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.
What a recruiting cycle it has been for the class of 2021.
The players had to make college decisions during a pandemic. Those decisions were made without the benefit of official visits. Oftentimes they didn’t get to take unofficial visits or meet future coaches in person. A lack of camp season and in-home visits made things tougher on college coaches. It was a strange recruiting cycle. Through that, Nebraska was able to put together another top 25 recruiting class.
Throughout the cycle I’ve been doing my Greg’s Guys list on the first Tuesday of each month. If you aren’t familiar with the Greg’s Guys list, it’s my top 10 players in the class based on Nebraska’s needs, how a player fits in the scheme and talent. The list is always fluid and that’s what makes it fun. In today’s notebook, let’s to take a deeper look into the stats from Greg’s Guys this cycle to see what we can learn. It shouldn’t surprise anyone to learn that Nebraska signee Thomas Fidone appeared in the number one slot most. He held the top spot for six consecutive months until he committed.
Since I remove guys from the list when they commit, Fidone did not appear on the most lists for the 2021 cycle. That honor belonged to a different Husker commit. Defensive end Ru’Quan Buckley appeared on the list eight times over the last year. Buckley also assumed the top spot on the list after Fidone committed. After Buckley joined the class, Hawaii linebacker Wynden Ho’ohuli took that spot.
A surprising name appeared on the list the second-most amount of times. Duke signee Mandela Tobin was on the list five times. For the cycle 37 different prospects appeared on the list with 10 of the 37 signing with the Huskers. The potential is there to make that 11 if Avante Dickerson flips to the Huskers. During the 2020 cycle, 35 different players appeared on the list. In the end, 12 of the 25 signed with the Huskers.
There was one big difference I found after charting the last two cycles. It was very impactful to have visits by prospects. Being able to talk to them about their unofficial visits and official visits helped a great deal. That helped me gain a sense from the player end on interest level. Only seven of the 35 from the 2020 group did not take official visits to Nebraska.
In a year unlike any other, it was more difficult than ever to get reliable information. All in all, the Greg’s Guys list was a good resource on prospects that Husker fans need to know. We’ll be back with the first 2022 list in February.
Recruit Watch
>> Bellevue West 2022 tight end target Kaden Helms was offered by Arizona State on Tuesday.
Extremely blessed to have received a scholarship offer from Arizona State University! 🔱 @AdamBreneman81 pic.twitter.com/MRbQ3Udw7y
— Kaden Helms (@KadenJHelms) January 5, 2021
>> Transfer wide receiver target Mookie Cooper decided to return home and will be attending Missouri.
Ready for this next journey… #MIZ pic.twitter.com/sbTAORqOoV
— BIGMOOK (@mcgetbusy1) January 5, 2021
>> Nebraska offered 2022 offensive lineman DJ Moore from Indiana on Tuesday.
Blessed to receive an offer to The University of Nebraska‼️🌽 thanks to the coaching staff!! @SeanDillonNU @NEB_Recruiting @HuskerFBNation @SniderFB @RivalsDave @rivalskeenan @Rivals_Singer @SeanW_Rivals @JPrinceFOX55 @PetarFox55 @GlennMariniWANE @AllenTrieu @Bryan_Ault pic.twitter.com/SIi7IbI5RD
— DJ✨ (@demonmoore1) January 5, 2021
ICYMI
>> The January edition of Greg’s Guys is here with a new twist to close out the 2021 cycle.
>> The latest Straight Up Breakdown podcast with myself and Jay Foreman dives into foot in mouth syndrome.
>> Nebraska volleyball will head into spring at No. 5 in the preseason poll.
>> Derrick Walker wants to keep it simple and provide an energy boost for the Huskers writes Jacob Padilla.
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.
