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.
When the NCAA put the dead period in place to promote safety in response to COVID-19, there were a lot of questions. How would losing visits impact the decision timelines of prospects in the 2021 class? That was among the biggest unknowns. We are starting to see the answer to that question more and more.
It has been a huge trend around the country for players to commit during the shutdown. The number of prospects who are committed for the 2021 class right now compared to last year at this time continues to skyrocket. More than double the number of prospects have committed to this point in comparison to this time last year. If a prospect and his family know where they want to go then it’s a good idea to not drag the process out. In some cases, they have already been to several campuses and can make the best decision for themselves.
This trend presents an interesting dilemma for the Huskers. Should the staff push harder to gain commitments now from top targets? Nebraska is in a good position with several players at or near the top of its respective position boards. The problem is making that strong push for an unsure commitment isn’t Nebraska’s style of recruiting. This year more than ever it's helpful to feel like a commit will stick if they pledge to your school. If the Huskers push the wrong prospect, they could risk losing him.
There is another related variable Nebraska needs to balance here too. How does the staff navigate making it known to top targets that they are welcome to commit while also playing the long game with targets who have committed elsewhere? We have covered here that numbers will be tight for this class. Nebraska will need to be selective with who commits this cycle. If things play out the way many recruiting folks think there will be a lot of decommitments later in the cycle. It would be wise to keep that in mind as the Huskers check the best path forward.
There are a lot of variables at play for the Huskers right now in a critical recruiting class. It doesn’t feel like it but the team is ahead of the pace from the 2020 cycle with commitments. This isn’t a time to panic if you are a Husker fan keeping an eye out for how the team is doing with building this class. Still, there are a of unknowns about how each target will feel about speeding up or slowing down their recruiting process. They are weighing that as we all wait for visits to be allowed again.
Recruiting is always a wild ride. This cycle has the potential to be one to remember since everyone is affected by the response to COVID-19.
Recruit Watch
>> Michigan quarterback commit JJ McCarthy is transferring from his Illinois high school to IMG Academy in Florida. It will be interesting to see if any other major recruits follow this.
Onto the next chapter💙 pic.twitter.com/vpaQ7pQo2X
— J.J. McCarthy (@jjmccarthy09) May 18, 2020
>> Huskers 2020 running back signee Sevion Morrison is all ready to head to Lincoln.
It was great seeing @SevyMorrison28 as I was invited to send him off as he prepares to leave for @HuskerFBNation Watched you from a young man into becoming a man! Don’t stop, strive for greatness!! You know what time it is #TPW #Eagles @footballedison pic.twitter.com/U3sC4uSwZo
— Tony Daniels (@Coach_TDaniels) May 17, 2020
>> Nebraska was the first program to offer 2022 Kansas athlete Caden Crawford on Monday.
After a great call with @CoachRHeld I’m blessed to receive an offer from The University of Nebraska!! #GBR pic.twitter.com/Udu39N6kkF
— Caden Crawford (@CadenCrawford0) May 18, 2020
ICYMI
>> Allow Derek Peterson to make the case for cautious optimism based on the recent run of good news for the Huskers program.
>> Alex Gordon joined the Moore To It Podcast to discuss the return of the MLB and much more.
>> Prokick Australia punter Daniel Cerni calls Nebraska ‘a perfect fit’ in his discussion with Chris Schmidt on Hail Varsity Radio.
>> The Nebraska volleyball program is all set at setter for 2020 and beyond, writes Jacob Padilla.
