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 2020 recruiting class was a very good one for the Huskers.
The team finished with a consensus top-20 class, nabbing nine four-star players along the way. There are plenty of intriguing prospects in this class, which is never more clear than when trying to narrow down “favorite” recruits in the class. To make that task a bit easier, let’s explore a broader question: what position group is the best heading to Lincoln after this cycle?
I will admit up front that a few groups will get slighted based on numbers. It is pretty difficult to make quarterback the best when there is one signal-caller in the class. Even though the future is bright for Nebraska’s highest-rated recruit Turner Corcoran, it is hard to have him and Alex Conn as the “best.” The Huskers took only two offensive linemen.
The two running backs in the class—Sevion Morrison and Marvin Scott III—have an opportunity to make a big impact. Each running back is underrated coming into Lincoln and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.
Still, this battle comes down to three position groups for me: defensive back, wide receiver and linebacker.
Defensive backs coach Travis Fisher brought a stellar group of players to his room. Jaiden Francois and Henry Gray have the highest rankings. That pair got a lot of attention during the course of Nebraska recruiting them. Each can excel at safety or play in man coverage out wide. The ceiling of this group could be determined by Ronald Delancy and Tamon Lynum. Both are high upside prospects that will bring the mentality that Fisher likes. Lynum is already on campus, impressing coaches with his quick weight gain.
Wide receiver is another strong entry into the discussion. Four of Nebraska’s five signees are four-star prospects. Zavier Betts and Omar Manning lead the way for the group. Marcus Fleming gives Nebraska a true burner. Alante Brown and Will Nixon are the type of Duck-R players that Frost is used to having in his offense. We could end up seeing a few of these guys make an impact on the offense in 2020. There are snaps to be had a wide receiver for Nebraska.
When you take a look at the linebacker group as a whole, it is pretty strong too. No one in the group has the upside of Jimari Butler though. It might take some time to see it as he gets used to Big Ten football but he has high potential. Niko Cooper and Eteva Mauga-Clements will be counted on in 2020 as junior college transfers. Keyshawn Greene and Blaise Gunnerson were sought-after recruits. The staff expects big things from the pair before they leave campus. It is hard to make an immediate impact at linebacker but this is a talented group.
This is a tough call to make but my pick is the wide receiver group. This group stacks up with any in the conference. The wide receiver haul for Nebraska in 2020 is right behind Ohio State’s group in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes landed a pair of five-stars and two more four-star wideouts.
New offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Matt Lubick will have plenty of players to choose from to inject life into Nebraska's passing game.
Recruit Watch
>> Wide receiver target Quinton Conley for the class of 2022 was down in Texas this weekend where he performed well at camp. Here is a nice touchdown grab that he hauled in.
Good weekend in Dallas at the @Pylon7on7 Elite camp! Solid showing by coach @SAMIEPARKER and the Empire 7 squad! @quinton_conley had a nice TD in OT of the 1st round bracket play game. #empire pic.twitter.com/uc7NeK20PY
— Lance Conley (@DQNUPE) February 17, 2020
>> California defensive tackle Victory Vaka announced that he is delaying his planned summer commitment.
https://twitter.com/victoryvaka/status/1229446936702226439
>> Omaha Westside cornerback Avante Dickerson picked up an offer from old conference foe Kansas on Monday.
https://twitter.com/_dickerson1/status/1229472713087111170
> > Gavin Meyers, a 2022 linebacker form Kansas, will attend Nebraska’s next Junior Day on March 14.
https://twitter.com/Gavinmeyers40/status/1229490996196540417
ICYMI
>> Derek Peterson tackles the question of why should we believe in Nebraska football in 2020 in his latest column.
>> Nebraska baseball went 1-2 over the weekend to open the Bolt Era against Baylor.
>> It’s a big week for Millard North in the latest High School Roundup.
>> A hand injury will end Nebraska basketball senior Matej Kavas’ college career.