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.
Players who love football have been hot topics this week. Coach Scott Frost mentioned Stanley Morgan, Mo Barry and Luke Gifford on Monday. All were names that came to mind immediately when asked about players on his team that love the game.
Defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said on Tuesday that if things are close between two players, he will always take the guy that loves football when recruiting. Defensive backs coach Travis Fisher gave his take on the matter on Tuesday as well.
“You can tell guys that love football; those guys, they play through injury," Fisher said. "They just play through injury. They don’t, ‘I got a hand, I got a thumb, I got a finger, I got an ankle.’ Those guys are trying to spat that thing up, they’re trying to tape that thing up and go. It’s no secret, guys that really love football. Also, you can tell guys that love football when you talk to them, when they watch your game. I’m recruiting guys that, ‘Hey, did you watch our game this weekend?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘What did you see?’ ‘Coach, I saw this.’
"Those guys like football, they’re really watching the game. You want to recruit guys that are like that instead of recruiting guys that, ‘Hey, what did you do this weekend?’ ‘Oh, Coach, I just played PlayStation.’ Those guys, probably not; they don’t like football enough.”
I don’t think this search for football-loving players takes away from previous statements Frost has made about football not being a player's only priority in life. I also don’t think that just because the staff is searching for guys that love the game means they don’t want or need talented players. Jimmies and Joes ultimately win the day in college football.
Everyone involved with Husker football, from players to coaches to fans, need a win desperately.
Recruit Watch
>> Back in July, Nebraska hosted 4-star (HV Rating: 91.7) Jameson Williams out of St. Louis for an unofficial visit. This week, Williams was scheduled to visit Nebraska for an official visit but posted this on Twitter.
I will be making my college decision on Friday! Huge Thank You to everyone who played a part in my recruitment and all the coaches who took the shot on me ..🙏🏻 the wait is over tho 🎬
— jamo (@1of1juiceman) September 26, 2018
Williams also cancelled his planned official visit to Oregon that was scheduled for last weekend. That’s not a good sign for the Ducks or the Huskers, who could really use his speed and to land a player from St. Louis in this cycle.
Keep an eye on Ohio State and Alabama here.
>> Earlier this week, I got word from a source close to 3-star (HV Rating: 89.0) RB Wandale Robinson recruitment that he would be taking his final official visit this weekend to Kentucky. Last night, things changed.
https://twitter.com/robinson__era/status/1044736435885158400
Robinson will be giving Urban Meyer and Ohio State the last chance to impress him. Robinson has been to Columbus several times already including for a game so the relationship isn’t new. The battle for Robinson is fascinating with Nick Saban, Urban Meyer and Scott Frost (plus Ryan Held) going head-to-head.
>> To complete the trifecta of Ohio State connection to Nebraska targets, the Buckeyes offered Nebraska junior college offensive line target Bamidele Olaseni on Wednesday.
Bamidele Olaseni @BamideleOlaseni @ Garden City JuCo @GCCC_FOOTBALL picks up @OhioStateFB Offer @CoachJSims @GCCCBroncbuster pic.twitter.com/Je89qbiXbQ
— JuCo Football Forer (@JuCoFootballACE) September 26, 2018
Olaseni’s recruitment has been fairly quiet so far but keep an eye out when he starts taking visits. His schedule makes it difficult in-season so this recruitment could play out into December.
ICYMI
>> This morning, I wrote about an offensive lineman who is committed to another school that will be taking an official visit to Lincoln this week.
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.
