What a whirlwind of a week again for Nebraska recruiting. We saw more offers fly out door, Nebraska got its man at quarterback in 4-star Adrian Martinez, Frost and company poached a UCF recruit that was committed, Justin McGriff, and much more.
You have to be impressed by the new staff’s ability to organize its recruiting efforts and go all in on guys, particularly Martinez. It should not be lost that Nebraska has already landed four players that were on their first official visit weekend in Lincoln. Martinez is getting a lot of the headlines because he is a quarterback but 4-star safety C.J. Smith is an impressive player, wide receiver Jaron Woodyard could be the fastest player in the junior college ranks and McGriff is a very intriguing player.
One player that probably doesn’t get enough love from that group of visitors is wide receiver Jeshaun Jones. That is mostly because he has been hard to catch up with, and has given very few quotes since leaving Lincoln. I wouldn’t be surprised if Martinez is doing a lot of peer recruiting on him behind the scenes.
Class Breakdown
Husker Commits
David Alston, 3-star linebacker, St. Paul, Minnesota
Cameron Brown, 4-star wide receiver, St. Louis, Missouri
Will Farniok, 3-star offensive lineman, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Cameron Jurgens, 4-star tight end, Beatrice, Nebraska
Masry Mapieu, 3-star defensive tackle, York, Nebraska
Adrian Martinez, 4-star quarterback, Fresno, California
Justin McGriff, 3-star wide receiver, Tampa, Florida
Barret Pickering, 2-star kicker, Birmingham, Alabama
C.J. Smith, 4-star defensive back, West Palm Beach, Florida
Tate Wildeman, 3-star defensive lineman, Parker, Colorado
Jaron Woodyard, 3-star JUCO wide receiver, Yuma, Arizona
2018 Needs
| QB | 0 | DL | 1 |
| RB | 2 | MLB | 0 |
| WR | 2-3 | OLB | 1 |
| TE | 0 | DB | 3 |
| OL | 1 | K/P | 0 |
Additional Recon
>>One of the confirmed official visitors this weekend is hard-hitting safety Cam Jones from Texas. Nebraska probably has room to take one more safety in this class and there is a pretty good chance it ends up being Jones. When I asked him about his interest level in Nebraska last week, he had a response sure to make Husker fans happy.
“My interest level is high and just the tradition and history of Nebraska being brought back to life with Coach Frost and his staff. I think they can turn Nebraska into what it used to be, a championship program.”
>>There were a lot of great things about the recruitment of Martinez. It’s a tremendous boost for the coaching staff to get its top target, especially at the quarterback position. When I caught up with Martinez after he committed, I wanted to know what the biggest factor was in his decision.
“Everything just aligned perfectly at the right time. I love Coach Frost and his staff and truly believe we can accomplish something special. It was how I fit personally and in the offensive scheme.”
I specifically asked him about the moment when he told Frost and quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco that he was committing on Tuesday night as well.
“It was amazing. They were so excited and we all hugged. It was a great moment.”
One of the things that continues to stand out to me when talking to recruits about this staff is just how much they believe in the message of Frost and his coaching staff. Almost every recruit mentions they believe this staff will turn things around.
>>Speaking of players that believe Nebraska will turn things around, let’s talk Lincoln Southeast standout Bryson Williams. Nebraska’s previous staff did not recruit him at all, letting him slip away and commit to Wisconsin without a fight. Frost and his staff showed him a lot of love and offered him a scholarship but in the end, the bond he built with Wisconsin was just too strong. Williams did have a really classy message on Twitter announcing his decision.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Thank You pic.twitter.com/GLYlTbOcjD
— Bryson Williams (@brysonjw_18) December 14, 2017
>>The official visit list for this weekend is very fluid at the moment. I will do a separate piece later today highlighting the visitors once I can firm up the list. Here’s what I know right now: junior college linebacker Will Honas, 4-star safety Cam Jones, wide receiver/tight end Katerian Legrone (UCF commit), defensive end Tate Wildeman (Nebraska commit), tight end Messiah Swinson and athlete Marcus Riley (Louisville commit) are all locked in.
Safety Tyrese Ross, junior college linebacker Jordan Allen, wide receiver Dominic Ross, running back Javian Hawkins (Louisville commit) and defensive end Daniel Carson are all up in the air or unconfirmed at this point. I can tell you that as of Tuesday, Nebraska was preparing for eight official visitors. Again, I will update as more information becomes available.
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.
