Each recruiting cycle for Nebraska there is a lightning-rod recruit in the class that either is very good on the field, is a good peer recruiter or is good with media and now social media. This season we have the perfect storm of all those attributes in 4-star defensive back Brendan Radley-Hiles, better known as Bookie around these parts.
Radley-Hiles attends IMG Academy in Florida, and yesterday IMG had a media day, answering questions and taking photos. It caught a lot of eyes around the country when Bookie was photographed in a Florida hat for a few reasons. He has been the most vocal peer recruiter of the Nebraska commits in the 2018 class. Also, he has said multiple times that he actually silently committed to Mike Riley in 2016 so he has been solid for a long time.
The other concerning news for Nebraska fans is that he told ESPN’s Gerry Hamilton that he’s planning to take all five of his official visits this fall.
“I know my five officials, I just don’t know exactly when I’m setting them up,” Radley-Hiles said. “I’ll be official visiting Nebraska, Florida, Florida State, Louisville, and UCLA.”
After all of that news, it is still wise not to panic though because that peer recruiting is still going strong for Nebraska according to Radley-Hiles, and he named two top targets.
“Micah Parsons and T.J. Pledger,” Radley-Hiles told Hamilton. “I feel like if I get one, I get the other. What I tell them is that if it’s the best thing for them, come, if it’s not, it’s not. Really, I break down their position group, I show them what they could be in if they go there, and then after football as well.”
Keep in mind that when you have highly-touted prospects, other schools will keep pursuing them. There are lots of Nebraska fans cheering for Nebraska’s effort to flip Pledger from Oklahoma.
One thing to note in all of this is that the top players in this class seem to be looking for reasons to team up. Something that will make it easier to choose Nebraska is more winning on the field. If Nebraska can manage a nine- or 10-win season, some doors with top-end recruits could open up.