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.
The long-awaited lifting of the NCAA-mandated dead period is very close now. We are less than a week away from the start of camp season. Soon players will begin traveling the country. It will be in hopes of proving they are worthy of scholarship consideration. They’ll also get the ability to work directly with college coaches. That can also help improve their games in the long run.
There are so many players out there that have not been seen since college coaches in over a year. There are bound to be players that shoot up recruiting boards. It’ll happen simply because they’ve grown and their games have matured. Bellevue West coach Mike Huffman has seen both sides of this. The dead period didn’t slow down the recruitment of tight ends Micah Riley-Ducker and Kaden Helms. But he has other players that would have benefited from being seen. Now they’ll hit the camp circuit.
“It has not blown up for Henry Rickels and LJ Richardson yet,” Huffman said. “I really think that if we had normal recruiting here where these schools were coming in and out, those two guys would have Power Five offers. I think they eventually will, they’re both going to that Lindenwood megacamp in June. It’s been really unique. It seems like the guys that are the biggest across the country, Devin Jackson, Deshawn Woods and then my two guys it like exploded for them. It wasn’t like that for everybody though.”
There are players in the region who are household names. Jackson, Woods, Helms and Riley-Decker are known, but there are players like Rickels and Richardson who could burst onto the scene this summer. So could a player like linebacker Jake Appleget at Lincoln Southeast. He’s athletic with good size that college are looking for. A good camp season could do wonders for his stock.
All these players may not end up at Nebraska. It’s great to see them getting opportunities. Having their college education paid for through football is the ultimate goal. The return of camp season can go a long in helping that.
This next month will also be important for colleges. Many schools will end up shifting their recruiting boards. It will be based on what this see from the camps they host and attend. That means that what we think is known about who Nebraska’s preferred targets are can change quickly. That will be especially true for that second tier of players after the first wave of official visitors. We could be in for a fun ride with recruiting for the summer.
Recruit Watch
>> Omaha Burke standout Devon Jackson picked up an offer from USC.
I’m blessed to have received an offer from the University of Southern California (on my birthday)!!! ⚔️😎#USC #FightOn @CoachDee_USC pic.twitter.com/PgsgKpPcJ8
— Devon Jackson (@DevontheJet402) May 21, 2021
>> Papillion-LaVista tight end Luke Lindenmeyer is a player getting ready to his the camp circuit this summer.
TIGHT END 🏈2022 @lukelindenmeyer 6'4" 240, 4.1, 30ACT, @PLVfootball (NE)
Running ROUTEs in preparation for @LindenwoodU 4 JUN, @FSUFootball Mega Camp, 6 JUN.
FULL PACKAGE. Blocking & Hands
(HUDL Highlights in profile)
@jones_yano @CoachPerrone @PlayBookAthlete
@PLHSHOOPS pic.twitter.com/VpPyKkHL4p— Vince Lindenmeyer (@vincelindy) May 20, 2021
>> Check out California defensive line Zach Rowell getting work in during the offseason.
1% better everyday!! 265 💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/q8CLCrKpvw
— Zach Rowell (@rowell_zach) May 23, 2021
ICYMI
>> Nebraska baseball cliched the Big Ten title with a blowout win over Ohio State.
>> Jacob Padilla has your Husker roster reset (Premium) for the offense.
>> I took a look into how the Huskers seek out connections (Premium) to help them recruit better.
>> Derek Peterson is taking stock (Premium) of a deeper and more talented wideout group after the spring.
