What a time for Nebraska athletics. ESPN College GameDay is in town and Gabrielle Union will be the guest picker for the Huskers. We will (very likely) get a big-time facilities announcement Friday afternoon. Nebraska basketball is hosting a sold-out opening night event featuring Rick Ross. Oh, and the No. 5 team in the nation is coming to town to take on Nebraska.
It’s a showcase weekend for Nebraska. This weekend will be remembered for quite some time.
Let’s get to the Recon.
Husker Commits
Zavier Betts, wide receiver, Omaha, Nebraska
Alex Conn, offensive lineman, Derby, Kansas
Turner Corcoran, offensive lineman, Lawrence, Kansas
Henry Gray, defensive back, Hollywood, Florida
Blaise Gunnerson, outside linebacker, Carroll, Iowa
Nash Hutmacher, defensive tackle, Chamberlain, South Dakota
Tamon Lynum, cornerback, Orlando, Florida
Sevion Morrison, running back, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Will Nixon, wide receiver, Waco, Texas
Marvin Scott III, running back, Port Orange, Florida
Logan Smothers, quarterback, Athens, Alabama
2020 Needs
| QB | 0 | DL | 2 |
| RB | 0 | MLB | 2 |
| WR | 1 | OLB | 2 |
| TE | 0 | DB | 2 |
| OL | 1 | K/P | 0 |
The Recon:
>> High 4-star 2021 outside linebacker Travion Ford will be back in Lincoln this weekend. He is also bringing teammates with him. Caldra Williford is a 2022 defensive back that holds a Minnesota offer at this time. Williford stands in at 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds. Defensive end Terrance Fuller will also be joining the group. Ford represents the Huskers’ next big chance to grab a player from St. Louis. Nebraska continues to recruit the area hard but things just haven’t worked out yet. More wins would certainly help in that department.
>> Let’s talk facilities. It is the worst kept secret that Nebraska will be unveiling a massive building project on Friday. All indications are that Nebraska does not just want to catch schools like Minnesota and Purdue who have brand new buildings. They want to pass them plus schools like Oregon, Clemson and Alabama who have the best facilities in the nation. I am very interested to see the influence that both strength and conditioning coach Zach Duval and director of performance nutrition Dave Ellis have in this project. Each is vital to Nebraska’s success and both the weight room and training table will get impressive new areas.
The impact this will all have on recruiting can’t be said enough. Essentially the second this is announced it will be used as a recruiting tool. I’m expecting the Huskers to blow us all away when official details start to come out.
>> Barrett Ruud and Jovan Dewitt will be busy this weekend. The Huskers are hosting the No. 1 (Jackson Bratton) and No. 2 (Rodney Groce) inside linebackers in Alabama for official visits. In addition to that, 4-star outside linebacker Kaden Johnson will be back for a huge official visit. Jared Ivey, a 3-star outside linebacker from Georgia, will also be in town. Linebacker is a focus this cycle so we will keep seeing linebackers on campus until Nebraska hits the number they need.
>> The official visitor weekend could have been even bigger. Linebacker Derrick Lewis and defensive backs Kendrick Simpkins and Javar Strong had their visits pushed back by Nebraska. In the case of Strong, it was a difficult but necessary conversation since he is teammates with Logan Smothers and Jackson Bratton. I’ve been told that the staff reached out to the Smothers family to explain the thought process as well. That’s the type of honest recruiting that this staff is known for.
>> That defensive back shuffling indicates that Nebraska feels strongly about its position with other defensive back targets. There are four names to keep an eye on. Darion Green-Warren and Ronald Delancy III are visiting this weekend. Don’t forget Oregon commit Myles Slusher who took an official for the NIU game. Communication is also still strong with Arizona State commit T Lee who has an official visit scheduled for later in the season.
>> Expect another strong group of 2021 targets at the game this weekend. Outside linebacker TJ Bollers, outside linebacker Travion Ford and offensive tackle Teddy Prochazka are the headliners. Expect more quality prospects to be on the sidelines including a sizable number of Iowa prospects again.
>> One 2021 target you won’t see on campus this week is Omaha Westside cornerback Avante Dickerson. It’s homecoming weekend for Dickerson so he will be busy. He did tell me that he will be in Lincoln next week for the game against Northwestern. Dickerson’s recruitment will be interesting to watch. He did not grow up with affinity for the Huskers. In fact, Florida was his favorite school and he liked Ohio State a lot. He will be visiting the Buckeyes this season as well.
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.
