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 weekโs question comes from Twitter. It tackles the topic of defensive line recruiting. The reader wants to know who is on the radar for defensive line coach Tony Tuiotiโs group.
Who do we have a shot at working in the trenches, I think DL in particular is a need for this class.
— Blackshirt Nation (@blackshrtnation) April 30, 2021
This is an interesting question. Each recruiting cycle sees the needs of the Huskers shift and change over time. I am comfortable saying that defensive line is near the bottom of the Huskers’ needs. There is a reason for that and itโs tied to the current roster.
Nebraska is deep right now on the defensive line with a lot of players having eligibility left.
Freshmen
- RuโQuan Buckley
- Jailen Weaver
- Mosai Newsome
- Jamin Graham
- Marquis Black
- Ty Robinson
- Nash Hutmacher
Sophomores
- Casey Rogers
- Tate Wildeman
- Colton Fiest
Juniors
- Chris Walker
- Jordon Riley
- Damion Daniels
- Deontre Thomas
Senior
- Ben Stille
Based on that distribution, it makes sense that Nebraska wonโt be looking to add many defensive linemen this cycle. The team wonโt likely skip the position altogether so Iโd expect two players to be added at the position. The returning players give Nebraska a luxury when assessing this position. The team can go after the very best players it can land, but you are also likely to see players added who provide position versatility.
There are a few names that standout above the rest currently for me. Letโs start with a pair of players who made it two Lincoln for the spring game. Jalen Marshall (6-6, 275) was in Lincoln this weekend. Heโs a 3-star player out of Kansas who is heavily considering Indiana and Oklahoma State. Marshall has an official visit set to Nebraska for June 4. Oklahoma native Chris McClellan was also in Lincoln for the spring game. The defensive lineman (6-3, 290) has official visits set to Florida, Ohio State and USC. The Huskers are hard at one trying to schedule on of their own official with him. Nebraska is also in the mix with Domonique Orange, Alex VanSummeran and Joe Strickland.
The Huskers are well positioned with defensive linemen on the roster. It might be the position that most benefitted from the free year of eligibility in 2020. The mix of potential and extra development time really helped. The class could end up smaller for the 2022 class. I would assume the number of defensive linemen will stay low.
Recruit Watch
>> Recent Husker visitor Valen Erickson picked up an offer from Tennessee over the weekend.
Extremely excited to receive my first SEC offer from the University of Tennessee!!!@AlecAbeln @Gelarbee @CoachGolesh @Vol_Football @StRitaAthletics @StRitaFootball @Jordan76simeon @CoachSaboFIST @EDGYTIM pic.twitter.com/bgiPFIXY4c
— Valen Erickson (@ValenErickson) May 2, 2021
>> Former 5-star wide receiver recruit out of St. Louis Jordan Johnson is in the transfer portal.
๐ค๐ค pic.twitter.com/HQyKyglPdS
— Jordan Johnson (@jjohnsonj1) May 3, 2021
>> Check out priority defensive back target James Monds III doing well in track as he gets ready for state.
States Next Weekend! Coming for that 40. pic.twitter.com/L2lSy7zYrH
— ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ฌ III โ (@MondsJames) May 3, 2021
>> Former Husker defensive line commit Tony Fair has entered the transfer portal.
Iโve Officially Entered the Transfer Portal! Ready for My Next Pathโผ๏ธโผ๏ธโผ๏ธ pic.twitter.com/rspzSJDHVC
— Tony Lamar Fair (@TFair__) May 3, 2021
ICYMI
>> I caught up with Kansas athlete Jaren Kanak about his trip to Lincoln (Premium) this weekend. He found a lot to like on the visit.
>> The Hail Varsity staff took a stab at projecting a depth chart for Nebraska following spring ball.
>> Derek Peterson’sย weekly column focused on rounding up his thoughts on spring football including a bold All-B1G prediction.
>> As Mike Babcock wrote, Nebraska baseball โlaid a big eggโ in a weekend series against Rutgers.
>> Jacob Padilla has your 2021 NFL Draft recap focusing on the Big Ten conference.
