We have entered a new world in college football with the early signing period that allows prospects to sign letters of intent for three days beginning Dec. 20. With that date looming, staffs have to be organized and ready to go, especially if they are changing jobs with 17 days to go like the new Huskers staff is.
Naturally the topic of the early signing period came up at Scott Frost’s introductory press conference.
“I think they’ve done a pretty good job of recruiting here," he said. "We took a look at what they have committed and we’re excited about that. The early signing period is going to change a lot of things, particularly for coaches going from one job to another. We’re going to have to get to work. We already have boots on the ground getting out to see recruits, and letting them know where we are and who’s going to be here. The response already has been tremendous, and I think even with a short amount of time here we’ll be able to get a lot of things done.”
Frost and his staff clearly have a plan when it comes to how to maximize the short time remaining for an NCAA-mandated dead period beginning Dec. 18. By sending out the selected offers they did last night, they also show an understanding of the team’s needs and seem to want to seize the moment. On Saturday, they offered a 4-star dual threat quarterback Adrian Martinez, a 4-star running back Jashaun Corbin, a pass-rushing linebacker in 3-star Javontae Jean-Baptiste, 4-star junior college cornerback Jeremy Webb and a 3-star junior college tackle Noah Banks. I would classify that as having a plan and attacking after correctly identifying team needs.
There is another side of the recruiting coin that is often talked about at Nebraska. The storied walk-on tradition is very real and it you have spent time here as Frost obviously has, it leaves a mark on you.
“When we were we had a lot of players, and a lot of players were working hard at practice," Frost said. Nobody was sitting on a knee, and we had a lot of kids from Gothenburg and from Minden and from Scottsbluff and from Wood River and from Columbus, you could go on and on. This place needs that. I’m looking forward to trying to grow the walk-on program and make it what it was before. There’s going to be some sacrifices that have to be made to get it there, but when you have a bunch of kids from the state of Nebraska that are in this program those are the type of players that would bleed for this place and are going to work hard to make this work. Guys that are really pulling for Nebraska.
"When I was growing up every kid in the state of Nebraska dreamed about running out here on this field wearing a red N on their helmet. There’s too many kids from this state right now playing at other schools. We’re going to do everything we can to make sure those kids are here.”
The impact of those feelings and words from Frost are already being felt around the state. Just one example of the type of kid Frost was talking about was preferred walk-on commit Ryan Schommer from Norfolk, Nebraska. He tweeted this yesterday in reaction to the news of Frost coming home.
https://twitter.com/SchommerRyan/status/937131121917259776
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.
