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.
Don’t look now but Nebraska’s defensive line moving into the future is taking shape. After years of fans waiting for the group to take the next step, the unit is a popular pick for the team’s best for the upcoming season.
Is there reason for optimism even beyond the 2019 season? In a conversation with Derek Peterson on The Varsity Club Podcast, we discussed that there is reason to feel like we could see sustained success from defensive line coach Tony Tuioti’s room. The reason is that it is easy to be excited about not just the established players on the line but also the youth.
Ben Stille has one more year after the 2019 season. Damion Daniels, Deontre Thomas and Chris Walker have two more seasons after this one. Tate Wildeman and Casey Rogers are redshirt freshmen. Ty Robinson, Mosai Newsom and Ethan Piper are true freshmen this year. Those are just the scholarship players, not accounting for a walk-on or two emerging.
The group is off to a strong start in the 2020 recruiting class with the verbal pledge of Nash Hutmacher. If the Huskers can land a couple more impact linemen this cycle, this position group will be flipped pretty quickly.
This season it will be important for some of the players listed to take the next steps in their development to turn into consistent contributors down the line. The ingredients are there for this until to power the Blackshirts for years to come.
Recruit Watch
>> Dontae Manning, a 4-star defensive back from Missouri, re-opened his recruitment over the weekend.
Please respect my decision… pic.twitter.com/AbujRqEklh
— 𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙶 ⁸ (@dontaemanning_8) July 6, 2019
>> Georgia athlete Jaheim Bell decided to leave the Florida’s 2020 class.
May the lord be with me🙏 pic.twitter.com/zI7VZHF0q6
— Jaheim Bell 🧟♂️ (@dba_bell) July 4, 2019
>> The Huskers made the cut for big-time 2021 pass rusher Landon Jackson out of Texas.
Top Ten‼️ pic.twitter.com/GfetcN0jKx
— Landon Jackson (@landonjackson40) July 5, 2019
ICYMI
>> Derek Peterson took a look at stars on paper and on the field in the latest ‘love or hate’ column.
>> Jacob Padilla dove into Fred Hoiberg’s history of developing NBA talent in Padding the Stats.
>> I continued my look at key recruiting position groups, exploring the linebacker targets for 2020. (Premium)
>> Inside linebacker Collin Miller checks in at No. 5 on Derek’s most intriguing list.
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.