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 a busy summer for football coaches of all levels. For Lincoln East coach John Gingery the quiet time is spent on the deck with his two dogs. Things have been anything but quiet in a good way for Gingery’s program lately though. Lincoln East is the home of 4-star athlete Malachi Coleman. There have been a lot of college coaches through the school to visit with Gingery about his star player.
“He’s had a lot of attention and deservedly so,” Gingery said to Hail Varsity Radio. “He’s a great kid and a great talent. I think he’s kind of untapped. I think he can still get better but it’s been kind of a crazy spring. We’ve had coaches from all over the country. Some of the big programs around that are they’re looking at him and they’ve done a good job of reaching out to him and making contact with him. So, it’s been busy, but it’s been fun.”
Gingery always knew Coleman would play receiver at Lincoln East because of his hands and his speed. The picture wasn’t so clear on defense. The team thought about playing him at safety when he was younger but Coleman liked playing the rush end outside linebacker role he’s in now. Coleman’s track speed allows him to make plays on defense. His quickness and agility naturally allow him to fill that rush end role and he had a great junior season there.
Colleges are having an interesting time projecting Coleman at the next level. From school to school it differs. Some like Coleman at tight end while others like him at rush end. There are schools that prefer outside linebacker while others wide receiver. It’s rare to find a kid with that type of talent but Gingery thinks once Coleman gets to a school they will settle on one side of the ball. Needs can swing wildly from one school to another. The portal has opened another can of worms according to Gingery.
One thing about Coleman that is a major positive is his desire to be coached. Gingery explained that he’s always been really coachable no matter the role he’s placed in. It helps that Coleman is on the field a lot so there isn’t much to complain about anyway.
Dealing with all the attention that comes the way of a 16-year old kid blowing up in the recruiting process is tough. Gingery did have talks with Coleman about enjoying the process. Keeping his list of options manageable is also important. It’s all about finding the best fit but the people around Coleman help in a big way.
“He has a great support system,” Gingery said. “He’s well liked. He’s just a great talent, a great person. He’s just a lot of fun to be around. So, I’m lucky to have him for one more year. We’ll see what happens. We’ll be a different team this year but you have a kid like that it makes you smarter.”
Recruit Watch
>> Nebraska defensive back target Braeden Marshall has an announcement date in mind.
#AGTG
I Will Be Announcing My College Decision On July 30th…🙏🏽— Braeden Marshall (@MarshallBraeden) June 9, 2022
>> Recent Nebraska official visitor Amir Herring picked up a cool off the field honor recently.
Congratulations to my Scholar/Athlete for being selected as the male recipient of the 2022 West Bloomfield Sunshine Award! This award recognizes one male and one female incoming senior who possess a number of positive personal qualities. Congratulations Son! 👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/Pva9jqicAW
— Chris Herring (@ChrisHerring827) June 9, 2022
ICYMI
>> I’ve got a full preview of Nebraska’s June 10 official visit weekend.
>> As the Super Regionals are set to get underway the Huskers are suiting up for summer ball teams.
>> Steve Marik and I discussed true freshmen who may not redshirt in this week’s football video on the Hail varsity YouTube channel.
