This week, Nebraska heads on the road for a night game against Wisconsin. That’s not a great place to try and get your first win of the season but there was some improvement on the field last week in a loss versus Purdue.
This week was a bit more muted in terms of big quotes or talking points but we did get the news of the latest departure from the team.
As always, there is a lot of information to get to so let’s get to the Recon.
Class Breakdown
Husker Commits
Matthew Anderson, offensive lineman, Leesville, Lousiana
Desmond Bland, offensive lineman, Yuma, Arizona
Tony Fair, defensive tackle, Pima, Arizona
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
Garrett Snodgrass, athlete, York, Nebraska
Ronald Thompkins, running back, Loganville, Georgia
2019 Needs
| QB | 0 | DL | 2 |
| RB | 0 | MLB | 0 |
| WR | 2 | OLB | 1 |
| TE | 0 | DB | 3 |
| OL | 3 | K/P | 0 |
Additional Recon
>> In yesterday’s notebook, I explored the topic of the age-old recruiting question of development versus star rankings. This week, Nebraska defensive backs coach Travis Fisher was asked his thoughts on how Wisconsin is relatively low in recruiting rankings but a perennial top-20 team.
“Probably because they do a good job evaluating and developing players," Fisher said. "They aren’t worrying about what 24/7 or all that other recruiting stuff says. They don’t worry about stars and that’s a good thing. They take their time and evaluated players and that’s a good thing.”
When Fisher is evaluating players, does he look if they are a 5-star or 4-star?
“Not at all”, Fisher said. “I wasn’t a 5-star. I wasn’t a star. I’m not even sure if I had a star and I played a long time in the NFL. None of the guys I played in the NFL with were stars. It doesn’t matter. If you are a football player, then you are a football player. If you are a fighter you are a fighter. No one should have to rate you or give you a star. You should be able to see that when you go watch them play.”
>> Let’s talk numbers. With all the attrition Nebraska has seen and the clear immediate needs on the roster, just how many commits could Nebraska take in the class of 2019? The short answer is 30.
After talking with a source, the longer explanation is that they probably will not take 30 but will aim for signing 26-28 players in 2019. They'd then get into the grad transfer market so they don’t mess up their numbers for 2020. I’ve noted multiple times that the 2020 class is very strong and Nebraska could have a big-time class that year. The 500-mile radius talent for 2020 is strong and Nebraska has hosted a lot of those prospects already, some multiple times.
One thing to keep an eye on is how many of those 26-28 recruits Nebraska can sign in December. I’d look for them to sign aroung 21 players in December and then lock in and put the full-court press on a handful of targets to put the class over the top.
>> Sophomore defensive lineman Deontre Thomas has him arm in a cast and sling. It’s unknown what the exact injury is at this point but he does have a redshirt available. He’s a player that has a bright future in the program.
>> It looks like Michigan State weekend will be the next big official visit weekend for Nebraska. Hail Varsity reported the week of the first game that 4-star (HV rating: 92.6) defensive end Ty Robinson will be visiting this weekend. We are now able to confirm another visitor.
Lloyd Summerall, a 4-star defensive end (HV rating: 91.1), has also locked in his official visit for that weekend. Summerall has high interest in Florida but Nebraska has continued to work on him. Getting the visit set with the potential edge rusher is big.
Michigan State weekend is also when junior college running back commit Dedrick Mills will be in Lincoln. That means there is a chance that his teammate and offensive tackle prospect Bamidele Olaseni could make the trip. Stay tuned.
>> This week, Nebraska offered one of the top 2020 running backs in the country. Sam Adams, a 4-star (91.0) prospect out of Eastside Catholic in Sammamish, Washington, tweeted out his offer on Wednesday.
Extremely blessed to have received an offer from @HuskerFBNation #GBR pic.twitter.com/oyC7Rz1Fqe
— Sam Adams II (@SamAdamsII) October 4, 2018
I was able to exchange a few messages with Adams and he said he was thrilled about receiving the offer.
“I think it’s amazing to be given the opportunity to play at a big school like Nebraska," Adams said. "I have never been on campus but I would love to come visit.”
He is the son of former NFL defensive tackle Sam Adams.
>> Nebraska is continuing to work the junior college market hard. In fact, multiple coaches were out on the road the past couple of days and will likely squeeze in some visits Friday before leaving for Madison. Ryan Held spent some time in Kansas and saw a couple of big-time prospects. Independence Community College outside linebacker Kuony Deng got a visit from Held, as did Coffeyville Community College safety Markquese Bell. Nebraska will try to secure visits with those two and it looks good right now for the officials to happen.
As of now, Nebraksa is really trying to focus on junior college players that will be December graduates so they can go through a winter with head strength and conditioning coach Zach Duval and get acclimated to everything at this level.
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.
