This is the big one. The month of June has been fast and furious with recruiting activity so far but this weekend is going to be bigger than any other so far.
Nebraska will have close to 20 players doing private workouts on Friday morning. Then Friday afternoon close to 35 prospects will attend a barbcue event. The second Friday Night Lights will happen while the Huskers host four official visitors. The Adidas Pipeline camp returns to Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Let’s get to the Recon.
2022 Commits
Chase Androff, Tight End, Lakeville, Minnesota
Ernest Hausmann, Outside Linebacker, Columbus, Nebraska
Ashton Hayes, Running Back, Reno, Nevada
Victor Jones Jr., Wide Receiver, Orlando, Florida
Richard Torres, Quarterback, San Antonio, Texas
2022 Needs
| QB | 1 | DL | 2 |
| RB | 1 | MLB | 2 |
| WR | 1 | OLB | 2 |
| TE | 0 | DB | 3 |
| OL | 3 | K/P | 0 |
The Recon:
>> The Huskers have only hosted one official visitor during the week so far this month. That will change next week. Colorado offensive lineman Jake Maikkula will take an official visit to Nebraska Monday through Wednesday. Maikkula (6-6, 270) has visited Minnesota, Kansas State, and Virginia this month. The Huskers would like a couple of linemen in the class. The Valor Christian standout is an intriguing prospect.
>> Defensive coordinator Erik Chinander covered a wide range of topics during his stops on the Big Red Blitz this week. One thing that definitely caught my attention was his explanation on four Florida kids leaving last year being a turning point in the staff’s thinking.
“It’s a balance. It’s not that I don’t want to go through it again because, unfortunately, that’s college football,” Chinander said. “If a kid doesn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel in about seven months anymore, it’s easy (to leave). The path of least resistance is to leave.
“I don’t want to go through it but we will. It’s all about balance. Can we balance out a really good player from Miami with a really good player from Omaha and another good player from Kansas City and another good player from Sioux Falls? And as they come together it’s like, we can do this.”
Time will tell if last year was isolated in part because of the pandemic or if Nebraska really has a hard time holding on to players from Florida. Either way, there does seem to be a shift happening in recruiting focus.
>> Ohio State cornerback Tyreke Johnson will be here as early as June 18. The sooner Johnson can get to Lincoln and get acclimated the better chance he has of making an impact this season.
>> The Huskers are in good position with a number of recent official visitors. It wouldn’t surprise me to see wide receiver Grant Page, offensive lineman Valen Erickson, and linebacker Tyler Martin all in the class soon. The Huskers also lead heading into the official visit weekend with Lincoln Southeast athlete Jake Appleget.
>> Things are a bit cloudier with two big names on the Huskers’ board. Ashton Hayes likely took the only running back spot on Thursday. I get the sense that Nebraska was not comfortable waiting until after the season for Justin Williams to decide.
Wide receiver Landon Samson did want to decide soon. Things have gone pretty silent with him following his official visit to Ohio State though. I don’t know if he’s waiting on more offers before picking the Huskers but the longer this drags out the less chance of him being a Husker. He was offered by South Carolina this week.
>> The Huskers will have another group of close to 20 prospects working out privately on Friday. There are some really intriguing prospects coming to Lincoln. Bellevue West running back LJ Richardson will work out for Nebraska. So will Iowa safety Jahsiah Galvin, South Dakota athlete Carson Hergele and Iowa offensive lineman Rex Johnsen.
The Huskers will have more names to know at Friday Night Lights and the Adidas Pipeline camp. Also, there is a barbecue Friday afternoon with almost 35 prospects. One of the more intriguing things about that is that 2024 targets Dae’Vonn Hall and Daniel Kaelin will be there. Asa Newsom and Gunnar Gottula will too, and both recently received offers from Nebraska. Class of 2023 commit Ben Brahmer will also be in attendance.
It is a huge weekend for Nebraska recruiting.