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.
If this were a normal spring game week, I would have used this space to talk about all the visitors that Nebraska has coming to town. It would have been a massive list of prospects making their way to Lincoln. They'd be checking out what ends up being close to a full game day atmosphere.
“Our fans are the best in the country and I don’t know if it’s close,” Frost said prior to last year’s spring game. “I’m sure other people feel that way too but when you talk about a fanbase that sells out a stadium in 24-48 hours for a spring game, that’s hard to match. I know there are other teams around the country with a few hundred people at their spring games and we are going to have a full house. It’s a great opportunity to showcase the type of support we have here and get our recruits a chance to see the stadium and how it looks on a Saturday in the fall. So, that’s hard to replicate. Not many places are like that and we are happy that we have the type of support we do.”
The spring game has been a big recruiting event at Nebraska since the Bill Callahan days. He and his staff really saw that the day could be used differently than it was around the country. That has carried through to present day. There are usually several offered targets on hand. Previous class commits, players Nebraska will offer soon and walk-on candidates also attend.
Let’s look back at last year’s visitors with offers.
2019 signees
- CB Noa Pola-Gates
- DE Mosai Newsom
- LB Garrett Snodgrass
- DL Ethan Piper
- DB Javin Wright
- DL Ty Robinson
- OL Michael Lynn
- CB Quinton Newsome
- RB Rahmir Johnson
- RB Dedrick Mills
- CB Myles Farmer
- OT Bryce Benhart
- WR Demariyon Houston
- OT Matthew Anderson
- C Josh Wegener
2019 prospects
- DT Jahkeem Green (Highland, Kansas) (Official visit)
2020 prospects with Nebraska offer
- 3-star QB Logan Smothers (Athens, Alabama)
- 4-star DT Jamar Sekona (Greenbrae, California)
- WR Xavier Watts (Omaha, Nebraska)
- 4-star OL Turner Corcoran (Lawrence, Kansas)
- 3-star WR Tommy Christakos (Scottsdale, Arizona)
- 3-star DB Christopher Townsel (Deerfield Beach, Florida)
- 3-star LB Malik Reed (Chandler, Arizona)
- 3-star DE Blaise Gunnerson (Carroll, Iowa)
- 4-star WR Logan Loya (Orang, California)
- 3-star OT Alex Conn (Derby, Kansas)
2021 prospects with Nebraska offer
- OT Teddy Prochazka (Omaha, Nebraska)
- LB Seth Malcom (Tabor, Iowa)
- LB Randolh Kpai (Sioux Falls, South Dakota)
- WR Keagan Johnson (Omaha, Nebraska)
There were also several prospects on hand for last year’s game that ended up walking on at Nebraska. I’m highlighting how many current signees, future signees and 2021 prospects were on campus for a reason. It's to show just how much mingling goes on at Nebraska’s spring game. It’s a great chance for players to connect with each other and built bonds. That could help them make the choice to attend Nebraska. Several prospects would have had their first visit to Lincoln for this event. It could have made a big impact on them.
Wish you guys could be here visiting, let this hold you over until we can get you to campus!#TheGoodLife pic.twitter.com/RkeP7ZYNf8
— Travis Fisher (@CoachTFisher) April 16, 2020
Another wrinkle that Nebraska is missing is the ability to host official visitors this weekend. There was a good chance we would have seen some official visits take place in Lincoln for the spring game. Spring games have evolved around the country but there truly is no place like Nebraska when it comes to how big that game is.
Recruit Watch
>> Former Husker wide receiver Jaron Woodyard committed to Marshall on Wednesday night.
🙏🏾💯Blessed @HerdFB pic.twitter.com/BvTblbe4J8
— Jaron Woodyard🎱 (@__SPEEDYY3) April 16, 2020
>> Huskers 2022 quarterback target Walker Howard picked up an offer from USC on Thursday morning.
Blessed to receive an offer from USC! #FightOn✌️ @CoachDoege pic.twitter.com/5K7wuoVor7
— Walker Howard (@Walker_Howard4) April 15, 2020
>> Oklahoma outside linebacker showed off a slick new graphic he got from the Huskers on Wednesday.
https://twitter.com/cloliver25/status/1250585278357659649
> > The Huskers landed in the top 10 for talented running back Deshun Murrell out of Alabama.
TOP 10🚨 *recruitment is still open* I’m just going to do more research and go into depth with these 10 schools. NO SPECIFIC ORDER… Blessed🙌🏾🙌🏾 @GrindLab @DexPreps @coachgeohagan @RecruitsAlabama @YellowhammerFB pic.twitter.com/jOZfMThKDN
— Deshun Murrell (@deshun_03) April 16, 2020
ICYMI
>> Fred Hoiberg broke down Nebraska’s 2020 signing class and Jacob Padilla has the details.
>> Brandon Vogel took a look at the updated FPI for Nebraska which now sits at 5.8 wins for the Huskers.
>> Derek Peterson took a look at the lost spring game but turned attention forward and toward the challenges ahead.
>> Kelly Hunter embraced her time (Premium) in a coaching role even if it was cut short.
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.
