Now that spring ball is upon us, expect recruiting to really ramp back up. The new Nebraska staff is putting a heavy emphasis on getting prospects out to a practice, junior day or the spring game. Clearer targets will come into focus as prospects start to check out campus in person and get to spend time around this staff and see how they coach. With the team continuing to send out new offers daily, you will continue to see new names emerge as the staff sets its 2019 big board.
Class Breakdown
Husker Commits
Garrett Nelson, defensive end, Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Ethan Piper, defensive tackle, Norfolk, Nebraska
Garrett Snodgrass, athlete, York, Nebraska
2019 Needs
| QB | 1 | DL | 3 |
| RB | 1 | MLB | 1 |
| WR | 3 | OLB | 2 |
| TE | 0 | DB | 4 |
| OL | 4 | K/P | 0 |
Additional Recon
>>Four-star wide receiver Josh Delgado (Hail Varsity Rating: 91) told me last night that he and his mother were looking at flights to make it to Nebraska’s spring game on April 21. The IMG Academy pass-catcher wouldn’t be the only IMG player to make the trip as I’ve also confirmed that 4-star wide receiver Cameron Coleman (HVR: 93.6) is also scheduled to attend the spring game. Coleman is originally from St. Louis and the Huskers need some wins in that area.
>>Speaking of St Louis, once again it’s loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. However, despite putting forth some effort, Nebraska is not off to a good start. Four of the top players in the state have all made cuts to their respective lists recently and Nebraska didn’t make the cut on any of them. Four-star athlete/quarterback Isaiah Williams (Hail Varsity Rating: 96), 4-star safety Jalani Williams (HVR: 91), 4-star wide receiver Marcus Washington (HVR: 94.6) and 4-star linebacker Shammond Cooper (HVR: 90.6) are the four players and all of them have been to campus at least once. All of them cutting Nebraska before really giving the new staff a chance is alarming for the Huskers' chances with the top players in St. Louis in this cycle. We aren’t there quite yet, but there will need to be a discussion soon about Nebraska’s realistic chances of landing St. Louis players given how that time and resources could be spent elsewhere.
>>Yesterday, Nebraska offered 4-star linebacker Kane Patterson (HVR: 92.5) a scholarship. The Nashville, Tennessee, native is being heavily recruited by schools around the country and in particular teams down south. I caught up with him briefly and he told me that inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud offered him, and that he is interested in Nebraska. Patterson wants to make a spring visit to Lincoln but is still working things out. The other schools recruiting him the hardest right now are Ohio State, Alabama, Ole Miss, Northwestern, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and LSU.
>>Offensive line recruiting will be perhaps the top focus of the 2019 recruiting class and Nebraska is in the mix with a good one in the region. Three-star offensive lineman Karsen Barnhart (HVR: 87.5) is from Paw Paw, Michigan, and holds a Nebraska offer. He has been in contact with the staff for about a month. According to Barnhart, his relationship with offensive line coach Greg Austin continues to get better and better as they are building a good relationship. He is working on setting up a spring trip to either junior day or the spring game. It would be critical to get him on campus to gain ground on Minnesota as he has a previous relationship the Gophers from when P.J. Fleck’s staff was at Western Michigan. Barnhart notes that Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana, Penn State and Minnesota are recruiting him the hardest alongside Nebraska.
>>On Wednesday this week, 3-star defensive end Mosai Newsom (HVR: 86.3) from Waverly, Iowa, took an unofficial visit to Nebraska. He has a pretty good offer list right now with Iowa and Minnesota on the list in addition to Nebraska. It was a quick one-day trip for Newsom and he told me that he will be visiting Northwestern on Friday. Newsom also told me that he was very impressed with his visit and he will be back for the spring game. There is a lot to like about Newsom’s game but it doesn’t hurt to potentially steal a good player out of Iowa.
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.
