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.
A huge amount of change has happened in college football over the last year. It goes beyond the portal, coaches changing jobs and NIL. Talk of the 2022 recruiting class lingered far beyond the February signing day. Huge changes in Nebraska’s team building this offseason are responsible for that.
The dominant storyline for the 2022 recruiting class was that it was going to be a small class. Everyone was prepared for it to be 12-15 players. The combination of a small group of seniors and extra year of eligibility decisions played a role, as well as a stalled interest from high school prospects. Coach Scott Frost admitted the class would small during the season. There was also the matter of holding back spots for potential transfer additions.
“We don’t have a lot of spots on our roster as it stands today,” Frost said in December. “And so we were really selective with the kids that we decided to recruit and take, and I think through that selective process, we landed on some really good guys that that we feel good about being able to help us right now and definitely develop into really good football players.”
We know that since December the Huskers have been as active as any in the country at adding talent. The Huskers have signed 13 (and counting) transfer players that are eligible for the 2022 season. Whatever fans and media thought about the 2022 recruiting class after it was signed has changed because of those additions. Will we have to re-examine how we judge recruiting classes to include transfers? That’s a question to ponder in this new era of college football.
Technically the transfer class doesn’t count toward the Huskers’ recruiting ranking. Nebraska ended up ranked 41st in the country according to 247Sports. That was right behind Boston College and in front of Cincinnati. The real impact on the 2022 team will come from those portal additions. Just by sheer numbers the Huskers would have one of the top portal classes in the country. Right now, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see several offensive starters from the portal. Nebraska’s starting quarterback, top wide receiver and starting running back could come from the portal.
The defense could see one defensive line starter, an EDGE starter and a staring cornerback come from the portal. Whether those players are all upgrades over what the Huskers had last year remains to be seen.
We also aren’t done with portal additions for the Huskers. The team could look to add another player or two before summer workouts start up. The 2022 recruiting class has been unique. The Huskers aggressive use of the portal this offseason has kept it top of mind. You have to give Frost and his staff credit for using all available resources to improve the team.
We’ve never seen anything like this in the portal era. The questions have begun about if the Huskers will try to repeat this offseason recipe. That likely depends on how successful the 2022 season is.
Recruit Watch
>> The Huskers are going to have Kansas running back/wide receiver Dylan Edwards on campus this weekend for an official visit.
— 𝒟𝓎𝓁𝒶𝓃 𝐸𝒹𝓌𝒶𝓇𝒹𝓈 (@dylan_edwards02) May 18, 2022
>> The Huskers made the top eight for talented 2023 Colorado offensive lineman Ethan Thomason (6-8, 320) on Tuesday.
Thankful for every school and coach who has recruited me. Final 8! pic.twitter.com/Kxt2khhk6j
— Ethan Thomason (@EthanThomason77) May 18, 2022
>> The Huskers have running backs coach Bryan Applewhite back in Texas looking for talent.
Thank you @BryanApplewhite from @HuskerFBNation for coming and seeing the Marauders this afternoon! Looking forward to working with you down the road! #RecruitTheMarauders pic.twitter.com/nCk8KN7hO8
— Marcus Football Recruiting (@RecruitMarcusFB) May 17, 2022
>> Former Husker top quarterback target for the 2023 class Reese Mooney opened up his recruitment.
100% open pic.twitter.com/BbcrMbPqKy
— Reese Mooney (@ReeseMooney1) May 18, 2022
ICYMI
>> NIL, the transfer portal and the future of college sports are the topics for this week’s Padding the Stats from Jacob Padilla.
>> Nebraska cruised past Oral Roberts on Tuesday with the final Big Ten series looming.
>> Erin Sorensen and Sausha Durkan are continuing to have tough conversations in this week’s Mind Your Own Podcast.
>> The 2022 Nebraska men’s basketball offseason tracker has been updated after the latest addition.
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.
