It’s hard to believe, but we have made it to the end of spring football for Nebraska. It’s been an interesting spring filled with new storylines for the Huskers. Bringing in four new offensive coaches and a lot of transfers has caused a major shakeup in the program. We’ve heard a lot about competition this spring, which coach Scott Frost hopes leads to more wins this fall.
The format of the spring game hasn’t been announced yet. The biggest storyline brewing for Saturday might be off the field with all the recruits set to be in Lincoln. Nebraska is scheduled to host around 100 prospects this weekend.
Let’s get to the Recon.
2023 Commits
Dwight Bootle, Defensive Back, Miami, Florida
Benjamin Brahmer, Tight End, Pierce, Nebraska
Gunnar Gottula, Offensive Lineman, Lincoln, Nebraska
Sam Sledge, Offensive Lineman, Omaha, Nebraska
William Watson, Quarterback, Springfield, Massachusetts
2023 Needs
| QB | 0 | DL | 3 |
| RB | 0 | MLB | 1 |
| WR | 2 | OLB | 2 |
| TE | 0 | DB | 2 |
| OL | 2 | K/P | 0 |
The Recon:
>> The Huskers have a huge weekend of recruiting that will shape the future of the program. Sources within the program have described the weekend as the biggest since Frost has been coach. There are a lot of moving pieces on a weekend like this as senior director of player personnel and recruiting Vince Guinta explained this week.
“You’ve got different things going on,” said Guinta. “You’ve got an official visit going on, that’s a 48-hour process in conjunction with signees that are coming back, guys that are going to be on our team. A high percentage of our regional recruits that are going to be here have already been here. Then you’re going to have some out-of-state kids that it’s going to be their first time.
“So you just want to make sure that as you build your schedule, you build it so that you’re staffed right so that you’re able to take care of the needs of people that maybe need to see a little bit more and that you build your schedule so that the coaches can be there to accommodate all the things that might come up.”
There will be plenty to keep the recruiting staff, coaches and players busy this weekend with recruiting.
>> Defensive lineman Ty Robinson is one of the veteran defenders on the team now. He also knows what type of impact a big recruiting weekend can have. Robinson visited Nebraska for his official visit in 2018 for the game against Michigan State. He’s been a good recruiter for the team since arriving on campus and plans to help out this weekend.
“At the spring game, I’ve definitely got to introduce myself, kind of show them around and kind of let them know how Coach Dawson coaches, what kind of the program we’ve got here and the culture,” Robinson said. “Especially with the fans being there, I think that helps a lot too.”
>> The Huskers have an important official visit on the books. Missouri 4-star offensive lineman Cayden Green told Hail Varsity that he intends to take his official to Nebraska on May 20. The Huskers are competing with Oklahoma, Michigan, Miami and Missouri for his signature. Nebraska made up a lot of ground with a good visit this spring but this battle is far from over.
>> There is a related note with official visits. Prospects can take officials now for the 2023 class. That goes through June 26. The Huskers will have some officials in May but expect the majority of the summer officials to be in June. Guinta told reporters earlier this week that he’s a big fan of June official visits. That’s something to keep an eye on.
>> It can’t be said enough how important 2024 5-star quarterback Dylan Raiola is to Nebraska. It’s not often that the Huskers are in the mix for a 5-star player especially a player that could be the No. 1 overall player in his class. Since the Raiola family has such deep familiarity with Nebraska it will be vital for Nebraska to show Raiola the big picture of how he fits in. That means meetings with offensive coordinator Mark Whipple on the direction of the offense. Talking to Mickey Joseph about the wide receiver talent coming in is important. Raiola doesn’t lack for options and the fluff that can be associated with these visits isn’t going to sway him and his family.
>> The visit and offer are going to get lost in the shuffle because it was right before the spring game but don’t lose sight of 2024 Iowa outside linebacker Derek Weisskopf. His last two offers are from Wisconsin and Nebraska. He’s taking a visit to Iowa soon and Iowa State after that. He’s (6-3, 205) got the look of a player that will be a good player in the Big Ten down the line. The Huskers did well to get on him early.
>> Unless something changes last minute there are a handful of names that Husker fans were hoping to be in Lincoln this weekend who won’t make it. Malachi Coleman, Mario Buford and Caleb Benning are uncommitted priority prospects who won’t be in town. Pierce 2023 tight end commit Ben Brahmer has a track meet and can’t make it. Florida defensive back commit Dwight Bootle also isn’t making it back for the game.
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.
