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.
In what feels like a yearly tradition, the Hail Varsity staff fielded a lot of questions between the spring game and June about a lack of commitments for the class of 2020. I had a pretty standard answer. Basically things always feel slow at this time of year but Nebraska historically goes on a summer run that brings its total closer to where you want it.
After saying that so many times, I figured it would be a good idea to check that math out to be certain. We only have one full year of the Scott Frost Era, so I’ll only compare to last year’s class and admit up front that it is a small sample size.
At this time last year, Nebraska had 10 verbal commitments. Two of those verbals— Garrett Nelson and Garrett Snodgrass—committed in 2017. Even though Nebraska sat at three commitments from April 13 to June 23. this year, the Huskers have gone on a bit of a run since. Nebraska has added five commits since June 23, bringing the total to eight for the 2020 cycle. So commitment wise, Nebraska is only two off the pace from last cycle.
Yes, that means Nebraska is still slightly behind the pace of last season. It also looks odd compared to Northwestern (15 commits), Minnesota (22 commits) or Iowa (21 commits) but I feel very confident in saying that when we get to February—and December for that matter—Nebraska will have a higher ranked class than all of those Big Ten division foes.
However, Nebraska does have the second fewest commitments in the entire Big Ten right now. I don’t believe that is really cause for concern. In May, before the run of commits, Frost wasn’t bothered either.
"We're just so much farther ahead this year than we were last year,” Frost said. “I'm thrilled with the class we signed in the 2019 class. But we were behind a little bit going into that recruiting cycle because we weren't aware of the kids we would be recruiting until January or really even May of last year. This year, we're already aware of a lot of the kids we want to recruit. We have a lot better head start on recruiting them."
There are two ways that I’m curious about how Frost’s statement plays out. First, does this mean the Huskers staff is anticipating being able to get in the game with even more quality prospects in the event the team starts hot? There are also new names each cycle that pop up during the run up to the December signing period and then again before February. Will the effects of being farther ahead in evaluation and relationship building help then?
There is still a lot of time before anyone signs but Nebraska is still in position to snag another top 20 class.
Recruit Watch
>> Millard West wide receiver Kaedyn Odermann has committed to Harvard Football.
COMMITTED. Can’t thank those closest to me enough, including my family, coaches, teachers, and friends for believing in me and pushing me towards my potential. With that being said I am excited to announce I will be continuing my football and academic career at Harvard! 🔴⚫️🔴⚫️ pic.twitter.com/L68MyABExs
— Kaedyn (@KaedynOdermann) July 9, 2019
ICYMI
>> The (potential) man in the middle, Cameron Jurgens comes in at No. 4 on Derek Peterson’s list of the most intriguing Huskers of 2019.
>> Erin Sorensen dove into Big Ten Media Days by the numbers for Nebraska.
>> Alex Henery and Jay Foreman headline the 2019 Nebraska football Hall of Fame class.
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.
