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.
Recruiting for the current cycle is never all that is happening. Nowadays, recruiting for future cycles is happening at the same time as the current cycle. There is a lot of focus on the 2022 prospects that may have the chance to hit college campuses in June. Those players are chomping at the bit to get on the road and see schools that have offered them.
At the same time the Huskers are securing those visits they will be working on getting 2023 prospects on campus too. That’s assuming the NCAA allows everyone to visit. Working on future classes and building those relationships early is a key component to Nebraska’s strategy in recruiting. For example, Nebraska hosted priority 2022 wide receiver Quinton Conley for unofficial visits two years ago when he was a sophomore. Starting that early helps.
What do Nebraska’s early 2023 offers tell us?
Nebraska has 71 total offers out so far for the class of 2023. While the number of offers has gone down each cycle we can expect that number to swell. The first thing I notice about the offers is that 20 of the 71 have gone to players in Florida. As I wrote on Monday, I don’t expect Florida to ever be knocked out of that top spot for offers as long as Coach Scott Frost is here.
Once you start looking at individual positions you can you get a glimpse into future position needs. Twelve wide receivers have already been offered. The Huskers are pretty young at wide receiver right now but by the time the 2023 guys arrive a lot of them will be upper classmen. The same goes for running back where eight early offers are out. That includes Kansas running back John Randle Jr., son of former Minnesota Viking great John Randle.
Another highlight is that the Huskers have offered a pair of quarterbacks so far for the 2023 cycle. Even though the team offers a lot of players, they are fairly selective with the quarterback offers. Miami Northwestern High School’s Taron Dickens and Louisiana native Reese Mooney hold the two offers. Mooney is interesting because he has ties to the Huskers with a lot of family that root for the Big Red.
One other potential huge storyline is looming in the 2023 cycle. Nebraska already has three early offers out in-state. Pierce tight end Ben Brahmer, Lincoln Southeast defensive end/outside linebacker Teitum Tuioti and Elkhorn South defensive end Maverick Noonan hold offers. Tuioti is the son of defensive line coach Tony Tuioti. Noonan is a Husker legacy as his dad played for the program.
It’s never too early to start looking ahead. Good thing the Huskers are already well on their way to planning for the 2023 recruiting class.
Recruit Watch
>> Former Husker Niko Cooper is heading to Western Kentucky after taking a trip in the portal.
A great fit for our culture! 😈
✍️ Niko Cooper
📱 @nikocooper_9
🏈 Defensive End
🏡 Memphis, Tenn.
🔄 Nebraska#WelcomeToTheHill pic.twitter.com/07eAzCciNs— WKU Football (@WKUFootball) March 24, 2021
>> The Huskers made the top eight for Oklahoma athlete Braylin Presley.
God’s plan (recruitment still 100% open) pic.twitter.com/CUWTottn2t
— braylin (@braylinpres2022) March 24, 2021
>> Major Husker athlete target Brenen Thompson is heading to Oklahoma State for an official visit in June.
Official visit to OSU June 9-11🤠#LetsRide pic.twitter.com/3LopeMfS5I
— Brenen Thompson (@BrenenT11) March 24, 2021
ICYMI
>> Fans are allowed to attend Nebraska events beginning this weekend after an announcement on Wednesday.
>> The latest Hail Varsity mailbag is here to discuss the NCAA building trust, special teams, Pro Day and more.
>> The Mind Your Own podcast is back to react to the criticism the NCAA faced after the handling of the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
>> In this week’s Padding the Stats Jacob Padilla reflects on what it was like to cover high school sports lately.
>> Check out the video of baseball coach Will Bolt reacting to the news about fans returning to Haymarket Park and more.