Nebraska recruiting is certainly in a holding pattern right now. All things considered it might actually be better to take the "no news is good news" approach right now. However, it's impossible to escape that feeling that the other shoe is ready to drop based on the extremely hot seat Mike Riley is on right now.
The staff continues to grind on the recruiting trail and the players have continued to work hard and try to get better.
Class Breakdown
Husker Commits
Cameron Brown, 4-star wide receiver, St. Louis, Missouri
Will Farniok, 3-star offensive lineman, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Mario Goodrich, 4-star cornerback, Lee’s Summit, Missouri
Cameron Jurgens, 4-star tight end, Beatrice, Nebraska
Masry Mapieu, 3-star defensive tackle, York, Nebraska
Joshua Moore, 4-star wide receiver, Yoakum, Texas
Barret Pickering, 2-star kicker, Birmingham, Alabama
Tate Wildeman, 3-star defensive lineman, Parker, Colorado
Chase Williams, 4-star athlete, Corona, California
David Alston, 3-star linebacker, St. Paul, Minnesota
2018 Needs
| QB | 0 | DL | 1 |
| RB | 1 | MLB | 0 |
| WR | 1-2 | OLB | 1 |
| TE | 0 | DB | 3 |
| OL | 1 | K/P | 0 |
News from the week
>>Nebraska hosted a monster recruiting weekend against Northwestern and I recapped it here.
>>Mario Goodrich made some waves this week, but there was big news about him that flew under the radar.
>>Joshua Moore’s latest diary covered a lot including Bookie and the realization high school football is ending.
Additional Recon
>> It was unexpected because of who caused the firestorm but 4-star commit Mario Goodrich really riled some fans up this week. I say it’s unexpected because I’ve talked to Mario a lot and he is pretty drama free so he’s one of the last recruits I’d expected to make any controversial statements.
Goodrich reportedly told a reporter that he learned this weekend that Mike Riley wasn’t going to be fired and that Donte Williams would be back. That prompted Athletic Director Bill Moos to be asked about it during one of his interviews while on his media blitz, and he responded that no decisions have been made yet. Since that got a lot of people fired up at the mere possibility of Riley coming back, the other news that Goodrich told me got buried a bit. Goodrich has decided to delay signing early and will wait until February to sign his letter of intent.
That could be seen as a bad thing because of the uncertainty with the staff but I also believe Goodrich is likely to give a potential new staff a chance to speak with he and his family if a change is made.
>>Mike Riley is perfect to handle the situation at hand. No, you don’t want to ever be in the situation Nebraska finds itself in, but things could be much worse if you had a more volatile head coach. Riley handled the Bob Diaco tackling controversy with a sly joke on Thursday and a clear message instead of fanning the flames.
It is inevitable that there will be more sniping in media and behind the scenes. It will not come from Riley though because he is a class act who will try to not stir up any negative feelings on his way out if it comes to that the way his predecessor did. That behavior from the previous coach did hurt Riley in the beginning of his tenure.
>>Beware of the Scott Frost rumors. There is something to be taken away from the way that Moos and university leadership speak about Frost. He is clearly a candidate for the Nebraska job if and when it becomes available. However, things are always wacky in “silly season” but Frost’s ties to the state will have more people coming out of the woodwork knowing his cousin’s barber or aunt’s plumber and claiming inside sources. Frostmania (trademark pending) does give Moos the benefit of possibly gauging other coaches interest behind the scenes while 90 percent of the state clamors for the coach from Wood River.
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.
