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.
We are just 20 days away from the start of the 2019 Nebraska football season. Before you know it, it will be time to pull out your fresh Husker gear and watch Nebraska take on South Alabama.
Realizing how close we are to the start of the season got me thinking. Will the Huskers be able to put together a big official visit weekend for the season opener?
Five official visitors were on campus for the rained-out season opener against Akron, including Wan’Dale Robinson, Brant Banks and Bryce Benhart. It’s worth noting that those three ended up on the team. Nebraska hosted two official visitors for the season opener against Arkansas State in 2017. That was Mike Riley's final season coaching Nebraska.
Neither of those seasons come close to the 2016 season though. Nebraska hosted 10 official visitors—including four future Huskers—for that first game. Among the notable visitors that day was Michigan star wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones.
There has already been a lot of talk about how big the Ohio State visit weekend will be. The Northern Illinois game is also setting up to be a big recruiting weekend. We discussed the prospects scheduled to visit in Big Red Recon on Friday.
When Nebraska opens its season on Aug. 31, the game will kick off at 11 a.m. CT. That is a good thing for program buzz on television. Everyone at home will be chomping at the bit to get a look at Coach Scott Frost’s team. Once fans finish watching College Gameday, they’ll want to see what all the talk has been about.
The ability to host official visitors in that timeslot will be tough though. Nebraska often has night kickoffs for the season opener. If you combine opening weekend with Labor Day weekend, it makes for an effective tool in hosting many families for official visits. That will be more difficult this time around due to the kickoff time.
The name with the most buzz to come out for the South Alabama game is Texas tight end Donovan Johnson. He does have a game the night before. Getting Johnson to Lincoln for the Huskers first game will be tight but not impossible.
This is not something to panic over. How the Huskers handle opening weekend with visits is something to watch but they’ve had plenty of time to plan for this. It’s likely why there is already an excitement building around later weeks in the schedule.
The season opener could be a good opportunity to host regional talent. Using unofficial visits that weekend makes sense as the 2019 campaign gets underway.
Recruit Watch
>> Former Nebraska defensive back CJ Smith has found a new home. The former 4-star will attend Highland Community College.
https://twitter.com/Cj_Csmith/status/1159711289687646209
>> Texas linebacker Derrick Lewis took an unofficial visit to Lincoln this summer. Over the weekend, he showed off an edit from the Huskers.
🔴 #GBR 🔴 pic.twitter.com/BqwpOCAGzZ
— dlew.22⚡️ (@dclew_22) August 9, 2019
>> The Huskers made the top five for 2020 running back Frank Brown from Houston.
Top ⁵
🎥: @GeauxEdits pic.twitter.com/SVK3RKu5D8— Lil Frank. (@iamFrankBrown1) August 9, 2019
>> St. Louis 2020 wide receiver Lawaun Powell included the Huskers in his freshly released top three.
https://twitter.com/waunn2x/status/1160269778579333120
ICYMI
>> The Huskers soccer team took down UNO 4-0 in the first exhibitions game.
>> I took a look at which newcomers have the most buzz (Premium) after one week of fall camp.
>> Lauren Stivrins and Nicklin Hames are ready to lead the Huskers as volleyball captains, writes Jacob Padilla.
>> Pay attention to the young players at outside linebacker for Nebraska. There is a lot of hunger in that group vying for playing time.
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.
