The start of the spring semester is just around the corner so winter conditioning is almost here. Soon, everyone will be looking to get any nuggets on which players are making gains and who could potentially be new contributors that we haven’t heard much from so far.
Also, next week the contact period opens backs up so we will see the Nebraska staff all over the country trying to finish off the 2019 class with a bang plus continue to work on a 2020 class that could end up being special. In the meantime, let’s get to the recon.
Class Breakdown
Husker Commits
Matthew Anderson, offensive lineman, Leesville, Lousiana
Brant Banks, defensive end, Houston, Texas
Bryce Benhart, offensive lineman, Lakeville, Minnesota
Desmond Bland, offensive lineman, Yuma, Arizona
Darien Chase, wide receiver, Vancouver, Washington
Myles Farmer, defensive back, Atlanta, Georgia
Jimmy Fritzsche, offensive tackle, Greenville, South Carolina
Jackson Hannah, linebacker, Nashville, Tennesee
Nick Henrich, linebacker, Omaha, Nebraska
Chris Hickman, tight end, Omaha, Nebraska
Rahmir Johnson, running back, Oradell, New Jersey
Michael Lynn, offensive lineman, Greenwood Village, Colorado
Luke McCaffrey, quarterback, Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Dedrick Mills, running back, Garden City, Kansas
Jamie Nance, wide receiver, Blanchard, Oklahoma
Garrett Nelson, defensive end, Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Mosai Newsom, defensive end, Waverly, Iowa
Quinton Newsome, defensive back, Suwanee, Georgia
Ethan Piper, defensive tackle, Norfolk, Nebraska
Ty Robinson, defentive tackle, Gilbert, Arizona
Wandale Robinson, athlete, Frankfort, Kentucky
Garrett Snodgrass, athlete, York, Nebraska
Ronald Thompkins, running back, Loganville, Georgia
Javin Wright, defensive back, Chandler, Arizona
2019 Needs
| QB | 0 | DL | 0 |
| RB | 0 | MLB | 0 |
| WR | 1 | OLB | 1 |
| TE | 0 | DB | 2 |
| OL | 1 | K/P | 0 |
Additional Recon
>>One of the positions that Nebraska will be keeping an eye on for in the grad-transfer market is wide receiver. It’s pretty difficult to get names to watch, but I do have one for you all to keep in mind –– Lawrence Cager. The big-bodied pass catcher stands at 6-foot-5, 218 pounds and announced he will be transferring from Miami. He only had 21 catches last season but did score six touchdowns. He is looking to graduate in May.
>>Last week, I mentioned that Nebraska’s top priority to finish out the 2019 cycle is adding more pass rush. A new name has emerged in that pursuit. Cornelius Evans is a defensive end/outside linebacker from Lawrenceville, Georgia, who tells me that he has been in contact with the staff including Scott Frost. Evans says he and the staff are working on a time in January for an official visit.
You can see what type of prospect the staff is looking for in their pass rushers as Evans stands at 6-foot-5, 215 pounds. At this point I don’t see him as a primary option but the staff wants as many options as possible.
>>Speaking of pass rushers, Kansas 3-star (HV Rating: 83.8) outside linebacker Dylan Jordan announced his official visit schedule for January. He will visit Utah Jan. 11, TCU Jan. 18, Nebraska Jan. 25 and Kansas State and Kansas Feb. 1-Feb. 3. The interesting thing here is that he also said he plans to commit either Jan. 28 or Feb. 4.
What does it all mean? To me if Utah, TCU or Nebraska blow him away he will pick one of those schools. If those schools don’t have room then he’ll pick one of the local schools. Something to keep in mind here is that Jordan got slow-played by the local schools while he was getting his academics in order, so he could feel slighted by them and want to seek a bigger opportunity. I like Nebraska’s chances here if they make a strong push for him.
>>On Christmas Eve, 2020 4-star athlete (HV Rating: 93.4) Mookie Cooper announced that the Huskers were in his top 10. The St. Louis native is a national recruit and will be highly sought-after. I briefly exchanged messages with Cooper and he tells me that he will be visiting Lincoln sometime in January. That’s great news for the Huskers as they continue to attempt to make a push into St. Louis.
>>I have a quick but big update from Dedrick Mills on his situation. As you know, Mills was the only surprise player during the early signing period that did not send in his letter of intent to Nebraska. There were concerns about his grades and also the issue of him having to appear in court due to an incident where he was ticketed for speeding with a suspended license.
I was able to hear back from him yesterday and Mills tells me that he is still committed to Nebraska and finishing up his winter classes. He did say that he will be enrolled in the summer. That’s obviously great news for Nebraska who has big plans for Mills to step in and have a key role in the offense next season. It’s a blow that he won’t participate in spring ball but as we saw with Maurice Washington, you can contribute at running back without going through winter conditioning and spring ball.
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.
