Now that all the in-home visits are completed and the official visits are done, it’s time to make some predictions. I’m going to take a look at Nebraska’s remaining targets for the early signing period and what I think will happen between now and Wednesday.
3-star DE Brant Banks
The Houston, Texas, native was part of the Week 1 official visitor group that included Bryce Benhart and Wandale Robinson. Since then, he returned to Nebraska for an unofficial visit for the Purdue game to get the full game day experience. He has taken visits to other schools, including Baylor, but now that Nebraska will not land a junior college defensive end, they have the space for Banks. I predict he will commit to Nebraska and sign on Wednesday. He is an early enrollee which is a nice bonus.
JUCO OLB Amare Barno
The junior college outside linebacker is relatively new to the Nebraska recruiting scene but he does play a position of need. He is a converted safety so he brings nice speed to the position. He took an official visit to Lincoln on Dec. 7 and told me that he had a good trip and that Nebraska and Virginia Tech were his final two. After his trip to Blacksburg this weekend where he picked up an offer from the Hokies, I believe he ends up at Virginia Tech.
Update: He committed to Virginia Tech, as expected.
3-star OT Jimmy Fritzsche
In a short amount of time, Fritzsche has gone from a completely unknown target playing tight end to a hot commodity as an offensive tackle. Nebraska was his first Power 5 offer but he has since picked up offers from Syracuse, Rutgers and Louisville. It was big news last week when Fritzsche took an unofficial visit to Clemson and picked up an offer the day before he took an official visit to Nebraska. Clemson would love for him to delay signing for the possibility of having a spot in its class while Nebraska is pushing him to sign Wednesday. I’m going to go against the grain here and predict that he commits to the Huskers and signs on Wednesday.
4-star DB Noa Pola-Gates
The Arizona native has been one of the most sought-after players for the Huskers this cycle. He took an official visit to Lincoln for the Minnesota game where he really felt the love and family atmosphere in Lincoln. There is a family connection to Nebraska since his cousin is signed to play softball in Lincoln. This has been a tough battle with Alabama, USC and Arizona State. The tricky thing is that Pola-Gates plans to sign on early signing day but not reveal his pick until the Polynesian Bowl on Jan. 19, so we will be kept in the dark if he even signs. I predict that Nebraska will win out here and Pola-Gates secretly signs with Nebraska on Wednesday.
4-star DE Ty Robinson
The big defensive end is the staff’s most wanted player left on the board. They sent every assistant coach on the staff to his high school last week to show him that. Back in the summer, I really thought he would join the class before the season began but he held off and took visits to Oregon, USC and Alabama. The turmoil at USC really helped Nebraska get in great position here and by all accounts this has been trending the Huskers’ way for a while. Barring any last-minute surprises, I see Robinson announcing he will be coming to Nebraska on Wednesday at 12:45 p.m. CT.
JUCO CB Tony Wallace
When Wallace took his official visit to Lincoln on Nov. 30, it felt like a matter of time before he joined the class. The staff went out to see him after his visit but an offer from TCU seems to have changed everything. He has also picked up an offer from Kansas since that visit to Lincoln but I think it’s all TCU here.
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.
