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 a busy month for the Huskers with recruiting. We knew that June was going to be important for Nebraska as they shape the 2023 recruiting class. The team hosted close to 30 official visitors during the month and held several camps. The parade of official visits had to slow at some point and it appears that will happen this weekend.
The Huskers are scheduled to host 4-star EDGE Cameron Lenhardt from IMG Academy. Lenhardt (6-3, 240) holds almost 20 scholarship offers at this point. Those offers include Michigan State, Penn State and South Carolina. The defender has not taken any official visits to this point.
Nebraksa this Weekend‼️Let’s go Cornhuskers🔴⚪️ #GBR @HuskerFBNation
— Cameron Lenhardt (@CameronLenhardt) June 20, 2022
Lenhardt is originally from New York and started his career at powerhouse prep program Don Bosco Prep. He tallied five sacks as a true freshman on the varsity team. He played on the defensive line originally but has spent time at linebacker during his time at IMG. The Huskers like him as a potential EDGE option.
BMJ LB TRAINING WITH 6'3 250 CAMERON LENHART OF IMG ACADEMY TODAY. HIPS, FEET, FLEXIBILITY AND DESIRE. HUGE FUTURE. @BACKOFMYJERSEY_LLC @CameronLenhardt #BMJD1MAKER pic.twitter.com/j9oTZoD9rZ
— Bali Johnson (@bali_johnsonBMJ) June 17, 2022
This weekend was always going to be the smallest one for the Huskers this month. Nebraska planned to host more defensive line type players this week. That’s emerging as the biggest need in the class moving forward. Texas 4-star defensive lineman Trey Wilson was scheduled to come to town for an official visit but is not making the trip. Wilson (6-3, 230) came to Nebraska for a spring game unofficial visit and enjoyed the trip. He’ll decide between USC, Washington and Utah.
Another native New Yorker Dillan Fontus (6-5, 245) was rumored to take an official visit to Nebraska this weekend. The 3-star player has almost 20 scholarship offers that include Boston College, Maryland and Kansas.
It’s never a good thing when visits get reshuffled and players don’t make it to campus. Since it’s June it’s not the end of the world for the program. There are several EDGE players and defensive linemen that Nebraska is in the race for. More will also emerge when we get to the season.
This is something to keep an eye on though. The Huskers went hard into the transfer portal at both EDGE and defensive line this offseason. EDGE has been a consistent sore spot for the program during coach Scott Frost’s tenure. It’s hard to land those do-it-all players off the edge that can rush the passer and help in run support. There also aren’t very many of them out there.
Defensive line issues are more of a recent phenomenon. Frost inherited a good group of defensive linemen that played a lot of snaps for the program. The team is transitioning to that next group of players who need to develop and help the program. It takes longer for defensive lineman in the Big Ten to make an impact. The Huskers are trying to bridge the gap in the meantime with the portal.
The open recruiting period is coming to an end soon. The Huskers will close it out with one official visitor before turning their attention to the season kicking off in August.
Recruit Watch
>> Nebraska running back target Dylan Edwards committed to Kansas State on Thursday.
— 𝒟𝓎𝓁𝒶𝓃 𝐸𝒹𝓌𝒶𝓇𝒹𝓈 (@dylan_edwards02) June 23, 2022
>> Elkhorn South standout EDGE Maverick Noonan enjoyed his trip to Stanford last weekend.
Thank you @CoachL_Anderson and @StanfordFball for the great official visit! pic.twitter.com/m38hGfPyVZ
— Maverick Noonan (@MaverickNoonan) June 23, 2022
>> Class of 2024 offensive lineman Kael Weatherby is getting in some good work this offseason.
Great tech session this morning! Getting better everyday! @SixZeroAcademy @TheUprzng @scotthuffUW @Coach_SchmidtE @SeanDillonNU @BillyBestOL @CoachHamby @TTUCoachBook @coachjharding @CoachDeVan pic.twitter.com/lIN46NI0eW
— Kael Weatherby (@kweatherby67) June 22, 2022
ICYMI
>> Now a veteran linebacker, Nick Henrich is looking to continue his strong play in the middle of Nebraska’s defense.
>> Jacob Padilla is here to project Bryce McGowens’ range on NBA Draft day.
>> Steve Marik and I discussed how important it is that the Huskers get 100 tackles from their inside linebackers on the Hail Varsity YouTube channel.
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.
