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.
Recruiting is the lifeblood of college football. There is a reason that saying has stood the test of time. It’s true. There are several ways to bring top talent to your school. Winning helps the case. Being located in a talent-rich area like Georgia also helps. Every top team in the recruiting rankings has one thing in common. Each has what people would consider “ace recruiters” on staff. The Huskers have added two coaches to the staff that are considered to be that level of recruiter.
Wide receivers coach Mickey Joseph has a track record that speaks for itself. He’s had recruiting success at a variety of positions. That means he could be helpful across the board. Joseph helped pull in linebackers, linemen and defensive backs during his time at LSU.
“Well, I think when you coach at an SEC school, you’re known as a recruiter. And I’m OK with that,” Joseph said. “People say, ‘Oh, you’re known as a recruiter.’ Well, you know what, I’ve never seen a bad coach with good players. And I’ve never seen a good coach with bad players. So, I don’t mind being known as a recruiter because I know I can coach football. I know that’s the reason I’m here, to coach football.”
The other coach added to the full-time staff this offseason that carries a reputation of being a top recruiter is Bill Busch. The Huskers’ special teams coach has a long history of landing top talent. His evaluation wins at Nebraska date back to the 2007 recruiting class. That year he landed six players from Arizona. They included Prince Amukamara and Eric Haag. Amukamara was the last first round pick for Nebraska in 2011. Busch was the lead recruiter that got quarterback Alex Smith to Utah. He was responsible for getting Joe Burrow to LSU.
“The biggest thing that has to happen in recruiting is you have to adapt. So, if I’m older, I can’t go, ‘Ah, I don’t like Twitter. I don’t want to do texting, I’m not doing that.’ You have to,” Busch said. “You have to adapt to what’s going on and what the main thing is. Still, in the recruiting process, to be able to get people to talk to you, they have to like you. So, the first thing is to get the person, the recruit, to like you so when you do text them to call, or you’re reaching out to them, they always answer the phone. Then you always have a chance, and you get a chance to go to the next level and the next level.”
Busch’s message there is really important. Adapting in college football is something that all schools are having to do. There is no ‘off button’ on recruiting anymore. To do it successfully you have to adapt to how things are done now or your competition will win out. That’s the exact type of mindset you’d expect from someone with his reputation.
Teams can never have enough coaches who are great at building relationships with players. That is even more important now that the portal can help you land a player you missed out on the first time around. The abilities of Joseph and Busch to land players could be a big help to coach Scott Frost. The challenge to turn the program around is large, but having recruiters on your staff helps.
Recruit Watch
>> The Huskers made the top eight for 4-star running back Tre’Vonte Citizen.
— TreVonte Citizen✍🏾 (@Tre_Citizen1) January 13, 2022
>> Nebraska 2023 defensive back target out of Louisiana, Kylin Jackson, was offered by Michigan.
After talking with @19Bellamy I’m blessed to be offered by Big 10 Champion, The University of Michigan! 🔵🟡#GoBigBlue @UMichFootball @samspiegs @KenAnioJr @DemetricDWarren @_ZHSFootball @BillyEmbody pic.twitter.com/gt5vOcJTdK
— kylin jackson (@_kylin9) January 13, 2022
>> Grand Island Northwest 2023 defender Victor Isele was invited to Nebraska’s junior day.
Thank you @SeanDillonNU for the Junior day invite! pic.twitter.com/7ZXEAq00gE
— Victor Isele (@VictorIsele) January 13, 2022
>> Class of 2023 quarterback Christopher Vizzina was selected for the Adidas All-America Game.
BLESSED TO SAY I HAVE BEEN INVITED TO THE ADIDAS ALL AMERICAN GAME!! @AABonNBC @ErikRichardsUSA @SWiltfong247 @BriarwoodFTBLL @GasCrew7v7 pic.twitter.com/s7BVwRUz6k
— Christopher Vizzina (@vizzina2) January 10, 2022
>> Check out Husker signee Emmett Johnson at the Vikings game after being named Mr. Football.
Thanks to the @Vikings for the interview and Instagram post 🙏🏾‼️ #GBR🌽‼️ pic.twitter.com/nDGhH36ULE
— Emmett Johnson⚡️”Weapon” (@EmmettJohnson_) January 13, 2022
ICYMI
>> Nebraska special teams coordinator Bill Busch wants his units to be ‘situational masters’ as he explained on the radio.
>> The Huskers hired a running backs coach from the Big 12 on Thursday.
>> The Big Ten gauntlet continues for Nebraska against No. 6 Indiana on Thursday.
>>Steve Marik has landed on the linebackers in his scoring the 2022 Huskers series.
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.
