Fall camp is in full swing for the Huskers now. We are only two weeks away from Nebraska’s first matchup of the season with Ohio State. While things pick up on that side of things, there is also some recruiting momentum building for the team. There is the potential for a pair of new names to be added to the Huskers’ 2021 commit list next week.
Let’s get to the Recon.
Husker Commits
Koby Bretz, Defensive Back, Omaha, Nebraska
Marques Buford, Defensive Back, Cedar Hill, Texas
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:
>> The Huskers came through with an offer for Norris High standout tight end James Carnie. He hasn’t changed his intended announcement date of Oct. 12. I believe he will pick Nebraska when he does announce his choice. On the Nebraska side of things, it was always a concern about balancing numbers in this class and next class. However, Carnie has forced the team’s hand by playing so well and working hard to improve his game. Also, the team is going with a “get athletes now and figure it out later” approach which is wise at this point.
>> The other pending announcement involving Nebraska is defensive end Ru’Quan Buckley. The Michigan native is set to decide on Wednesday, Oct. 14. The Huskers are locked in a battle with Michigan State. I still like the Huskers to win out here but it wouldn’t stun me if the pick was Michigan State. Nebraska would love to lock Buckley in to pick up the first defensive line commit of the cycle.
>> The Huskers offered Iowa 2022 inside linebacker Jacob Imming earlier this week. They are continuing to push hard into Iowa as the state continues to raise its recruiting profile. On Thursday night the home state Hawkeyes came in with an offer.
Wow! After talking with coach ferentz I am so so excited to announce I have received an offer from the University of Iowa!!!@TylerBarnesIOWA #Swarm22 🐤🐤 pic.twitter.com/wLQ97LuZiy
— jacob imming (@ImmingJacob) October 9, 2020
In the same way that the Nebraska offer was a gamechanger for James Carnie the Iowa offer is a gamechanger for Imming. I expect him to be a Hawkeye before long.
>> Seeing how things shake out with Nebraska’s secondary in 2020 might be a lot of fun. It’s a deep group that has a good mix of returning players with exciting up and comers. One thing that will benefit the defense is the return of Deontai Williams which Scott Frost highlighted this week.
“He’s one of the best leaders on our defense.” Frost said. “I feel really good about the secondary. We’ve got to do better about getting a pass rush and doing other things to help them, but those guys have done really well in camp.”
>> Speaking of that pass rush the Huskers are trying a lot of things to gain some depth and explosion at the position. Frost admitted this week that things need to improve quite a bit from what happened in the 2019 season.
“Our outside linebacker group underperformed last year,” Frost said. “If nothing else, he’s going to get guys playing hard, using the right technique and being in the right spot. There were a lot of times when mistakes at that position cost us in the run game and a few times in the passing game.”
It was stated by the coaches this week that JUCO transfer Pheldarius Payne has been getting work at outside linebacker. Rushing the passer has been his calling card so the Huskers are hoping to tap into that. Inside linebacker Nick Henrich has seen some time at the position as well. Nebraska desperately needs JoJo Domann, Caleb Tannor, Garrett Nelson and Niko Cooper to be productive for the team this year.
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.
