Nebraska hits the road for its first road test, traveling to Ann Arbor to face Michigan. The season has not started the way many imagined it would, but there is still a lot of season left to be played. Once again, all eyes will be on the quarterback position to see if Adrian Martinez is able to return to action against the salty Michigan defense.
As always, there is a lot of information to get to so let’s get to the Recon.
Class Breakdown
Husker Commits
Matthew Anderson, offensive lineman, Leesville, Lousiana
Desmond Bland, offensive lineman, Yuma, Arizona
Tony Fair, defensive tackle, Pima, Arizona
Jackson Hannah, linebacker, Nashville, Tennesee
Nick Henrich, linebacker, Omaha, Nebraska
Chris Hickman, tight end, Omaha, Nebraska
Rahmir Johnson, running back, Oradell, New Jersey
Michael Lynn, offensive lineman, Greenwood Village, Colorado
Luke McCaffrey, quarterback, Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Dedrick Mills, running back, Garden City, Kansas
Jamie Nance, wide receiver, Blanchard, Oklahoma
Garrett Nelson, defensive end, Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Mosai Newsom, defensive end, Waverly, Iowa
Quinton Newsome, defensive back, Suwanee, Georgia
Ethan Piper, defensive tackle, Norfolk, Nebraska
Garrett Snodgrass, athlete, York, Nebraska
Ronald Thompkins, running back, Loganville, Georgia
2019 Needs
| QB | 0 | DL | 1 |
| RB | 0 | MLB | 0 |
| WR | 2 | OLB | 1 |
| TE | 0 | DB | 3 |
| OL | 2 | K/P | 0 |
Additional Recon
>> The 2019 recruiting cycle is different than the last few under the previous staff in a lot of ways. One of the big differences is there has yet to be a parade of elite wide receivers to come through Lincoln. One of the biggest targets at wide receiver in 2019 is 4-star (HV Rating: 91.7) Jameson Williams out of St Louis. Williams canceled his official visit to Oregon this weekend but still has his official visit to Nebraska on the books for the Purdue game. Ohio State still leads here but the herd is thinning.
>> Speaking of top targets for Nebraska in 2019, a new Greg’s Guys list came out on Thursday. The No. 1 slot remained the same as 3-star (HV Rating: 89.0) athlete Wandale Robinson was the top guy on the board. A source close to his recruitment confirmed that Nebraska is the leader right now for the dynamic player.
Robinson will take his final official visit to Alabama this weekend. I don’t ever count out Nick Saban but the Tide have some work to do in proving their offense is best suited for the Kentucky prospect.
>> Last Saturday the Huskers got great news on the recruiting trail when 4-star (HV Rating: 90.3) tight end Chris Hickman decided to join the 2019 class. He ultimately felt very comfortable with Nebraska players and coaches going back to his unofficial visit in August. During that visit, he was able to spend the entire day at the facilities and offices, getting a good feel for the direction the program was heading. When you combine that with his growing relationship with the other commits in the class, a strong bond was formed.
I am very high on Hickman’s potential as a player. His frame will be able to hold additional weight, he has good speed as a tight end and he is a physical blocker. When it comes time to name the best players in this class, Hickman should find himself on everyone’s list.
>> Now that Nebraska has gone five-for-five for 2019 in Nebraska with players they offered scholarships to, who is next? A lot of the attention will shift to Bellevue West 2020 4-star wide receiver (HV Rating: 93.3) Zavier Betts. He holds a scholarship offer from the Huskers and I’ve long had a prediction for him to be in the 2020 class.
The other player that I get asked about just as much as Betts is 2020 ATH Xavier Watts from Omaha Burke. Every time I’ve gone to see Burke play, I’ve come away impressed with Watts. He’s having a tremendous season on both sides of the football. This recruitment is far from over as he holds scholarship offers from Iowa State, Minnesota and Purdue among others. Watts doesn’t have a Nebraska offer yet.
>> Last Sunday, Huskers 3-star (HV Rating: 85.0) offensive tackle commit Michael Lynn picked up an offer from Penn State.
All glory to God! Proud to say i’ve received an offer from The University of Penn. State! Huge thanks to @coachjfranklin @RickyRahne @SixZeroStrength pic.twitter.com/MmeRs9GT4Z
— Michael Lynn (@MichaelLynn77) September 16, 2018
Lynn was one of the surprise commits of the 2019 class even though he had been high on Nebraska for awhile and visited for the spring game hoping to come away with an offer. Now he is seeing his recruitment take off. I don’t see an immediate threat of Lynn leaving the class and jumping ship to Penn State. However, keep an eye out if he decides to visit State College.
>> Since the new staff took over, Georgia has been one of the states that has been focused on heavily. Earlier this week when I spoke with freshman outside linebacker Caleb Tannor, I got his thoughts on the Georgia recruiting by Nebraska.
“Yeah I feel good about them recruiting Georgia because we have the best athletes honestly," Tannor said. "The Florida boys aren’t nothing like us. Jamel Starks [3-star DB who visited Sept. 8], I played with him freshman and sophomore year. So, we have a close connection. I know his whole family, that’s my brother. Hopefully we can land him and have another Georgia boy up here."
Tannor, along with Mo Barry and Breon Dixon, have embraced their roles in helping Nebraska get more Peach State players on the roster.
>> Despite the posturing by the coaching staff, I fully expect Adrian Martinez to start against Michigan. The word behind the scenes is that he has looked good this week during practice. That’s obviously terrific news for the Huskers chances this weekend as there are many concepts within this offense that simply can’t be run without him at the helm.
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.
