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 Huskers have always operated under the assumption that it’s tough to build recruiting classes around local talent. Nebraska has always had recruiting classes with players from all over the country. In most years, there just hasn’t been enough Power 5 talent in the state to sustain a good chunk of a recruiting class.
That is not the case this recruiting cycle.
Norris tight end James Carnie’s offer from Nebraska made for seven offers by the team in the state. In the 2020 recruiting cycle, Nebraska offered two in-state players full scholarships. The 2019 class has five with all five in Lincoln currently. In 2018, there was three scholarship offers. That year was a little different. Masry Mapieu had his offer pulled and Bryson Williams got a very late offer when Scott Frost took over.
So far in the 2021 recruiting cycle, the Huskers are five for seven with in-state offered recruits. Carnie was the latest to join the fold on Monday.
- James Carnie-Nebraska
- Teddy Prochazka-Nebraska
- Heinrich Haarberg-Nebraska
- AJ Rollins-Nebraska
- Koby Bretz-Nebraska
- Avante Dickerson-Minnesota
- Keagan Johnson-Iowa
While that in-state haul is impressive, it gets more interesting when you zoom out just a bit. Nebraska landed a commitment from tight end Thomas Fidone in Council Bluffs, Iowa. They have a verbal pledge from linebacker Seth Malcom in Tabor, Iowa. Both players are within 75 miles of campus. Quarterback Heinrich Haarberg lives farther away from Lincoln than either Fidone or Malcom.
Having seven players who are from that close to your campus helps in many ways. In a normal year, coaches would be traveling around to see the players. It would cut down on travel time allowing you more time elsewhere. But long-term it can also help Nebraska with attrition. Local players are more likely to stick around. They won’t experience the level of culture shock a player from another region might.
We’ll see if this ends up being an outlier of a recruiting year. This could just be a one-year situation for Nebraska. We could see a new blueprint developing for the Huskers. It might be another way for Frost to try and achieve long-term success in Lincoln.
Recruit Watch
>> Jumbo 2022 athlete from Washington Austin Terry had a good virtual visit with the Huskers on Sunday.
Had a great virtual visit with Nebraska yesterday‼️#GBR pic.twitter.com/KDDiDh4QUz
— Austin Terry (@AustinTerry_12) October 12, 2020
>> Check out this clip from 2022 Alabama lineman Eston Harris Jr from Friday night.
Another recap of last Friday’s dominance 😤 pic.twitter.com/L6TGyS2tmz
— Eston harris jr. (@ejHarris20) October 12, 2020
>> Texas transfer defensive back Kenyatta Watson is getting closer to home. He will attend Georgia Tech next.
comin to the crib🤞🏽‼️@coachcollins @coachpopovich@_coachthacker@PatrickSuddes@rivalsjohnson@dareu_i @therealkwat@GTFootball @DASHGwinnett#4the404🐝 pic.twitter.com/wqsalI1pDb
— Kenyatta Watson II (@K2SZN) October 12, 2020
ICYMI
>> I gave my five thoughts (Premium) on the commitment of 3-star tight end James Carnie.
>> In his latest column Derek Peterson took a look at two Huskers who have proven to be welcome surprises in fall camp.
>> The Moore To It Podcast is featuring a guy from Doland, South Dakota: former Nebrasketball coach Tim Miles.
>> Nebraska and Iowa are set to meet on Black Friday for the 10th straight year.
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.
