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.
The questions never stop in the recruiting world. No matter what time of year it is, there is always something to talk about so we have been taking reader and listener suggestions on questions. I then answer the questions in a quick video. This week’s question comes from Twitter and hits the topic of official visit order preference for the Huskers.
Does the order of prospects coming in for OVs matter in recruitment? If so, which prospects seem to be where in the pecking order?
— L. E. D. (@lredeugene) April 16, 2021
The question is a pretty timely one. We know that the dead period will be lifted on June 1. The NCAA will allow official visits to resume for the 2022 recruiting class at that time. It’s been over a year since any of those prospects have been able to visit campuses. They want to meet with coaches in-person and tour the facilities. The mad dash has been on for weeks now to lock in official visits with targets by schools around the country.
There is a strategy to it.
Since summer official visits became permissible by the NCAA, we have seen more players wanting to take official visits in the summer. Often their schedules are more flexible when their own football seasons aren’t happening. An increasing number of players want to make college choices before senior year.
Nebraska will want to get as many priority targets on campus this June as possible. Especially since they haven’t been able to visit in over a year. This year there may be even more prospects looking to shut things down early. They might hope to enjoy a more “normal” final year of high school after the pandemic. It’s easier to do that without worrying about recruiting. As for the order of visits that does matter too. The Huskers typically try to build big visit weekends. During the season it might be for a big game against Wisconsin or Ohio State. During the summer, they are built around the Friday Night Lights camp.
June 4 is the scheduled return of that camp. It’s a wildly popular event with fans and prospects. It’s a nice selling point for the Nebraska coaching staff to have official visitors walk out and see screaming fans in attendance for a camp.
That doesn’t mean that if a player visits in June for a different reason he isn’t a priority though. It could be that the schedules didn’t line up for the player. One thing is safe to assume and that is if a player comes to Lincoln on an official visit this June, the Huskers have high interest in him.
It’s going to be a busy summer around here. Between all these visits, camps hosted by Nebraska and satellite camps it’ll be fun. That’s a welcome change for everyone after the last year.
Recruit Watch
>> Illinois 2022 offensive lineman Valen Erickson picked up an offer from the Huskers over the weekend.
After an amazing virtual visit Iam beyond excited to receive a offer from The University of Nebraska!!!@SeanDillonNU @GregAustin2717 @coach_frost @StRitaAthletics @StRitaFootball @Jordan76simeon @CoachSaboFIST pic.twitter.com/n0PsSHzj14
— Valen Erickson (@ValenErickson) April 18, 2021
>> Jonathan Humpal, a 2023 athlete from Lewis Central High School, attended Husker practice on Saturday.
We made it yesterday! @JonathanHumpal1 pic.twitter.com/WGEwU9Nmgj
— Julia Humpal (Davis) (@MissHumpal) April 18, 2021
>> Jumbo 2022 athlete Demetrious Allen was offered by the Huskers on Sunday.
I am very blessed and honored to receive a Division 1 offer from The University of Nebraska!! #GBR @coach_frost @coachdawsgbr @CoachChinander @SeanDillonNU @TMossbrucker @AllenTrieu @SWiltfong247 @JoshHelmholdt pic.twitter.com/DkKHBCavBm
— Demetrious Allen (@DJAllen_42) April 18, 2021
ICYMI
>> Derek Peterson had some questions answered following Nebraska football’s open practice on Saturday.
>> The sweep of Penn State by Nebraska baseball kept the Huskers in first place by a half-game.
>> Check out the notes from Monday’s practice including Travis Fisher discussing the up and comers in his unit.
>> Husker linebacker Pheldarius Payne is settling into his role (Premium) after battling through a tough first year on campus.
>> Derek Peterson took a look at the future of the Huskers’ nickel position (Premium) that includes Javin Wright and Isaac Gifford.
