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 a week away from putting the 2021 class to rest with the February signing day. There isn’t a lot of new news to report there so let’s look ahead to the 2022 class. One thing that always comes up is anticipated class size. Well, that’s going to be tough to pin down.
Defections from the current team—like Luke McCaffrey, Kade Warner and Will Farniok—do not count for gaining extra scholarships for the 2021 class. No matter who leaves, the Huskers have a pair of spots left to add anyone new to the team before the season. They are hard-capped at adding 25 players.
Where the attrition does help Nebraska is for the 2022 cycle. Slowly the Huskers are finding a way to get closer to being able to take a full 25 players again. Laying out the math of the road ahead is tricky. The Huskers will technically have just six seniors for the 2021 season. The rule that froze eligibility last season is the reason for that.
There are 18 juniors on the team. Some like quarterback Adrian Martinez, defensive back Cam Taylor-Britt and outside linebacker Caleb Tannor are entering their fourth year and did not redshirt. Others like center Cam Jurgens or defensive lineman Casey Rogers are different. They are what we’d normally think of as redshirt juniors in 2021.
Unless a number of those juniors entering their fourth year on campus leave the team after the 2021 season, we could be looking at a smaller class in the 2022 cycle. My feeling now is that it will be a mixed bag with some coming back but most moving on. We’ll see because more players returned for an extra season after 2020 than expected.
Each year under Scott Frost, the team has taken full recruiting classes. In 2018 the team took 24 players in the transition class. The team was able to take 27 in the 2019 class due to attrition and counting scholarships back. That was followed up with a full boat of 25 in the 2020 recruiting cycle. So far in the 2021 cycle, Nebraska has received 19 letters of intent and have one verbal commitment. The team has also added three transfers. That’s 23 which is why they have two spots left.
There is a long way until the next December signing period. Based on Frost’s history at Nebraska, I wouldn’t bet against the Huskers signing close to 25 players. It’s just going to be harder to pull off with all the new wrinkles after 2020.
Recruit Watch
>> Priority 2023 offensive line target Kaydn Proctor continues to rack up national offers. Texas A&M is the latest school to offer him.
Excited and blessed to have received my 12th Division 1 offer from THE Texas A&M University!! #GigEm pic.twitter.com/Bjup5Q2GA7
— Kadyn Proctor (KP) (@KadynProctor1) January 27, 2021
>> Minnesota 2022 defensive lineman Nick Campbell has the Huskers in his top eight.
I am blessed to be in this situation, and I would like to thank all the schools that recruited me.With that being said this is my Top 8! #AGTG🕊🙏🏽❤️ pic.twitter.com/WITMuOV2qh
— Nick Campbell (@NickCampbell88) January 27, 2021
ICYMI
>> I caught up with (Premium) 2022 Columbus linebacker Ernest Hausmann as his options continue to grow.
>> Husker volleyball is looking forward to the home-opening series against Northwestern this weekend.
>> The latest entry to the Scoring the 2021 Huskers series by Derek Peterson takes a look at the defensive backs.
>> There are reports that Nebraska offensive coordinator Matt Lubick is a candidate for the head coaching job at Montana State.
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.
