This week, Nebraska's staff has been all over the country evaluating players and building relationships with high school coaches. There have been a lot of offers that have gone out in the last few days with the bulk of them going to 2020 prospects. That was expected as Nebraska will look to set its 2020 board and get a jump start on that class, which I expect to be a big one for the Huskers. We are also seeing new areas of focus for this staff like New Jersey, Oklahoma and the JUCO ranks.
Class Breakdown
Husker Commits
Thomas Grayson, running back, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Garrett Nelson, defensive end, Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Ethan Piper, defensive tackle, Norfolk, Nebraska
Garrett Snodgrass, athlete, York, Nebraska
2019 Needs
| QB | 1 | DL | 3 |
| RB | 2 | MLB | 1 |
| WR | 2 | OLB | 2 |
| TE | 0 | DB | 4 |
| OL | 4 | K/P | 0 |
Additional Recon
–There has been a lot of talk about whether or not Nebraska will continue to recruit Florida hard like this staff obviously did while at UCF and were successful in doing during the transition class of 2018. If you listen to the high school coaches in Florida, they have a great deal of respect for this staff. Scott Frost, Jovan Dewitt and Sean Beckton have exceptional reputations in the Sunshine State. You can’t reel in players if you don’t offer them and this week Nebraska stormed the loaded high schools in the state. They went hard after the schools and Deerfield Beach got four total offers, Doral Academy in Miami got four, Palmetto in Miami got three and Champagnat Catholic in Hialeah (Miami) got five.
–Nebraska has also made no bones about going after players from Oklahoma. There is already one 2019 commit in the class, Thomas Grayson from Tulsa, but it’s a deliberate strategy to continue recruiting the state hard. There has been a slew of offers out this week including 4-star 2020 offensive line Andrew Raym who decommited from Oklahoma yesterday.
Honored to receive an offer from The University of Nebraska!!🔴⚪️AGTG #huskers @CoachRHeld pic.twitter.com/7JZdPhSyfA
— Andrew Raym7️⃣2️⃣ (@andrew_raymBAHS) May 3, 2018
–Nebraska is on commit watch right now. Three-star running back Rahmir Johnson visited for junior day and recently put out his top four of Nebraska, Ole Miss, Rutgers and Boston College. Nothing is ever a lock in recruiting but I feel good about Johnson joining the class sooner rather than later
–Yesterday I caught up with 3-star QB John Rhys Plumlee. The Mississippi signal-caller really likes Frost and Verduzco and has a high interest in visiting Nebraska this summer. He’s probably the most intriguing 2019 QB prospect in my mind as his athleticism is off the charts. Oh, and he’s a really good baseball player too.
Bottom 3 | GRAND SLAM for John Rhys Plumlee.
Oak Grove leads 7-6 on Gulfport. pic.twitter.com/nlCUif1PIu
— PineBeltSPORTS (@PineBeltSPORTS) May 4, 2018
–Speaking of quarterbacks, Nebraska made the top seven released Thursday by Oregon 4-star Michael Johnson Jr. He’s the son of an assistant for the Ducks so it’s assumed he will end up staying in Eugene. However, I continue to be told that he is not the Ducks’ top priority at quarterback and to not be surprised if he ends up elsewhere. At this point, I don’t think he ends up playing in Lincoln but it’s not because he’s an Oregon lock.
Narrowing it down… TOP 7!#Wolfpack 🐺#ForksUp 🔱#GBR 🌽#GeauxTigers 🐅#ScoDucks 🦆#WeAre 🔵⚪️#TheU 🌴 pic.twitter.com/vadD5suFrd
— Michael Johnson Jr. (@m_johnsonjr1) May 4, 2018
–The question of who is playing center this season for Nebraska will continue on into the summer and likely the fall. I’ve been told that last year’s starter, Michael Decker is having second thoughts about returning from football and is contemplating early retirement. His injury history is a big deal to him and he may want to pursue other passions. Tanner Farmer would be the next man up to try his hand at center.
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.
