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 need more players.
That isn’t a knock on the current state of the team as much as it is a matter of fact. Each recruiting cycle brings its own challenges. This cycle the Huskers have to balance their immediate needs with the long-term sustainability of the program. That challenge has shown itself a lot recently as junior college offers continue to ramp up. In particular, the Huskers need immediate depth in the front seven on defense.
To be successful in the Big Ten, your team needs to stay healthy or be deep. Preferably both. Coach Scott Frost has been alluding to that for weeks.
“To win in this league, [you’ve got] to be big and strong and physical,” Frost said last Monday. “That’s obvious to anybody inside the league or outside the league. Wisconsin and Iowa have certainly been two of the biggest and most physical teams in this league. That’s the reason they’ve had success.
“Our guys are stronger and I think more capable of playing in these types of games this year than last year, but we’ve got to keep working and make sure we’re a bigger team and stronger team and more physical team, too. We’ll continue to do that as well as we can through strengthen and conditioning and through recruiting. I think our guys are more suited to it this year than we were 12 months ago.”
Frost often finds a way to weave the need for more players into his answers on various topics. I believe that fans can sometimes take that to mean he is completely unhappy with the talent on his football team. I don’t believe that to be the case. It’s a subtle distinction in my mind. To me, he means there is a need for an increased number of talented players. It’s a subtle distinction but one worth pointing out.
He made that point well after the Wisconsin game. He was discussing if the defense has improved the way he has wanted it to.
“No, it hasn’t improved the way we wanted it to,” Frost explained. “If it would, we wouldn’t be where we are as a team with our record. There’s good things happening. We need more pieces. We were short some pieces today that weren’t healthy, weren’t out there. We need some more help for those guys. It’s a great opportunity for recruits to come in and help us. There are some other things I think we need to fix as a staff. So, it’s on all of us. It needs to be better.”
The Huskers clearly didn’t get the result they wanted this weekend. Yet, that game was a showcase for why more reinforcements are needed. More talent. Not “better” talent. There were plenty of visitors on hand to see that. There were seven official visitors on hand. Four are on defense and the other three are wide receivers (which is another need).
The needs have been identified. Now the Huskers just need to reel the players in.
Recruit Watch
>> Wahoo running back Trev Luben accepted an offer to walk-on at Nebraska over the weekend.
Very blessed and grateful to announce that I will be committing to the University of Nebraska as a walk-on!! I want to thank my coaches, teammates and especially my family for helping me get to where I am today! #GBR #homegrown 🌽🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/GoOh5gysZP
— Trev Luben (@tluben11) November 16, 2019
>> JUCO outside linebacker Maureesee Wren has scheduled his official visit to Nebraska. He will be in Lincoln on Dec. 6.
https://twitter.com/MaureeseeWren/status/1196146896953380864
>> Kendrick Simpkins, a 2020 defensive back from Alabama, committed to Florida Atlantic on Sunday during his official visit.
https://twitter.com/simp947/status/1195900325288435713
>> Quentin Moore, a 2021 JUCO tight end from Independence Community College, picked up an early offer from the Huskers.
Extremely Excited to announce I have received an offer from The University Of Nebraska 🔴⚪️🔴 #GBR pic.twitter.com/RiYx4l1yZY
— Quentin Moore (@Quentinmoore88) November 15, 2019
ICYMI
>> The Huskers picked up commit No. 3 for 2021 when Iowa offensive lineman Henry Lutovsky joined the class on Sunday.
>> Nebraska’s commits that were in town for the game gave Hail Varsity their reactions (Premium) to being back in Lincoln.
>> Derek Peterson wrote about the frustratingly small 37-21 gap (Premium) versus Wisconsin.
>> Erin Sorensen reflected on Scott Frost, Nebraska and the inevitable grip (Premium) of time.
>> It wasn’t enough, but the Huskers’ run game versus Wisconsin (Premium) is something to remember, writes Brandon Vogel.
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.
