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 Huskers are at a unique time in the football calendar. The program finished spring football earlier in the spring than normal. That was so the field turf at Memorial Stadium could be replaced. We are in the spring evaluation period for the first time since 2019. Nebraska has a total of 168 evaluation days to be divided between the 10 assistants. This is a key time to gather more information on prospects, especially players in future classes that are emerging.
What do the Huskers need to get done during this time between now and the end of May? It turns out there is quite a bit that the team needs to get done beyond evaluating prospects right now.
One of the most important things Nebraska needs to do right now is getting a handle on the current roster. That will be done by completing exit interviews with players now that spring football is done. This is how the Huskers can get some clarity of any roster movement that is expected to happen. There is a looming deadline with the portal. Players need to enter the portal by May 1 to use their one-time transfer without sitting out.
That’s also important because of the Huskers’ scholarship situation. It’s harder than ever to have an exact number of who is on scholarship. The Huskers are either at or very close to only being able to add players if someone leaves the program. More attrition is needed if the program wants to add to the roster. It should naturally happen over the next week.
Figuring out who is leaving the program isn’t the only thing the Huskers need to do with the portal. The team needs to continue deep diving into players that become available. There were a lot of spring games this weekend. New names will start flooding the portal and the Huskers need to stay ready. They’ve done that well so far, but as we’ve seen moves are made quickly in the portal era.
There is one other bonus activity that is related to the evaluation period. It was a good move for Nebraska to get into local high schools first when the period opened up. That was another good way to show local recruiting has increased importance now. Another way to show that would be to go back to those school a second time.
Under the rules a school can “see” a prospect twice during the evaluation period. They are allowed an athletic evaluation and an academic visit. The Huskers should take advantage of that. Scottsbluff, Lincoln East, Omaha Westside, Elkhorn South and others could use another visit. To keep all the offered players for the 2023 cycle and beyond, Nebraska must keep its foot on the gas. There are too many other programs coming into the state to let up.
There is plenty going on for Nebraska football and recruiting even though this is the offseason. We should see even more news over the next few weeks with roster movement around the country.
Recruit Watch
>> The Huskers made the Indiana 2023 linebacker Aycen Stevens’ top four over the weekend.
Top 4 ‼️ pic.twitter.com/Ss0VchlbPo
— Aycen Stevens (@AycenStevens) April 23, 2022
>> The Huskers offered Iowa 2023 athlete Kooper Ebel recently.
Excited to receive an offer to play football at the University of Nebraska! @CoachChinander @BarrettRuud pic.twitter.com/ss79Sgi9n9
— Kooper Ebel (@KooperEbel) April 21, 2022
>> TCU transfer EDGE Ochaun Mathis is down to a final two of Nebraska and Texas.
Shownuff’s Awakening 🤘🏾🌽⁉️ Video producer – @Jgpointofview #Huskers #Texaslonghorns #Big12 #Big10 pic.twitter.com/8ex0dsd2yl
— Ochaun Mathis (@OchaunDevon) April 24, 2022
ICYMI
>> Madi Kubik powered the Huskers past the Jayhawks in Grand Island on Saturday.
>> Check out the Hail Varsity photo gallery from the exhibition volleyball match.
>> The Huskers blasted the Hoosiers and avoided a sweep in Bloomington.
>> Drake’s Takes dives into football transfers, softball success and the NBA Playoffs.
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.
