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.
Wednesday was a great day for many around the country as it was the first day of the early signing period. The class of 2022 has seen a lot during this cycle this year to get to this point. The explosion of the transfer portal has slowed down high school recruiting quite a bit. The day was a culmination of all the hard work they have put in as well. The Huskers had a drama-free signing day. All 11 of the team’s commitments coming into signing day signed before 9:30 a.m. CT. That is exactly how you’d hope things would go.
12.15.21#GBRXXII pic.twitter.com/dSyunC4e90
— Scott Frost (@coach_frost) December 14, 2021
This year was quite different for the Huskers on the recruiting trail. It was a small class in part because of tight scholarship numbers. The Huskers have tried to make the best of it by rallying late to have solid additions to the team. One of those late additions was 4-star defensive back Jaeden Gould. He was actually the first person to send in his letter of intent on Wednesday.
Roll the tape.@jaedengould5#GBRXXII pic.twitter.com/BDuUBe29ke
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFBNation) December 15, 2021
Talented Florida wide receiver Victor Jones Jr. stuck with the Huskers through adversity. He’s officially in the fold. Jones is all set to enroll early with the Huskers in January.
Orlando, Florida ➡️ Lincoln, Nebraska
WR Victor Jones Jr. (@VictorJonesJr1) has made it official!
🔗: https://t.co/IrkeT5AoFN pic.twitter.com/YLx7El0PSI
— Hail Varsity (@HailVarsity) December 15, 2021
The Huskers’ longest-standing commitment is linebacker Ernest Hausmann. He has been waiting for this day for a long time. It’s finally here and he was able to put pen to paper making things official with the Huskers.
Ernest Hausmann, Welcome to the good life
Follow: @Ernest_Hausmann #GBRXXII pic.twitter.com/0bCHGvlQSV
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFBNation) December 15, 2021
Wednesday was a big day for Millard South athlete Gage Stenger. He was able to sign with his dream school after being committed to Kansas State early in the process. Stenger got a really nice message from his school after his signing ceremony.
Congrats, Gage Stenger! Gage has been a standout leader, disciplined athlete, and driven student throughout his career as a Patriot. @HuskerFBNation is getting a true man of character. We are so excited for him to continue his athletic/academic career at Nebraska! @MSouthFootball pic.twitter.com/8iPUlbWNyU
— Millard South Activities (@MSHSactivities) December 15, 2021
The signatures continued to roll in throughout the morning. The Huskers made sure to stop an acknowledge the 2022 walk-on class. That group is a lot smaller this year too just like the scholarship class. Four players will be walking on to the Huskers.
Your 2022 Walk-On Class#thegoodlife pic.twitter.com/qoxypAKndh
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFBNation) December 15, 2021
The Huskers did get a couple of new commitments for the 2022 high school class on Wednesday. The first new addition was New Jersey lineman Justin Evans-Jenkins. The versatile lineman (6-2, 270) was recruited by some schools to play defensive line. Others like him on the offensive line. The Huskers see him as an interior lineman.
Justin Evans-Jenkins makes it official. The three-star DT from @irvblueknights is headed to @HuskerFBNation. pic.twitter.com/38W6uqvcd0
— Robert Aitken Jr. (@RobertAitkenJr) December 15, 2021
Minnesota running back Emmett Johnson was another new commitment on signing day. Johnson was Mr. Football in Minnesota after having a huge senior season. The Huskers got involved with him late in the process but love his potential moving forward.
#Huskers land Minnesota’s “Mr. Football” in RB Emmett Johnson (@EmmettJohnson_)
📷 @colebraunx pic.twitter.com/LZRKIpCTi9
— Husker Hype (@husker_hype) December 15, 2021
The Huskers had a good day on Wednesday. There were no unexpected defections from the class or bad surprises. The Huskers didn’t quite pull of the flip of Oregon defensive line commit Ben Roberts. Otherwise, things went exactly as Nebraska wanted. There are still two days left in the signing period with the Huskers hoping to add more firepower to the team. Once the signing period is concluded the Huskers will still be on the lookout for more transfer portal additions.
Recruit Watch
>> Transfer wide receiver Ajou Ajou committed to South Florida on Wednesday.
You can't stop a beast who's starving for a better life. My mother worked to hard for me not to be great.🤘🏿 #itsoverwit #dontplaywitmybread pic.twitter.com/AO3JYHZBns
— A2 (@AjouAjou17) December 15, 2021
>> The Huskers were hoping to get in the picture with Louisiana wideout Landon Ibieta but he flipped from Miami to LSU on Wednesday.
Hold That Tiger🐯 pic.twitter.com/aeAMgOLVun
— Landon Ibieta✌︎︎ (@IbietaLandon) December 15, 2021
>> The Huskers made a new 2022 JUCO offer last night to defensive back Reginald Johnson.
Blessed to receive an offer from Nebraska Husker ⚪️🔴 pic.twitter.com/iSzoLREeqD
— RJ (@reginald225_) December 15, 2021
ICYMI
>> Scott Frost spoke all about the 2022 recruiting class during his early signing day press conference.
>> I broke down my early signing day Greg’s Guys on Wednesday. Jaeden Gould, Victor Jones. Jr, Gage Stenger and Jake Appleget all made the cut. (Premium)
>> Jacob Padilla took a look at Lexi Sun’s legacy in this week’s Padding the Stats.
>> Three Huskers earned All-America honors on Wednesday as the volleyball team continued racking up awards.
>> The Hail Varity staff is back to answer your questions in the mailbag on a range of topics including transfer portal quarterbacks.
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.
