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 makeover of Nebraska’s roster has been ongoing since the season ended. The team signed 13 high school players and one junior college player during the early signing period. Since then three junior college prospects have joined the fold. Nine scholarship transfers are set to join the program. Every position except defensive line and linebacker is seeing a transfer come in. All the transfers are slated to be in Lincoln during winter conditioning. They will be there along with the junior college additions.
Coach Scott Frost laid out the vision of what was coming back in December. It happened during his signing day press conference.
“We’re going to take the best guys that we can to help our football team,” Frost said. “Whether that’s high school kids or junior college kids or transfer portal kids and we’re taking a look at everybody that we think merits a look. But at all these positions if there’s a player we feel like that can help us and that we can get we’re probably going to take him.”
The Huskers have already filled a number of needs. Quarterback competition may be the best it’s been since Frost arrived in Lincoln. The same goes for the wide receiver room. Defensive back has been overhauled. There’s been an interesting mixture of young talent and veterans. The team isn’t done yet. Where might the Huskers be looking next for help?
One spot that has not had any transfer additions is defensive line. The Huskers did add California defensive lineman Brodie Tagaloa to the team. He arrives this summer. The team loses a lot of snaps from the defensive line last year. Damion Daniels, Ben Stille and Deontre Thomas are no longer on the team. Looking at the defensive line you feel great about Ty Robinson and Casey Rogers in 2022. After them there is a lot of potential but questions marks. Adding a veteran defensive lineman or two to the mix could be a priority.
The Huskers have done work on the offensive line this offseason. The unit struggled mightily during the 2021 season so change was needed. A pair of transfer offensive linemen are in Lincoln already getting to work. The team has an intriguing long-term prospect arriving in the summer in Justin Evans-Jenkins. It would still be great if Nebraska can add one more lineman to the mix. The question is what position should they pursue? The team has many players now that can play multiple positions. That give flexibility when finding the best five. The one area we know nothing about right now is center. One of the top questions during spring ball will be who is replacing Cameron Jurgens. His early departure for the NFL made an impact. The Huskers could pursue a center in the portal or rely on Donovan Raiola’s ability to mold a center on the roster.
Even the Huskers have had a lot of roster movement this offseason it is not quite done. There is also another x-factor. If the team can add an impact player through traditional recruiting. A lot of the work has been done but there is more to come this offseason.
Recruit Watch
>> Nebraska offensive line transfer target Tre’Mond Shorts committed to LSU.
— Tre’Mond Shorts (@tremondshorts) January 18, 2022
>> North Platte defensive athlete Vince Genatone is heading to Montana.
After my official visit this weekend, I am excited to be committed to The University of Montana! #GoGriz @Coach_Hauck @kbaer51 @coach_rosy @GrizCoachGreen @MontanaGrizFB @NPHSBulldogsFB https://t.co/naYyoCCdR7 pic.twitter.com/hZIung2usc
— Vince Genatone (@genatone_v) January 18, 2022
>> Louisiana 2023 defensive back target Kylin Jackson picked up an offer from Oregon.
Blessed to receive an offer from University of Oregon! 🦆 #ScoDucks @CoachPowledge @samspiegs @KenAnioJr @BillyEmbody @_ZHSFootball @DemetricDWarren pic.twitter.com/koh0Oc6gES
— kylin jackson (@_kylin9) January 18, 2022
ICYMI
>> In this week’s Straight Up Breakdown podcast I was joined by KETV sports reporter Ellie French to discuss NBA hot topics, Nebraska football and more.
>> The Huskers added another defensive back to the mix when junior college prospect Javier Morton announced his commitment.
>> The Hoosiers handed the Huskers their eighth straight conference loss on Monday night.
>> Check out the Hail Varsity photo gallery from the hoops action.
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.
