Every time that Scott Frost and Mario Verduzco decide a new scholarship offer should go out to a quarterback it’s noteworthy. Back on May 18, Nebraska made a new offer to a 2019 quarterback Shea Suiaunoa from Clear Lake High School in Houston, Texas.
Blessed to receive an offer from University of Nebraska! Thank you @Coach_Verdu! #Huskers pic.twitter.com/zwwiVWVli6
— Shae Suiaunoa🇦🇸 (@shaetbs) May 18, 2018
Suiaunoa, who wears No. 8, has a lot of athletic similarities to Marcus Mariota which has not gone unnoticed by the Nebraska staff. I spoke with Clear Lake’s run-game coordinator McKenzie DeVille to get some perspective on Suiaunoa. DeVille was not shy about his praise for the athletic signal-caller.
“He’s maybe the most athletic quarterback in America,” DeVille said. “The thing that every coach says when they come by to recruit Shea (80-plus coaches have been by this spring) they feel like he could easily step on campus and hop over to receiver or safety right away. That’s how athletic the kid is. That sets him apart from other quarterbacks. On top of that, he’s started 22 games at quarterback before his senior year at the varsity level in 6A in Houston. Not only is he super athletic, but he is a very experienced QB as well. You don’t often get a kid with both of those things.”
During DeVille’s first year at Clear Lake with a new coaching staff, they threw him in the fire. He started the very first game his sophomore year on varsity and played every snap at quarterback for two seasons. DeVille tells me the only player he’s been around that’s done that is D’Eriq King, who is now the starting quarterback at Houston. Mario Verduzco went down to Houston recently.
“He came down and he was great," DeVille said. "The kids love him and he’s awesome. Any time he comes around during the spring, everyone loves him. He’s got great stories from all of his years of experience. He sat in on one of our athletic periods and watched Shea throw the ball. He saw Shea play some receiver and catch the ball, too. He loved Shea, was blown away and the offer came pretty quickly.”
Verduzco gave Suiaunoa a heads-up to let him know that the Nebraska fan base is unlike any other he has experienced. DeVille told me that Suiaunoa got so much attention after his offer on social media and thinks it really made an impression. Now that the relationship is building between the Huskers and Suiaunoa, where does Nebraska factor into his recruitment?
“I spoke with Shea this morning and he told me that Nebraska is in the mix”, DeVille said. “He is wide open right now and hasn’t taken any officials. In a few days he will fly out to LA for the Elite 11 finals. He told me this morning that Nebraska is in the mix.”
http://www.hudl.com/video/3/6125881/59b2a8fc16009f2c44cd925d
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.
