Expect Kewan Lacy’s stock to rise. He’s a 3-star running back with offers from college football’s most revered programs. Right now, he’s a secret in the land of Texas high school football where everyone’s talking.
Lacy played at a private school, where he ran for 1,352 yards as a sophomore. That came, however, in a private school league. With so much Texas talent in the public schools, college coaches don’t often look into private schools. Lancaster head coach Leon Paul saw Lacy’s film and welcomed him to the program last January. Lacy arrived thinking he was solely a running back. Paul saw a more versatile athlete.
“I told him, son, you’re 6 foot, 200 pounds and you can run,” Paul said of the junior, who runs a sub-11 in the 100-meter dash. “What is going to make you different?”
Paul utilized a two-back system to lessen the workload on his running backs. But, because he didn’t want potential Division I talent waiting on the sidelines, each running back at Lancaster learned at receiver as well. The result was Lacy’s junior year—121 rushes, 730 yards, 11 touchdowns and 15 catches, 226 yards and three touchdowns. Those stats and his sacrifice to play anywhere, including special teams, earned him the team’s offensive MVP honors. It also raised his recruiting profile.
“When he learned at receiver he became way more fluid,” Paul said. “We don’t have to run him through the tackles each time, now we can run him on the edge or throw him a bubble, and now we’re forcing a corner or a safety to come tackle him, and not a 300-pound d-tackle.”
Once Lacy understood the rationale, he loved it. So did college coaches. He arrived at Lancaster with no offers. About a dozen schools offered him before his junior season. As of March 1, 31 schools offered Lacy a scholarship. Nebraska offered him a scholarship in January and Lacy is due to visit Lincoln later this month.
Nebraska appeals to Lacy because of its spotlight. Being a Husker means being on the most-watched, most-followed football team in the state. He could see himself as a professional athlete playing in front of a sold out Memorial Stadium. Matt Rhule’s coaching staff, filled with NFL experience would intend to get him the rest of the way.
Recruit Watch
The Nebraska coaching staff continues to welcome visitors during the current quiet recruiting period. Following a small handful of visitors last weekend, the Huskers are reportedly set to welcome Elkhorn South junior Ashton Murphy on Wednesday. The 6-foot-5 offensive lineman recently visited Ames and gained a scholarship from Iowa State. Nebraska offered the 3-star recruit in late January. He also holds offers from Colorado and Northern Illinois.
Four-star receiver Ryan Wingo from St. Louis University Prep High School in St. Louis is scheduled to visit Nebraska during the VIP Junior Day later this month. He’s the second-highest ranked recruit from Missouri—behind another visitor, Williams Nwaneri—and seventh-ranked receiver nationally in the consensus rankings. Nebraska hasn’t yet offered Wingo, whose two older brothers played in the SEC. He’s been heavily recruited by SEC schools and is most often linked to Tennessee and Notre Dame.
Omaha Central 3-star lineman Caleb Pyfrom visited Iowa over the weekend. The Hawkeyes have heavily recruited Pyfrom and emerged as a possible landing spot. Nebraska’s coaching staff, meanwhile, is still in pursuit for the junior lineman, having visited him in January. He’s scheduled to visit Memorial Stadium again in April during the spring season.
ICYMI
>> The Nebraska softball team entered the top 25 earlier this week after a five-win weekend and nine consecutive victories. The Huskers are back in action this weekend at the Shocker Classic in Wichita.
>> Despite the incoming colder temperatures, the Nebraska baseball team hosted Northern Colorado today for the first of a two-game stretch. The Huskers are coming off a strong weekend in Minneapolis.
>> Fred Hoiberg’s Huskers start their Big Ten Tournament journey tomorrow against Minnesota. On Tuesday, the Big Ten named starter Derrick Walker to the all-conference second team.
