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 was a busy day in Lincoln on Saturday. Nebraska hosted a large Junior Day with 16 prospects with offers making their way to campus. Twelve different states were represented by the attendees and there were some familiar names back on campus for the event. TJ Bollers, a 4-star outside linebacker, and Avante Dickerson, 4-star defensive back, were a pair of headliners. Linebacker Seth Malcom, defensive end Ryan Keeler, defensive lineman Ru’Quan Bunkley, wide receiver Jace Williams and linebacker Tyler McLaurin were a handful of the other important targets on hand.
Players like Lufkin, Texas, 3-star (HV Rating: 83.3) running back Caleb Berry got their first taste of being around the staff in person. Berry told Hail Varsity that the trip was nice and something different than he thought it’d be.
Great jr day,I’ll be back soon! pic.twitter.com/NhuTicZnOX
— Cbezzy (@Caleb2Berry) January 26, 2020
Both his parents were with him on the trip to Nebraska and all three were struck by the academic support provided at Nebraska. The style of offense Nebraska plays is different than what Berry is used to in high school, but he enjoyed talking about the offense with Coach Scott Frost and running backs coach Ryan Held. He could see himself flourishing in Nebraska's attack.
Berry doesn’t have any other visits planned at the moment. He does plan on taking a trip to Lincoln for an official visit, most likely during the season.
Not everyone was about to make the trip to Lincoln as planned for Junior Day. Marcus Mbow, an offensive lineman from Wisconsin, was scheduled to make the visit with him mother. Unfortunately, bad weather struck and they were unable to make it. Saturday evening, Mbow told me that he wanted to try to make it to Lincoln in March. Also, offensive line coach Greg Austin is scheduled to attend his basketball game on Tuesday. It sounds like Mbow is getting close to a college choice.
https://twitter.com/MarcusMbow/status/1221570245980233732
This development may be better news for Iowa who just recently offered him than it does Nebraska.
Based on my conversations so far, the day was a successful for Nebraska. Kearney Catholic quarterback Heinrich Haarberg attended the event and was happy with the day.
Had a great time in Lincoln yesterday! Thanks to @Coach_Verdu @SeanDillonNU and all the UNL coaches for putting on a great junior day pic.twitter.com/iv93jDacZv
— Heinrich Haarberg (@HKHaarberg10) January 26, 2020
Haarberg (6-5, 180) has yet to receive an offer from the Huskers. The staff is keeping close tabs on the signal-caller as they search for their 2021 "cube."
Nebraska’s Junior Day was a nice way to kick into the final full week of the contact period. Soon, we will put an official bow on the 2020 recruiting class but as you can see from this event and throughout the week the Huskers are well ahead of the game with 2021.
Recruit Watch
>> Jeff Bowie, a 3-star 2021 defensive lineman from Iowa, was originally scheduled to attend Junior Day. He elected not to attend and ended up commit to Iowa instead.
I am extremely excited to announce that I am staying home and I am 100% committed to The University of Iowa! I would like to thank all of my coaches, family, and teammates for helping me get to this point! Go Hawks🐤🐤 #swarm21 #fightforiowa pic.twitter.com/D5XkJ45Ys4
— Jeffrey Bowie (@jeffreyjbowie) January 25, 2020
>> Add another school to the list for 2021 4-star tight end Thomas Fidone. The Iowa native was offered by Ole Miss over the weekend.
Extremely blessed and excited to say I have received a scholarship from University of Mississippi! pic.twitter.com/Hppmdmi88f
— Thomas Fidone II ²⁴ (@ThomasFidone) January 26, 2020
>> Bellevue West 2021 wide receiver Keagan Johnson visited Kansas State this weekend and picked up an offer from the Wildcats.
https://twitter.com/_keaganj/status/1221449370081558530
>> Transfer wide receiver Justin Shorter announced that he is joining Florida after leaving Penn State.
https://twitter.com/JustinShorter15/status/1221493291000246272
>> Nebraska Class B State Championship game standout Sabastian Harsh announced his college choice on Sunday.
https://twitter.com/HarshSabastian/status/1221555239456772104
ICYMI
>> There was plenty more recruit reaction from players that attended the event. Wide receiver Jaylin Noel, linebacker Tyler McLaurin and linebacker Danny Stutsman (Premium) all gave their thoughts on their visits.
>> Derek Peterson gave us a look inside Taylor Kissinger’s latest setback and her road to a comeback.
>> Jacob Padilla has you covered with highlights (Premium) from the 2020 Nebraska Prep Classic.
>> The high school hoops coverage continued with 5 thoughts on Omaha Creighton Prep at Bellevue West. (Premium)
>> There is plenty of new for Nebraska’s pitchers in Will Bolt’s first season.
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.
