We have officially entered the craziest season of the 2017 recruiting cycle, as fans can now expect commitments and decommitments on a daily basis. Nebraska is going to need to be aggressive over these next three weeks, as the Huskers still have 10 open spots remaining in the 2017 class. Nebraska has already taken steps to fill these spots this week, with many assistants already on the recruiting trail.
Parrella Keeping Thomas in Tow
John Parrella’s first ever commit as a Nebraska coach was Deontre Thomas, a 6-3, 280 pound defensive tackle out of Mustang, Oklahoma. Now Parrella is looking to make sure his first commitment actually signs with Nebraska, which is why he went to Mustang to meet with Thomas and his family on Thursday.
Thomas had stayed firm with Nebraska throughout the entire regular season, but Notre Dame is making a strong push to swipe the talented defensive tackle. After Parrella departs Oklahoma, I’d expect him to drive south to Dallas, Texas, to see Damion Daniels on Friday. Daniels is currently deciding between Nebraska, Colorado and Ole Miss.
One Door Opens, Another Closes (Or Does It?)
Nebraska was left hanging when Jamire Calvin shocked fans and his family members by picking Oregon State over the Huskers during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Despite his shocking commitment, Nebraska doesn’t appear out of the running just yet, as Calvin recently removed all of Oregon State information off his Twitter page and his family doesn’t seem to think it’s over. This is a great sign for the Huskers, as Calvin is one of the finest wide receiver prospects in the country that Nebraska has spent the better part of a year recruiting.
Other interesting news came out this week, as Las Vegas, Nevada, wide receiver Tyjon Lindsey recently decommitted from Ohio State. Lindsey had been committed to the Buckeyes since last summer, but he kept a constant relationship with wide receivers coach Keith Williams. That relationship makes Nebraska a prime contender to land the talented wide receiver, which would be a tremendous boost to Nebraska’s 2017 recruiting class. Landing Lindsey would also be a major help in Nebraska’s 2018 class, as Lindsey is cousins with Top 100 cornerback recruit Brendan Radley-Hiles, who Nebraska was chasing after but falling behind Florida.
Expect Williams to visit both of these wide receivers over the weekend, as he will look to add Lindsey to the official visitor list for either Jan. 20 or Jan. 27.
Huskers Making Moves on Cal Commit
Nebraska is already hosting one Cal commit on campus this weekend in Jeremiah Hawkins; now the Huskers are chasing another but this time on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive backs coach Donte Williams had an in-home visit on Thursday with Michael Onyemaobi, a 6-1, 185 pound cornerback out of Temecula, California. Onyemaobi has been committed to California since May, but has continued to look around despite being a verbal commit.
Onyemaobi has already taken one official visit to Iowa State and has plans to visit UNLV on Jan. 13 and Cal on Jan. 20. Look for Williams to try to convince Onyemaobi to visit Nebraska soon, as the Huskers are still searching for their first cornerback commit in the 2017 class.
https://twitter.com/M_Onyemaobi/status/819584048196567046
Nebraska officially offered Onyemaobi on Friday.
https://twitter.com/M_Onyemaobi/status/819945339641696257
Huskers Visit Oklahoma Standout
Nebraska is still looking for its second tight end commit for the 2017 class and Danny Langsdorf took a visit to Oklahoma City to hopefully grab one. Nick Robinson, a standout tight end prospect who earned all-state honors at Putnam City West, hosted Langsdorf at his school Thursday. Robinson currently has a top seven that includes Nebraska, Memphis, Louisville, Houston, Central Michigan, Tennessee and Arizona State.
Robinson is planning to visit Nebraska on Jan. 27 and is planning to announce his decision on National Signing Day.
https://twitter.com/teamnick__/status/819611204272451590
Who’s Next?
We are definitely in the fun part of the recruiting cycle, as commits should be happening almost daily from here on out. This weekend’s visitor group looks to be promising, as Nebraska is hosting three visitors that appear to be on verge of committing to the Huskers. Right now, I’ll put my money on Lincoln East offensive tackle Chris Walker. Walker is an in-state product that has been waiting on the Nebraska offer for some time now, and the Huskers have finally pulled the trigger on the promising offensive tackle. Walker is currently committed to Wyoming, but he is unlikely to pass up the chance to flip to his dream school.
