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’s been quite busy for Nebraska recruiting over the last six weeks. Commitments seem to come in bunches for the program and they have been on fire recently. Since Aug. 18 Nebraska has added five commitments to the 2021 recruiting class. Kamonté Grimes got the party started when the wideout committed to the team. Then the class added some more local flavor.
Defensive back Koby Bretz (Omaha), tight end Thomas Fidone (Council Bluffs) and tight end AJ Rollins (Omaha) were next. It’s another strong year locally for Power 5 talent and then Huskers are doing pretty well landing the guys they have offered. The most recent commit for the Huskers is linebacker Mikai Gbayor. The New Jersey native could be a preview of how the team finishes out the class with a heavy emphasis on defense.
Nebraska’s recruiting class is almost fully formed for the 2021 cycle. They are likely close to being done adding players to the class. At this point I would say four or five more players will be added. Which position groups am I keeping an eye on?
The first one has to be defensive line. I have fielded a lot of questions recently about defensive line recruiting. The Huskers have yet to land one for the 2021 class. Despite that fact, it is not time to panic by any means. There are two reasons for that. First, there are a lot of young defensive linemen on the team. The lines are the hardest spot to come in and play right away. It is especially hard to make an impact immediately. So the improvement in that unit will come from players developing who are already on campus. The other reason to not panic is because there are still players the Huskers covet left on the board. Until the well of talent dries up there is no need to panic.
The other two position groups on defense, linebacker and defensive back, intrigue me. The Huskers have good numbers in this class at each spot. The team could still look to add one more commit at each. It might be smart given recent attrition at each position group.
There is one last thing to continue watching as the Huskers enter the stretch run for this class. The great unknown. We don’t know how the new rules with eligibility will impact things. Certain conferences are playing football when the Big Ten isn’t. There are a host of other unknown variables as things change daily about the 2020 season. It could still end up being a wild ride to the December signing period.
Spots are limited now, but there are still plenty of storylines worth following in Husker recruiting.
Recruit Watch
>> Eli Raridon, a 2022 tight end from Iowa, picked up an offer from Kansas State.
After a great conversation with @CoachKli I am excited receive an offer from Kansas State University!!! pic.twitter.com/d7D6FOCfS4
— Eli Raridon (@EliRaridon) September 5, 2020
>> Brenen Thompson is one of the top athletes in the 2022 recruiting class and it’s easy to see why in this clip from his game this week.
@BrenenT11 had the play of the week, after he collected some ankles, and went airborne to get into the endzone! @WittenAaron @Spearman_Lynx pic.twitter.com/YfY95rWQdX
— David Davis (@DavidAlexDavis) September 5, 2020
>> The Huskers made the top 10 for talented Hawaii wide receiver Titus Mokiao-Atimalala.
Giving God all the glory 🙏🏽 Thank you to all the Coaches and Schools that believed in me. My Top 10 … pic.twitter.com/lq3jjaRcOD
— Titus Mokiao-Atimalala đź’Ż (@TITUS_ATIMALALA) September 4, 2020
>> Class of 2022 athlete Grant Page was offered by Nebraska on Saturday.
I’m very Blessed and Humbled to receive an offer from the University of Nebraska!!! Thank you @CoachLubick @warriorqbcoach @KoachKern pic.twitter.com/Og61GC0skz
— Grant Page (@Grant_Page23) September 5, 2020
ICYMI
>> Before COVID-19 changed everything Nebraska was set to play its 10th season in the Big Ten. Derek Peterson has the story of how it all unfolded 10 years ago.
>> Thomas Fidone’s record-setting night powered Lewis Central to a 49-28 victory on Friday night. Check out the photos from the game too.
>> Spring volleyball isn’t a new concept to Nebraska coach John Cook as Erin Sorensen writes.
>> Kearney Catholic’s defense answered the call again pitching a shutout against Gothenburg.
>> Familiar faces made for a party in Lincoln Southeast’s win over Southwest.
>> In a fun game on Friday night, TJ Urban and Gage Stenger powered the Patriots past Elkhorn South.