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.
A big initial step was made on Wednesday to get closer to football returning on time in the fall.
The NCAA’s Division I Council voted to allow college football players to return to voluntary, on-campus workouts when the current ban ends at the end of May. That is important as a practical step to ensure the safest ramp up to playing shape for student athletes. Earlier this month, Coach Scott Frost addressed his feelings on the ideas about having a shorter period to get ready for the season.
“I think that’s possible,” he said. “I don’t think it’s ideal. “There’s a lot of work that goes into getting guys physically and mentally ready to play football. As much as we can be doing right now, we’re going to try and do so that we’re more ready than other people. I think we’ve been doing a good job with that.”
The road is being paved for that work to begin in the next few weeks for Nebraska and around the country. There is still the matter of what the Big Ten Conference will do. They have their own ban on organized team activities that will expire June 1. Think of it this way: the NCAA isn’t standing in the way but each conference will need to decide independently to lift the bans.
Big Ten schools are preparing as if the ban will be lifted. Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said on Wednesday that they were targeting June 8 for their players to return to Columbus.
We have heard very little in the discussions to have activities return around recruiting. It's pretty important to consider how recruiting plays into this. We know that recently the recruiting dead period was extended through the end of June. Would the easing of restrictions around football activities cause the Division I Council to reconsider that timeline?
Could the council elect to alter the normal recruiting calendar altogether? We are in unprecedented times which could cause for more drastic (to the NCAA) solutions. How about allowing visits for prospects and their families in July? Typically, July through the start of the season is a dead period. Could that time be used to ease the crush of visits that is coming this fall with the loss of spring and summer visits?
There are a lot of moving parts right now. We appear to be heading toward the return of college football in some form. We may not get answers to these recruiting questions this week or next. Yet sooner or later, the lifeblood of college football programs will need to be addressed in a large way.
Recruit Watch
>> The Huskers added a walk on graduate transfer wide receiver when Levi Falck announced he would join the team.
Excited for the opportunity to play another season of football at the University of Nebraska! pic.twitter.com/3es4hSPRgO
— Levi Falck (@levifalck7) May 20, 2020
>> Huskers offensive line target Marcus Mbow picked up an offer from Arizona State on Thursday.
Blessed to receive an offer from @ASUFootball!!! Thank you @AdamBreneman81 @HermEdwards @KevinMawae for this awesome opportunity!! #ForksUp 🔱🔱 pic.twitter.com/L4QaawUTTS
— Marcus Mbow (@MarcusMbow) May 21, 2020
>> Georgia running back Gabe Ervin included Nebraska in his top five. Ervin was scheduled to take an official visit in June before the dead period was extended.
It’s been a hard road but it’s coming down to it!!! Stay tuned 🤫✌🏾@ChadSimmons_ @Mansell247 @Coach_Davis22 pic.twitter.com/tUwlJUcomD
— Gabe Ervin (@gabe_ervin) May 21, 2020
ICYMI
>> Derek Peterson took a dive in how Nebraska threw the football (Premium) during the 2019 season.
>> Tom’s Time is back to take a look at how the Huskers 1992 recruiting class set the stage.
>> Want to know what can Trey McGowens bring to the table (Premium) for Nebraska basketball? Jacob Padilla has you covered.
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.
