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 recruiting landscape for college football has shifted rapidly. The way to show recruits how unique Nebraska is was to have them take an official visit in the season. It was certainly the strategy when coach Scott Frost arrived. That way the program could show off the full power of Husker Nation and what Lincoln is like on a game day. Now with summer official visits being so popular that thinking has shifted.
You don’t get to see a full Memorial Stadium during a summer official visit but there is something else gained. Prospects get to spend a lot more time with the coaching staff and players during a visit in June. Nebraska senior director of player personnel and recruiting Vince Guinta noted something interesting. Husker Vision can help simulate what the game day experience is like so recruits still get a taste of that. That helps with bringing in players in the summer versus in-season.
There is another major reason why June official visits are taking off around the country. So many prospects would like to make summer college choices. If schools aren’t getting these visits done in the summer they will miss out on prospects high on their board. Nebraska hosted 13 official visitors for the first weekend in June. Let’s check in on where things stand after the Nebraska visit.
The Huskers had a good group of offensive linemen in for visits. Lincoln Southeast prospect Gunnar Gottula was already committed to the program before the weekend and bonded with future teammates. Scottsbluff offensive lineman Brock Knutson saw enough from the weekend to commit to the program. Knutson (6-7, 290) said that the visit surpassed the previous ones he had been on to campus. Georgia commit Bo Hughley is a wild card of the group. He’s going to be a tough pull away from Georgia but he seems intent on taking official visits. He’ll be at Auburn this weekend. Michigan native Amir Herring came away from his trip with positive feelings about the program. He’s a good candidate to join the class the summer. If the team can survive his other visits to Boston College and Missouri.
There was a trio of EDGE players that the Huskers like quite a bit on campus. The Huskers seemed to put themselves in really good position with Elkhorn South star Maverick Noonan. He’ll (6-4, 230) head to Stanford and Iowa next but the team did a good job showing him a more in-depth look at the program. Louisiana native Ashley Williams (6-6, 220) got his first taste of a Big Ten school on his trip. It meant a lot to the defender that the Huskers were among his first offers. He was surprised by how nice Lincoln was and came away from the trip with the Huskers atop his list. A visit to Minnesota is up next for Williams.
Cedar Grove High School standout Adonijah Green (6-5, 210) came back to Lincoln to see if he what he saw for the spring game was the real deal. He came away impressed calling Nebraska “amazing” from top to bottom. The Louisville commit doesn’t know what it will take to sway him from his commitment but he said the Huskers made a big impression.
This weekend was very good to wide receivers coach Mickey Joseph. It started with a commitment from Jaidyn Doss who visited Nebraska on May 20. The coach had a terrific group in for the June 3 weekend. It was headlined by Lincoln East 4-star Malachi Coleman who said the Huskers knocked it out of the park for him. The personal attention the program gave him over the weekend was different from previous trips. Louisiana 4-star wide receiver Omarion Miller didn’t know what to expect in Lincoln but his strong relationship with Mickey Joseph got him to take the trip. Miller (6-2, 198) told Hail Varsity after the visit that Nebraska is his leader.
Nebraska also hosted Barry Jackson (5-11, 175) for a return trip. The Huskers like him as a potential slot option that can take the top off the defense. Nebraska had Kansas City 4-star wideout Joshua Manning back for an official visit. Manning (6-2, 195) has visited several times but this visit was different. He enjoyed sitting down with the offensive staff to discuss how they could use him in the offense.
The Huskers also hosted a pair of players near the top of the board at their respective positions. Defensive back Kayin Lee is a top target for the Huskers and the team showed him that over the weekend. Nebraska is chasing Ohio State for the former Georgia commit but defensive backs coach Travis Fisher is a bright spot for Nebraska.
“Me and Coach Fish, that’s my guy,” Lee said. “We can talk about things. We’re really talking about things really off the field more than on the field. The field part we got down. So we are trying to build this relationship up before I would get out there.”
Georgia running back Dontavius Braswell (5-11, 200) is a talented back that Nebraska wants to bring to the Big Ten. The Huskers impressed Braswell but it’ll be interesting to see if he’ll leave the South. The Huskers can be selective with who they bring in to visit at running back given how young they are at the position.
It was a big weekend for Nebraska on the recruiting trail with a lot of positive momentum building. It’s likely that the Huskers get at least two more commitments this summer just from the group that visited June 3.
Recruit Watch
>> Recent Nebraska visitor Joshua Manning was offered by Michigan State on Tuesday night.
Blessed to have received an offer from Michigan State 💚 @JackTabbIII @recruitLSFB pic.twitter.com/kJCLovtIYV
— Joshua Manning (@joshmanning121) June 8, 2022
>> Lewis Central quarterback Braylon Kammrad committed to play for Northern Iowa.
Committed!🟣🟡#GoPanthers @UNIFootball @CoachMarkFarley @CoachBodie4 @CoachJoeGanz @carter_wellz pic.twitter.com/KyYejPm1MC
— Braylon Kammrad (@KammradBraylon) June 8, 2022
>> The Huskers offered Boo Carter who is the top player in Tennessee for the 2024 class.
AGTG blessed to receive an offer from the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers🔴⚪️ @BryanApplewhite @ncec_recruiting @athletics_ccs @CSmithscout @NatlPlaymkrsAca@Wolfpack7on7@scoop1914@coachTBarr@ChadSimmons_ @SWiltfong247 pic.twitter.com/rB7NHPULIU
— Boo Carter (@boo_Carter6) June 6, 2022
ICYMI
>> Jacob Padilla discusses how Nebraska’s shifting strategy is marking the fourth year for Fred Hoiberg at Nebraska.
>> The Hail Varsity staff is back to answer questions in the mailbag including if Husker football can build a sustained program with transfers.
>> Hoiberg provided and update on new, returning and former Huskers on Sports Nightly.
>> I caught up with 2023 3-star athlete Dash Dorsey on the Hail Varsity YouTube channel to get his thoughts on Friday Night Lights camp and update his recruitment.
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.
