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.
Over the weekend, Nebraska hosted four official visits for the first visit weekend after the dead period ended. The Huskers put their best foot forward with junior college defensive end/outside linebacker Soni Fonua, 3-star defensive back DJ James, 3-star wide receiver Charles Njoku and 4-star outside linebacker Steven Parker.
By all accounts Nebraska did well with the group. However, I’ve still been asked multiple times and seen the discussion on social media about where the commits are.
There seems to be some early concern over Nebraska not getting instant commitments on Sunday evening or early Monday morning. My advice would be that just because nothing has been announced yet doesn’t mean something can’t be brewing. Another point to consider is that all the guys who came in this weekend have other visits they intended on taking before making anything official.
In Fonua’s case he planned on visiting UCF, Oklahoma State and Kansas. James planned to visit Oregon and Iowa. Njoku may visit UCLA, and Parker is still scheduled to visit Kansas. I don’t bring that up to say none of those prospects are coming to Nebraska, but instead they did all wait until after the early signing period to be able to fully explore their options. Perhaps Nebraska made a big impression on two of them and they are thinking about shutting things down.
It wouldn’t be great for them to just rush into it though. That’s how you end up with decommitments. That’s something Nebraska has managed to mostly avoid this cycle and once guys have verbally committed, they have mostly stayed ‘N.’
There is still plenty of time for Nebraska to pick up an additional five or so commitments before National Signing Day on Feb. 6. Commitments will come before that date.
Recruit Watch
>> Nebraska got some big news Monday evening when it was announced that junior college running back Dedrick Mills was officially signed to be a Husker.
His name: Dedrick Mills (@MillsDedrick)
His position: Running Back
Status: HUSKER#B19RedRevival ✍️🌽💯 pic.twitter.com/95U35yElWH
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFBNation) January 14, 2019
>> Renato Brown, a 3-star defensive tackle from Florida, was a prospect the Huskers had been keeping tabs on but over the weekend he committed to Louisville.
110% committed ⚫️🔴🐔 #UNCAGED19 pic.twitter.com/VWijoRAKI8
— Renato Brown (@Renato__59) January 13, 2019
>> Lolani Langi, a 3-star outside linebacker from Utah, was considering taking a visit to Lincoln this month but has shut down his recruitment and has a decision.
Recruiting process is now over🤝 announcement on February 6th (no interviews thnx)🇹🇴 pic.twitter.com/55m0kc3JWH
— LangiBoii (@FinauLangi) January 14, 2019
>> The Huskers handed out a number of new scholarship offers for the class of 2020 on Monday. They mostly came from the South and Northeast. If Monday was any indication, Alabama will be a key state in 2020 as the staff offered a pair of Crimson Tide commits in the state: 4-star wide receiver Dazalin Worsham and 4-star defensive back Malachi Moore.
>> Wandale Robinson may already be in Lincoln working out and starting classes but he is still picking up high school awards. Monday he was named Mr. Football by the Kentucky AP.
BREAKING: @robinson__era has swept the major high school football Player of the Year awards in the state of Kentucky.https://t.co/jmdRHUsFE5
— Josh Moore (@JoshMooreHL) January 14, 2019
>> Huskers linebacker target Eugene Asante picked up an offer from Florida State on Monday.
After a great conversation with @CoachWoodie, extremely excited to receive an offer from Florida State! #FearTheSpear pic.twitter.com/84lowJOrZF
— Eugene Asante (@sectorocho) January 14, 2019
ICYMI
>> Now that Dedrick Mills is officially ‘N’, he is my No. 5 Greg’s Guy from the early period. Let me explain why.
>> Since the staff is back on the road in full swing, we are providing updates on their whereabouts throughout the week.
>> Jacob Padilla is here to catch you up on Nebraska high school hoops midway through the season.
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.
