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 dust has settled on the early signing period. The Huskers were able to nab signatures from 13 high school prospects and one junior college player. That kicked off the early signing period for the 2022 recruiting class. The work isn’t over yet. The Huskers have landed several transfer players to the mix. The hope is the team will add a handful more including at least one quarterback. Nebraska has had so much news happening around the program the last few weeks. It’s even easier for players in the 2022 class to fly under the radar.
Let’s take a look at a few players flying under-the-radar who have signed to be Huskers.
Defensive Lineman Brodie Tagaloa
There is always a player or two that we don’t know much about in the recruiting class. One of those players in this class is Tagaloa. His recruitment was quiet all cycle long and we didn’t find out he was a serious target until the offseason. We got the chance to hear from defensive coordinator Erik Chinander on signing day. He spoke about what drew the Huskers to the defender.
“Versatility was a big thing with him,” Chinander said. “He’s got the size we’re looking for and the length. When you watch his film, he’s playing tight end. He’s running downfield catching the football. He’s making plays on defense. I think he’s a guy that, obviously I want to keep on defense but we all know who the head coach is so he gets to take a few guys every once in a while if he wants one. I think that guy would excel at potentially tight or potentially defensive end. He could grow into an offensive lineman, you never know.”
No matter where he ends up on the Huskers’ roster, it sounds like Tagaloa has an intriguing future ahead of him.
Offensive Lineman Justin Evans-Jenkins
The Huskers hired a new offensive line coach this offseason. All of his new recruits will be intriguing. A player who is going unnoticed right now is New Jersey lineman Justin Evans-Jenkins. That generally happens when a recruitment breaks late for the Huskers. Coach Scott Frost explained how things unfolded with the interior lineman.
“Justin Evans is a kid that we’ve had our eye on for a long time,” Frost said. “His whole recruitment kind of happened late but he’s a kid that wrestles in high school, has the right demeanor. Love how aggressive he plays and I really believe in his potential. We brought Justin in on the last visit possible. Then after he was here everybody liked him even more. I really wanted him to get around our new offensive line coach Raiola and they hit it off.”
Evans-Jenkins could make for a potential center down the road for the Huskers.
Tight End Chase Androff
The Huskers have done well recruiting and developing tight ends under Frost. Tight ends coach Sean Beckton has been among the most consistent coaches on staff. Chase Androff came in for a summer official visit and committed to Nebraska. He won a state championship in a run-heavy offense so his pass catching skills were not on display much.
“Chase Androff is a guy that from Minnesota, a tight end for us that coach Beckton identified early on as somebody that he thought fit what he wanted to do,” Frost said. “We’re excited about him. Love his size and his potential. We got some good young tight ends in the program right now. We wouldn’t have taken one there if we didn’t think he was a talented kid that could come in and help us.”
Androff (6-6, 235) is a player that could be groomed to replace Travis Vokolek as a blocking tight end in the offense. Perimeter blocking will always be a way to get on the field in this offense.
Recruit Watch
>> Archbishop Bergan 2023 athlete Kade McIntyre posted his junior highlights.
Check out my Junior szn highlights!! 🟢🟡@LoriMc79 @_Josh_McIntyre @FightingKnights @CoachKMorgs @WyoFBRecruiting @SeanDillonNU @BarrettRuud @CoachABohl @CoachO_USD @GoJacksFB @UKFootball https://t.co/j1JF91ezL7
— Kade (@Kade_McIntyre) December 28, 2021
>> Husker linebacker Garrett Hustedt entered his name into the transfer portal.
Thank you Nebraska, it’s been a privilege to wear Nebraska red every game day. I have entered my name into the portal to continue playing the sport I love. pic.twitter.com/4WCDk6fDFo
— Huey (@GarrettHustedt) December 29, 2021
>> Kendrick Gilbert, a 2023 defensive line prospect, released his junior highlights on Tuesday.
Check out my edited junior highlights ☘️ 6’5 265 DE/DT @SWiltfong247 @adamgorney @IndianaPreps @Bryan_Ault https://t.co/Ds7bYZilLh
— Kendrick Gilbert (@Kcgilbert23) December 29, 2021
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