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.
What a week it was for Nebraska recruiting. The Huskers saw their commit list grow by three through a busy week. It started on Monday with Omaha Westside defensive back Koby Bretz committed to the team. The versatile defensive back will be an intriguing piece for the Huskers defense.
In the middle of the week mega-recruit Thomas Fidone made a lot of Husker fans happy. He committed to the team over LSU, Michigan and Iowa. Landing the 4-star recruit was a huge deal for Nebraska. They hope to have a cornerstone of the future offense in place in Fidone.
Nebraska wasn’t done at tight end after Fidone’s commitment. The run of good news continued on Friday when Creighton Prep’s AJ Rollins committed to the team. The high potential tight end would make a fine addition to the class on his own. Pairing him with Fidone should make that tight end room fun for the next few years.
After all the recruiting fireworks it was time for the Husker commits to get their seasons going. Bretz didn’t need to do much on defense for Westside on Thursday night. His team rolled to a 42-0 shutout of rival Creighton Prep. Rollins didn’t get to show much of his skills in the game either. He got just one target all night.
Also, on Thursday night offensive line commit Teddy Prochazka got his season underway. The lineman has filled out even more during this offseason.
Out in Millard checking out the @MillardWestFB vs @ESStormFootball game tonight. #Huskers 4-star OT commit @TeddyProchazka looks ready to roll. pic.twitter.com/XsU6iy3ExZ
— Greg Smith (@GregSmithHV) August 27, 2020
Prochazka shook off some first half rust to help power his team to an exciting 30-28 victory. Elkhorn South is a team to watch this season in Class A because their offensive line will be a lot to handle all season.
Nebraska’s 2021 quarterback commit Heinrich Haarberg dazzled in his senior season debut. He missed just one pass attempt, going for 174 yards and four scores through the air. He added a fifth touchdown on the ground. Haarberg didn’t need to play much in the second half of his team’s runaway 65-6 win over Wood River-Shelton.
Fidone helped his team to a 28-3 win over St. Albert. He helped set the tone early with a long touchdown catch on one of his few targets all game. Fidone played the role of decoy often commanding triple teams. That helped free his teammates up to make plays all night. Even though he wasn’t actively involved in the game plan you could definitely tell he is a special player.
Miami (Ohio) commit James Carnie showed that he could do a little bit of everything for Norris on Friday night. Carnie had three receptions for 52 yards and ran the ball once on a fake punt for 31 yards. On defense, he recorded a sack and a tackle for loss. He even handled punting duties for the Titans all night. There will be a lot of eyes on Carnie this season but his Norris team is loaded with athletic playmakers.
Outside of the state, Husker linebacker commit Randolph Kpai had a nice interception in his game on Friday night.
Aberdeen was on a nice drive, but Randolph Kpai put an end to that with an interception. @SFW_Football looking to run the last 3 minutes off the clock. Facing a 3rd and 17@KELOSports pic.twitter.com/dAqznBT7cI
— Grant Sweeter (@KELOSweeter) August 29, 2020
It should be another fun season of tracking Nebraska’s commit and targets performing on Friday nights. Many of them are off to hot starts while helping their teams to season opening wins.
Recruit Watch
>> Huskers’ 2022 quarterback target MJ Morris picked up an offer from Stanford over the weekend.
After a great conversation with @tavitap, I am blessed and humbled to receive an offer from @StanfordFball! @coachdavidshaw #GoStanford #humbleandhungry pic.twitter.com/abDYo9De2N
— MJ Morris (@mj_morris7) August 29, 2020
>> Wyoming commit and Pleasanton athlete Tyce Westland posted a cool graphic from Wyoming.
Thank you for the cool graphic! @wyo_football #RideForTheBrand pic.twitter.com/I9ZADUoNgG
— Tyce Westland (@tyce_westland) August 29, 2020
>> Jack Pederson, a 2022 tight end target from California, picked up an offer from Arizona.
This one is for my Uncle Artie former Wilber The Wildcat ‘88! Excited to announce an offer from The University of Arizona! #Beardown 🐻@Capt_Awwesome @vmhsfootball @ArizonaFBall pic.twitter.com/jeEW7GtPnd
— Jack Pedersen (@jjpedersen53) August 28, 2020
>> Norris tight end James Carnie posted highlights from his season opening game.
Check it out!😤 https://t.co/IZRUYg29up
— James Carnie (@JamesCarnie1) August 29, 2020
ICYMI
>> Jacob Padilla has your prep volleyball notebook (Premium) from the tournament at Bellevue West.
>> With the spotlight on their team Kearney Catholic’s defense stole the show Friday night, writes Derek Peterson.
>> Nebraska commit Lindsay Krause led Omaha Skutt to an invitational title over the weekend.
>> Check out my five thoughts (Premium) on the Friday commitment of AJ Rollins.
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.
