Over the weekend, Nebraska had some key prospects visiting other schools around the county. Three huge defensive targets, 3-star cornerback Taiyon Palmer (NC State), 4-star linebacker/defensive end Caleb Tannor (Florida) and 3-star linebacker/defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste (Ohio State) all took big trips this weekend. Also, all three were on Nebraska’s campus the weekend of Jan. 12 for official visits. At this point, Nebraska stands a far better chance with Tannor and Jean-Baptiste. The longer things go without Jean-Baptiste joining the Buckeyes class, the better things are for the Huskers. I continue to hear good things from Tannor's camp about Nebraska's chances as well.
>>Stop me if you have heard this one before. The NCAA screwed up and has created something unfair when they set a new group of rules. When the early signing period went into effect many thought it would speed up the process for juniors who can start taking official visits starting in April. I agree with that, but why wouldn’t the visit count reset after the February signing day? Shouldn’t all schools be on board with this because it seems fair? Well not exactly. SEC, ACC and California schools would be against that reset because those schools don’t have to use official visits during the season nearly as much as a school like Nebraska, which needs to be able to fly talent in from all over the country versus Georgia who can have any number of talented prospects visit campus due to proximity multiple times. If this fight becomes public, I think it will be a lot like the satellite camp battle where northern schools were very much for them and warm-weather schools didn’t like them in general.
>>There has been a lot of focus on how much the new staff has been zig-zagging across the country to get in front of high school coaches, top talent and their parents. Rightfully so, because the staff is working very hard to bring talent to the team. However, let’s not lose sight of the work they are putting in at home either. Inside linebackers coach Barrett Rudd is the point person for in-state recruiting and is already making an impact by making his presence felt at local high schools.
A huge Thank You to the coaches who took time to visit our program these last few weeks. We greatly appreciate that Nebraska, Iowa State, Kansas State, and Minnesota showed interest in these young men.
— Omaha North Football (@OPS_VikingsFB) January 20, 2018
It happens to be a great year for talent in the state as Nebraska already has two 2019 pledges, defensive end Garrett Nelson and athlete Garrett Snodgrass. There are some big fish left in the state that continue to add more offers by the day. There is a lot of talent at Omaha North as it looks to defend its state championship next season. Omaha Burke linebacker Nick Henrich and tight end Chris Hickman are becoming well known within the region. Both picked up Kansas State offers last week, and Hickman was offered by Wisconsin to add to a growing offer list. The battle for those two plus Council Bluffs 4-star quarterback Max Duggan will be fierce, but Nebraska is making it know they will compete hard for all of them.
Nice to see some colleges up today watching us get a workout in!! pic.twitter.com/yXuzZ9JFFm
— OmahaBurkeFootball (@BurkeFootball) January 19, 2018
>>The Huskers had a nice addition to the staff over the weekend. Zach Martin has joined the staff as a graduate assistant tight ends coach. Martin has an interesting story as he went to Iowa Western before starring at Northwest Missouri State. He also happens to be the son of Omaha North head coach Larry Martin. He’s been around great football coaches all his life and it’ll be fun to watch his coaching career unfold.
https://twitter.com/zmart_15/status/955191975476649985
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.