We are into the dog days of winter. Temperatures are low around Nebraska and the snow is piling up. Meanwhile the team is hard at work lifting and conditioning. This time is typically a bit slower in recruiting to allow everyone to catch their breath. It’s a little different this year though given how unique the last year has been. There is still plenty to discuss around the program.
Let’s get to the Recon.
Husker Commits
None for the 2022 cycle yet.
2021 Needs
| QB | 1 | DL | 2 |
| RB | 1 | MLB | 2 |
| WR | 2 | OLB | 2 |
| TE | 1 | DB | 3 |
| OL | 3 | K/P | 0 |
The Recon:
>> There is a new wrinkle in Nebraska’s spring football schedule. This spring, the Huskers will have five weeks straight of spring practice without spring break. It will provide a nice chunk of time for Coach Scott Frost and company to work with the team. Frost explained the benefits last week.
“You just have to be light on your feet nowadays with all of this stuff going on,” Frost said. “I am kind of pleased with how it’s all going to work out this year. It gives us a chance to get spring ball done in one swing rather than having spring break in the middle of it.
“A May 1 spring game, with our fingers crossed that fans can be there, gives us a better chance of having a great day for that. We try not to push the kids, so we go three practices a week, and having five straight weeks of that, I think, sets up well for us to make the improvements we need.”
It will be interesting to see what the results end up being from this set up. It could be helpful to the team for this spring.
>> I’ve already written about how the 2022 recruiting class in-state is off to a hot start on the recruiting trail. Several in-state 2022 prospects hold double-digit scholarship offers already. Don’t look now but there is a 2023 prospect that is receiving similar early attention in-state. Elkhorn South defensive lineman Maverick Noonan, son of former Husker Danny Noonan (6-5, 210) recently grabbed offers from Michigan State, Iowa State and others. The Huskers are likely in a good spot here but it’d be great to wrap that one up early before his recruitment completely blows up.
>> There haven’t been a ton of leaks out of winter conditioning just yet. However there is one thing to pass along on wide receiver Omar Manning. He certainly looks the part of a big-time Big Ten wideout. He’s been engaged in the offseason program. Nebraska just needs to keep him on track and get a full spring of practices out of him. That will go a long way to assessing how much he can help the team in 2021.
>> One other winter nugget is that the staff has been impressed with the early enrollee work ethic. It was talked about a lot how this class felt like guys who just wanted to come work and help the team. So far that is showing up in winter conditioning. There is a long way to go but that’s a great first step.
>> Reports surfaced on Thursday that the NCAA Football Oversight Committee recommended extending dead period to May 31. That is a tough blow for everyone since some thought the dead period could end in April. That would give Nebraska time to have a couple weeks of on-campus recruiting and the spring game to host recruits. If it shakes out this way it puts 2022 prospects way behind. It could force some interesting early decisions on commitments.
In the meantime, Nebraska has been busy hosting virtual visits with 2022 recruits. It feels like the program is operating as if the dead period will be extended.