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.
Nebraska finished the 2020 recruiting class with another good group of incoming players for Coach Scott Frost and his staff. The class was a top-20 class powered by one of the best wide receiver hauls in the conference. Still, for as many 4-star players that Nebraska landed, projecting who will play enough to burn their redshirt in 2020 is difficult.
Let’s take a look at five players I have my eye on to play in more than four games this season, pending the season happens as currently scheduled.
Omar Manning
Like last year, the safest bet to play from the recruiting class is the Huskers top junior college recruit. Manning (6-4, 230) should not just play in four games. He is the projected starter at one of the outside wide receiver positions. Frost has spoken glowingly about Manning since he signed.
“To be honest with you, in my coaching career I’ve never really had guys that looked like those two,” Frost said about Manning and fellow wide receiver Zavier Betts. “I think both those guys have NFL bodies. I think Omar looks like a Sunday guy right now and it’s up to us as coaches to make sure we get him playing that way.”
He’s good enough to step in Day 1 to give the offense a boost that it sorely needed in 2019. It would be stunning if he redshirted.
Sevion Morrison/Marvin Scott
I’m cheating here and listing both running backs from the class on this line. One of the two will play enough in 2020 to burn their redshirt. It’s just a matter of which. Beyond Dedrick Mills and Rahmir Johnson, the depth at running back is thin. Each back is talented enough to see the field early and help the team win.
I give the slight edge to Scott because he should be more physically ready. Morrison is a worker that won’t be kept off the field for long.
Alante Brown
The prep school wideout is a pretty solid bet to see the field during his first year on campus. He would have been a lock if there was spring football played this year after he early enrolled. No spring ball leveled the playing field with the other wideouts in his class. Still, Brown should contribute early. He’s the type of receiver that can do a little bit of everything in Frost’s offense.
Wildcard
There are a couple of spots that are a little too difficult to project just yet. One—or both—of Pheldarius Payne and Jordon Riley should be in the defensive line rotation this season. Outside linebacker Niko Cooper has a chance to surprise many and carve out a role this fall. The same goes for inside linebacker Eteva Mauga-Clements. JUCO players usually have a pretty solid path to early playing time.
Recruit Watch
>> Nebraska outside linebacker target Christian Burkhalter picked up an offer from Mississippi State on Monday.
Blessed to receive an offer from Mississippi State 🐶 @coachspurrierjr pic.twitter.com/YU1aT739yw
— Christian Burkhalter (@Christianburk_) June 29, 2020
>> Nebraska offensive line target Marcus Mbow showed off his improved bench press on social media.
Bench max went from 265-305 since quarantine started. #SummerOfSeperation pic.twitter.com/t9Pmryczos
— Marcus Mbow (@MarcusMbow) June 29, 2020
>> Beatrice tight end Kaden Glynn received some love from the Huskers in the mail.
#GBR ❤️ @coachwilhite pic.twitter.com/TWXdM2UdRe
— Kaden (@GlynnKaden) June 29, 2020
ICYMI
>> After the NCAA extended the dead period I ran through some FAQs (Premium) that came up.
>> As Derek Peterson wrote in his latest column, sports are coming back but we need to stop lying about the reasoning.
>> Husker volleyball is ready to stay local if it’s needed for nonconference play.
>> In the latest Moore to It Podcast, it’s time to check in on the Landmand Golf Club.
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.
