Recruiting never stops and it's easy to miss the top stories day-to-day. Recruiting analyst Greg Smith recaps all things Nebraska recruiting news, analysis and more so you never miss a thing.
Iowa versus Nebraska is a rivalry on the field. The fans don’t like each other. Iowa fans seem generally ticked off that Nebraska views the Hawkeyes as beneath them. Iowa fans have scoreboard for the last four meetings between the two teams that share a border.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz was asked about the rivalry during his weekly press conference. He didn’t really provide any bulletin board material but somewhat acknowledged the importance of division games.
“So I guess any of these teams that border us, and then for that matter anybody in our division quite frankly, the West, to me they're rivalry games because we play them every year,” Ferentz said. “I still haven't quite figured out that other side, who we play and when we play them and all that stuff. But yeah, to me I think all of our conference division games in my mind are a rivalry game, if you will. But I'm not sure who defines it quite frankly.”
Nebraska coach Scott Frost didn’t really take the bait or admit the game is a rivalry. He prefers that his team treat every opponent the same. I understand that for coach speak purposes. Let’s face reality here, this is a rivalry game. It’s OK to say that out loud.
One thing that will add a little more spice to these games is if Nebraska can achieve the goal of going into Iowa and plucking talent out. Defensive coordinator Erik Chinander leads the Huskers’ recruiting efforts in Iowa. Last cycle they pulled defensive end Mosai Newsome out of the state. This cycle they have outside linebacker Blaise Gunnerson. In the 2021 class the Huskers have an early commitment from offensive lineman Henry Lutovsky.
Nebraska offered five Iowa natives for the 2020 class. They have already offered nine Iowans in the 2021 class. That ranks fifth behind California, Texas, Florida and Georgia. Iowa recently struck back at the Huskers by landing a commitment from defensive lineman Griffin Liddle. There are several other battles unfolding on the trail for that cycle too.
- 4-star OLB TJ Bollers
- 4-star TE Thomas Fidone
- 3-star WR Brody Brecht
- 3-star DE Jeffrey Bowie
- 3-star LB Seth Malcom
As the Huskers and Hawkeyes continue to build their rivalry on the field, these recruiting battles can only help to add more fuel to the fire.
Recruit Watch
>> One of common targets between the Hawkeyes and Huskers, Jeffrey Bowie, received a cool honor on Tuesday.
🏈 Congratulations @jeffreyjbowie !! pic.twitter.com/W8FXdKZSiH
— West Branch Boosters (@wb_boosters) November 26, 2019
>> Huskers 2020 outside linebacker target Regen Terry took an official visit to Arizona over the weekend.
Had a great OV at the University of Arizona🔵🔴⚪️!!! Thankyou @CoachSumlin @TaylorMazzone1 @ArizonaFBall for the great hospitality!!! pic.twitter.com/PgkXBy3bJl
— 🐕 (@RegenTerry_7) November 26, 2019
>> Priority 2021 inside linebacker target Chris Paul Jr. received a cool edit from the Huskers on Tuesday.
🔥🔥🔥🔥 #BlackShirts #GBR #BlessTheBones @NEB_Recruiting ‼️🌽🌽🌽 🔴⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/2uO43jemhz
— Christopher “POOH” Paul Jr. (@PoohPaul4) November 26, 2019
ICYMI
>> The Huskers had a good Tuesday on the recruiting trail. First, JUCO pass rusher Junior Aho committed to the team. Then JUCO inside linebacker Jamoi Hodge joined the class.
>> The Nebraska basketball team received bad news when Shamiel Stevenson did not get a waiver for this season.
>> I took a look at the defensive dream finish (Premium) for the 2020 recruiting class.
>> The Lo-Down took a look at how Husker volleyball celebrates Thanksgiving.
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.