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.
Commitment runs happen from time to time. Sometimes it just feels like a lot of targets are coming off the board in short order. You hope those runs break in your favor but that is not always the case. The Huskers are on that side of things right now. The NCAA-mandated dead period in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has made it so that prospects and their families cannot visit college campuses. Nebraska would have hosted targets for this class and future classes over the last few weeks.
Schools are instead having virtual visits and logging a lot of time on the phone. FaceTime and Zoom are standing in for in-person visits. Recruiting is different right now. That doesn’t mean that schools are not pushing their relationships down the road. In fact, three Nebraska targets have committed elsewhere in the last few days.
The Huskers were hoping to make a late surge with Michigan defensive back Kalen King. The Cass Tech standout picked Penn State over a top group that included Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa.
✞. Blessed To Be In This Position
Now It’s Time To Take The Next Step
C O M M I T T E D 💙
#𝕃𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟𝕌 pic.twitter.com/W8BbtDxKJm
— 𝒦𝒶𝓁𝑒𝓃 𝒦𝒾𝓃𝑔 (@KalenKing21_) April 10, 2020
Defensive back Gabe Nealy (6-4, 175) provided an intriguing option on the Huskers’ defensive back board. The Florida native recently spoke with Hail Varsity about what he was looking for in a school.
“I’m just looking for a school that going to be committed to me just as I will be committed to them,” Nealy said. “I don’t want a school that just shows me how much they want me and then after I get on campus everything changes. I want a school to show how much want me but how much they need me by spelling out a plan for me. How they will develop me into the player I want to be. I think it’s all about how they all see my future. Whichever coach comes to me with a plan of how they want to get the job done and develop me into the superstar I want to be, that’s what it will come down to.”
Despite not having visited Michigan State, it hit the mark for the Florida native.
EAST LANSING!!!!!!!!
I’M COMING HOME💚💚💚💚
1000% C O M M I T T E D⚔️ pic.twitter.com/lVxVwxwGlP— Gabe “Spida” Nealy🕷 (@GabeNealy1) April 11, 2020
The most surprising commitment related to the Huskers this weekend was by California 4-star quarterback Peter Costelli. The signal-caller was scheduled to visit Nebraska for a Junior Day last month. That event was among the first events canceled by Nebraska in response to COVID-19. Had he taken that visit, things may have turned out differently. During the slowdown Costelli must have felt more comfortable with Utah. He'll be staying out west to play college football.
I am 100% committed! #GoUtes @UtahCoachWhitt @Coach_Ludwig @FWhittinghamJr @missionfootball @diablocjohnson @GregBiggins pic.twitter.com/iTwbKnigsf
— Peter Costelli (@CostelliPeter) April 11, 2020
Costelli has long been among the top targets for the Huskers at quarterback for the 2021 recruiting cycle. The team has the luxury of being selective and patient in the search this cycle. The quarterback room is healthy right now but we all know that can change quickly in college football. We will see a quarterback in the class but we don’t know who yet.
Recruit Watch
>> The Huskers landed in a loaded top seven group for California offensive lineman Maximus Gibbs over the weekend.
MY Final 7 …RESPECT MY DECISION 🖤 pic.twitter.com/hEYRcnPIPs
— Maximus Gibbs (@gibbs_maximus) April 12, 2020
>> Intriguing 2022 Georgia tight end Bennett Christian picked up an offer from the Huskers.
I am honored to receive an offer from The University of Nebraska! pic.twitter.com/6lWWpbnRIz
— Bennett Christian (@BennettC87) April 10, 2020
>> Florida defensive back Jordan Blackmon has Nebraska in his top 10 that he released on Saturday.
Top 10 @EauGallieHC @QNHall_Uno_JTG @CoachMiller53 @SWiltfong247 @RivalsFriedman pic.twitter.com/mZ8c3hqC09
— Jblack😴 (@jblack_EG) April 12, 2020
ICYMI
>> Jacob Padilla is diving into the film from Rahmir Johnson’s freshman season (Premium) to see what he strengths and weaknesses he could find.
>> What would we have heard about this week from Husker spring ball? Derek Peterson has the goods for you.
>> Mike Babcock took a trip to the Husker Attic to look at volleyball tickets from the final year in the Coliseum.
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.
