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.
“It all starts in the trenches.”
How many times have we heard that age-old football cliché? It has been said a lot by fans, media members and coaches of Nebraska football for years. It’s absolutely true. To run a successful offense, you need to have a stout offensive line. Well, a recruiting pattern has emerged in Nebraska’s offensive line recruiting.
Nebraska is on track to sign its top offensive line target three years in a row. Things started in the 2019 recruiting class with Bryce Benhart. It continued in the 2020 cycle with Turner Corcoran. The streak stays alive in 2021 with Teddy Prochazka. The Elkhorn South star can’t sign until next December but there isn’t any danger of him flipping. He’s also an early enrollee. More often than not, offensive line coach Greg Austin gets his top guy. What makes a prospect a top target for Austin?
“I could give you a whole bunch of dimensions, but intangibly, they have to be tough, they have to be competitive and they have to be ready to frickin’ fight,” Austin said last spring. “That’s it. If you have that, and you have some size to you, you’ll be a good offensive lineman. If you’re a passive guy, I don’t know how good of an offensive lineman you can be. You’ve got to have grit.”
The Huskers have Prochazka and Iowa offensive lineman Henry Lutovsky in the fold. So, they are sitting in great spot with 2021 offensive line recruiting. It’s a luxury to be a year out from the next December signing period with two important commits. That allows Austin to focus on adding one or two more key targets for 2021. The other benefit is he can also look ahead to the class of 2022.
Sticking with 2021, remember the name Marcus Mbow. The Wisconsin native was supposed to make it down to Lincoln for Junior Day but bad weather stopped that visit for him and his mother. He was planning to announce a college choice last Friday but delayed that announcement. Austin was at his high school basketball game last week.
“Coach [Greg] Austin fights for his group in recruiting as much as anybody on our staff," coach Scott Frost said at his signing day press conference last year. "He wants to get his group right. He takes a lot of pride in that.”
Austin is well on his way to getting his group right. He signed six offensive linemen in the 2019 class. That was followed up with a strong pair in the 2020 class. As mentioned Nebraska is off to a hot start on the line with two verbally committed for 2021.
The Huskers’ tradition of strong offensive line play and Austin’s reputation as a coach and recruiter makes for a great marriage. His unit has yet to put together a full dominant season on the field. It would not be surprising if that happened soon.
The sooner the better since it all starts in the trenches.
Recruit Watch
>> Nebraska volleyball player Riley Zuhn will not have her “little” brother join her in Lincoln. Trey Zuhn committed to Texas A&M over the weekend.
100% committed to Texas A&M! Can’t wait to get started with @Coach_Henson and Coach Fisher @AggieFootball! Thank you to Matt McChesney @SixZeroAcademy for getting me ready for the SEC and building #TheBridge! Gig’Em 👍🏼 pic.twitter.com/cT7f9iaDJh
— Trey Zuhn (@TreyZuhn) February 3, 2020
>> Huskers defensive tackle signee Nash Hutmacher sliced through the competition on his way to another wrestling title.
Nash’s bracket from today with fall times. The 48 second fall was the No. 2 Class B HWT in the state. pic.twitter.com/2UHB23uVuf
— Joe Hutmacher (@joe_hutmacher) February 2, 2020
>> Indiana defensive end/outside linebacker Austin Booker picked up an offer from the Huskers. The 2021 prospect is starting to receive a lot of Big Ten attention lately.
Beyond blessed to receive my next D1 offer from the University of Nebraska, thanks to @GregAustin2717, @SeanDillonNU, and the rest of the staff! pic.twitter.com/EvU1qpkdt2
— austin booker (@austinbookerr) January 30, 2020
ICYMI
>> As Derek Peterson notes in his weekly column, Nebraska center Cam Jurgens isn’t taking any days off.
>> Take a look at the photo gallery from Nebraska wrestling’s thrilling win over Ohio State.
>> Donovan Williams goes off in the latest High School Roundup by Jacob Padilla.
>> It’s time to score the quarterbacks in the latest installment of “Scoring the Huskers.”
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.
