Nebraska hosted its first official visit weekend under new head coach Scott Frost and had some very good prospects on campus. The weekend started off slowly and even took a turn for the worse when 4-star wide receiver Josh Moore left the 2018 recruiting class. At the moment that Moore left the class, it left Nebraska with just one (very soft) verbal commit from a wide receiver in 4-star Cameron Brown.
Then business picked up and the staff showed its closing ability. The first commit of the Frost era was 4-star safety prospect C.J. Smith. There is a lot to like on film about Smith who was at one point a Florida commit. He will forever be the answer to a trivia question for years to come.
I'm officially committed to the University of Nebraska 🔴⚪️ #Cornhuskers🌽🌽 @coach_frost @CoachTFisher @Coach_Dewitt @CoachChinander pic.twitter.com/R6gVtKLauI
— Cj Smith (@Cj_Csmith) December 10, 2017
After Smith joined the class, the Huskers got a burst of speed in the class with Arizona Western Community College wide receiver Jaron Woodyard verbally committing. For Frost’s offense to be successful in Lincoln, more players like Woodyard are needed.
https://twitter.com/__SPEEDYY8/status/940051908735070208
Landing Woodyard is important because he is exactly the type of versatile and fast player that thrives in this offense but there could be something else even bigger brewing here. Arizona Western is a perennial power in the junior college ranks and consistently sends quality players to the Division I level. Nebraska has also offered offensive tackle Jahmir Johnson, tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson and running back Greg Bell from the school. It would be great moving forward for Nebraska to establish roots at the school.
Just how is Nebraska making quick progress on the JUCO recruiting trail? Let’s call it the Ryan Held effect. There has been a lot of talk of just how hard Held has been getting after recruiting and one of his specialties is junior college recruiting. Held spent years coaching and running junior college programs and knows the ropes very well. He is a tireless recruiter and is excited about the opportunity to coach at Nebraska.
Nebraska didn’t just put its feet up and relax after hosting their first visit weekend as a staff at Nebraska. Immediately upon returning from his official visit to Wisconsin, Badgers commit and Lincoln Southeast standout Bryson Williams got a second in-home visit from the Nebraska staff.
Thanks @CoachChinander and Coach Dawson for comin by and checking in 👍🏾 pic.twitter.com/UGSqCPAi7e
— Bryson Williams (@brysonjw_18) December 10, 2017
It will be difficult for Nebraska to pull Williams away from Wisconsin but it won’t be for a lack of effort. Williams plans to sign on December 20th so this won’t drag out too long, but the next logical step for the new staff is to get he and his mom on campus for an official visit and tour even though they live in Lincoln and are familiar with the program.
Adrian Martinez has something to seriously think about now. The 4-star quarterback was the first offer by Frost at Nebraska and is a perfect fit for what Nebraska will be doing moving forward on offense. The long-time Tennessee commit has spoken with the new staff at Tennessee and may have an in-home visit from them this week. After speaking with Martinez and his dad yesterday, they were very impressed by what they saw in Lincoln and he will be making a decision this week.
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.
