What a wild week in the latest installment of “As The Big Ten Turns.”
We all braced ourselves for what would be a weird 2020 season and we only made it one week before things went sideways. There was a lot more drama this week with Nebraska’s game against Wisconsin being declared a no contest. The Huskers had a replacement game lined up which was denied by the Big Ten conference as they stuck to the original plan of conference-games only. The Huskers now have a bit of extra time to prep for Northwestern.
Even without a game this weekend there are still things to discuss inside the program.
Let’s get to the Recon.
Husker Commits
Koby Bretz, Defensive Back, Omaha, Nebraska
Marques Buford, Defensive Back, Cedar Hill, Texas
James Carnie, Tight End, Firth, Nebraska
Gabe Ervin, Running Back, Buford, Georgia
Thomas Fidone, Tight End, Council Bluffs, Iowa
Mikai Gbayor, Linebacker, Irvington, New Jersey
Kamonté Grimes, Wide Receiver, Naples, Florida
Heinrich Haarberg, Quarterback, Kearney, Nebraska
Shawn Hardy, Wide Receiver, Kingsland, Georgia
Randolph Kpai, Inside Linebacker, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Henry Lutovsky, Offensive Lineman, Mount Pleasant, Iowa
Seth Malcom, Inside Linebacker, Tabor, Iowa
Latrell Neville, Wide Receiver, Houston, Texas
Patrick Payton, Outside Linebacker, Miami, Florida
Teddy Prochazka, Offensive Lineman, Elkhorn, Nebraska
AJ Rollins, Tight End, Omaha, Nebraska
Lardarius Webb, Defensive Back, Jackson, Mississippi
Malik Williams, Defensive Back, Buford, Georgia
Branson Yager, Offensive Lineman, Grantsville, Utah
2021 Needs
| QB | 0 | DL | 2 |
| RB | 0 | MLB | 0 |
| WR | 0 | OLB | 1 |
| TE | 0 | DB | 1 |
| OL | 0 | K/P | 0 |
The Recon:
>> With Nebraska’s game against Wisconsin canceled, there was some hope that the first half suspensions for Cam Taylor-Britt and Deontai Williams would not carry over. Unfortunately for Nebraska, they will carry over to the Northwestern game. Look for Myles Farmer and Quinton Newsome to get the first crack at taking their reps. Isaac Gifford has also impressed all camp with the work he’s put in too.
>> Given the rate that quarterbacks transfer, its great that Nebraska is able to find some type of Swiss Army Knife role for Luke McCaffrey. If he is one of the team’s best weapons there really isn’t a reason to have him on the bench. One thing that shouldn’t get lost in the shuffle is how appreciative McCaffrey is of the opportunity.
“It’s a blessing to be on the field at all, especially in that circumstance,” McCaffrey said. “Just to be a part of the game plan in general, I’m thankful.”
The young quarterback has a great perspective on this and has shown why his teammates rally around him.
>> The Huskers don’t have a defensive lineman publicly committed yet for the 2021 recruiting class. There are several targets still on the board though. One of the most intriguing is 4-star Tia Savea out of Nevada. One thing I noticed during the Ohio State game is that he was basically live-tweeting the action while interacting with Husker commits. That’s a good sign for the Huskers’ chances. Imagine if he was able to live-tweet a big victory for Nebraska.
>> Keep an eye on 2022 Texas wide receiver Jay Rockwell. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound pass catcher has the Huskers in his top four. The rest of the group is Illinois, Kansas and UTSA. There is an interesting connection here since Rockwell is at Trinity Christian, which is a high school that 2021 commit Marques Buford spent time at too. Rockwell is an intriguing prospect with good size.
>> Expect Nebraska to be without tight end Jack Stoll for 3-5 weeks. He avoided major damage that could have been much worse after a scary scene last Saturday. This was probably the best-case scenario so it’s good that he should get to finish out his senior year down the line.