall camp for Nebraska. Fall practice begins July 30, the day after Fan Day. There has been so much talk about Samori Touré, Omar Manning, Zavier Betts and Oliver Martin for a revamped receiver group. The name I am still keeping an eye on is Will Nixon. A year removed from a major knee injury, he should be in the mix to get snaps in the slot. Nixon can be used a variety of ways for the offense. He tends to get lost in the shuffle in fan conversation but the coaching staff is high on him.