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.
There are a lot of changes happening in the Nebraska football program right now. The Huskers are losing a lot of key pieces from the 2021 roster. The starting quarterback, star tight end, best wide receiver and best offensive lineman are all gone. Nebraska has to replace its best players and long-time vocal leaders from the defense too.
That’s a lot but there is more. Coach Scott Frost had to make several changes to his coaching staff following a 3-9 season. Insert a new offensive coordinator, wide receivers coach and offensive line coach. Now we have more to add to the mix. Defensive line coach Tony Tuioti is headed to Eugene to be on coach Dan Lanning’s new staff at Oregon.
While all that is happening for Nebraska college football is undergoing a huge shift. Recruiting has become more complex. The days are over where you have 85 scholarships and you know how many players are graduating. That way you know the number of scholarships you have available. The bonus COVID year and the transfer portal have made for uncertain times. We see this all around the sport.
“College football is changing and I think we have to be light on our feet and make sure that we’re adapting to some of those changes,” Frost said. “The recruiting process is changing a little bit. It can be uncomfortable at times. We’re going to play the game as best we can. I’m really excited about the young men that that we’ve added today. I would imagine we’re not done with the recruiting process. That’s going to keep going probably Christmas break into the next signing period and maybe even beyond that.”
There is a jolt of energy that goes through the building when so many changes are happening. There is no choice but to embrace them in a critical time for Frost’s tenure at Nebraska. Frost noted that hitting refresh is big. Having new faces in the building will provide a spark. That’s especially true given the personalities of the coaches he’s hired. The hope is that makes a difference for the Huskers in becoming a competitive program.
“I’m excited to put some more new faces together with the coaches and with some of these recruits and maybe some other additions,” Frost said. “It’s going to be a new group. We’re going to have to do a great job of bringing that group together as a team and getting them to play as a team. So, it’s not just a bunch of new faces. I think we’re a long way down the road of putting the right team together. Especially with the coaching hires we made.”
That’s going to be the trick of it. Being able to integrate new coaches and players in an attempt to get better results will be tricky. There are a lot of moving parts. It will need very clear communications and expectations set from Frost. Those expectations will need to be passed down the line. A lot of the work that goes into this isn’t something that can be measured by statistics. There are more additions to come for Frost’s team including the big one at quarterback. How he brings all the ingredients together will tell the story of the 2022 season.
Recruit Watch
>> The Huskers offered Pennsylvania linebacker Phil Picciotti on Tuesday.
Excited to have received an offer from The University of NEBRASKA‼️ Thank you @BarrettRuud @coachdawsgbr @coach_frost @HuskerFBNation 🌽🌽🌽🔴⚪️@CMuller_96 @RivalsFriedman @adamgorney @BrianDohn247 @SWiltfong247 @On3Recruits @On3sports pic.twitter.com/mUnPI7RnrP
— Phil Picciotti (@PhilPicciotti) December 21, 2021
>> JUCO running back Anthony Grant picked up a cool honor on Tuesday after a stellar season.
Blessed to have been selected 1st team All-American Running Back3️⃣‼️ AGTG 🙌🏾 LLW🥀 #GRINDHOUSE 👀 @Tyronewebber4 🤞🏾🖤 #jucoproduct pic.twitter.com/xXOGBT2TVb
— AG🥀 (@Grant4Anthony) December 21, 2021
>> Class of 2023 quarterback Jackson Arnold posed his junior highlights and they are impressive.
Junior Year Highlights
-3,921 passing yards, 34 tds
-296/445 (67%)
-659 rushing yards, 12 tdshttps://t.co/psVdKrJ50Y— Jackson Arnold (@_JacksonArnold_) December 22, 2021
ICYMI
>> Volleyball viewership, super senior decision and Byrce McGowens are the topics of the latest Padding the Stats.
>> Erin Sorensen and Sausha Durkan are presenting the good side of NIL in this week’s Mind Your Own podcast.
>> In the latest Hail Varsity mailbag the staff looks at transfer quarterbacks, the loss of Tyler Hildebrand and the love of bowl games.
>> Stewart’s hot shooting downed Wyoming as Nebraska improved to 12-0 before
>> Nebraska men’s basketball is looking to its touch and iron out offensive tweaks in the final nonconference games.
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.
