This will be an important summer for the Huskers. The team will get started with summer conditioning soon so they’ll be hard at work preparing for the upcoming 2022 season. Recruiting is about to take center stage for the program. Official visits are being set up for the rest of May and into June. Camp season is around the corner, too. What happens this summer will go a long way to determining how we view the 2023 recruiting class for Nebraska.
There are three burning questions on my mind as the summer comes into focus.
Can Huskers land more in-state players this summer?
The Huskers are up to seven scholarship offers in state for the 2023 recruiting class. The team has three commitments already from those seven offers. Offensive linemen Sam Sledge and Gunnar Gottula are in the class. So is tight end Benjamin Brahmer. This summer will be critical in Nebraska’s quest to land the remaining four. There is a good chance that athlete Beni Ngoyi, offensive lineman Brock Knutson and defensive end Maverick Noonan take summer official visits. Each one the Huskers can land only helps the chances of getting the rest. The Huskers are in good position with each of these prospects.
The big questions this summer is when does Lincoln East 4-star Malachi Coleman start taking official visits? If he is going to take his recruitment through his senior season he may elect to start visits in the fall. He has so many options around the country. Teams also have varying opinions on where he should play in college. That complicates his decision and makes it tougher to narrow his choices. If the Huskers can get him on campus a time or two for unofficials this summer it would be great.
What new targets will pop up?
Nebraska is coming out of a transition period with its new offensive staff. The new coaches had a lot to focus on when they were first hired. Finishing up the 2022 class was a major priority along with bringing in transfers. Then spring football got rolling which was important for everyone to get on the same page. The time to turn over rocks for new prospects was limited.
We saw a lot of new faces that were not previously being recruited hard by the Huskers at the spring game. The new coaches and recruiting department are getting a handle on new targets. It can take time for all that to come together on the fly. Now the Huskers have had more time to rebuild the recruiting boards. Will there be new players that pop up on the radar this summer? We’ve seen more new offers go out than anticipated during the evaluation period. Will any of those players get to campus this summer?
It will also be worth monitoring if any of the big-time players that Nebraska got on campus for the spring game return this summer. Many players said they’d be back in the summer or fall. Top targets like wide receiver Joshua Manning, defensive back Kayin Lee, defensive end Trey Wilson and others would be welcomed back to campus this summer.
How many more portal players can the team take?
The Huskers are on the edge of not being able to take any more players this summer. The numbers get very tricky but it’s likely that the team doesn’t have more than three spots remaining. It has been in the plans for a while for the team to take multiple transfer defensive lineman. The depth up front needs a boost to compete in the Big Ten. Florida transfer Lamar Goods has an official visit on the books in May. Alabama transfers Kaine Williams and Stephon Wynn are likely to be on campus May 13 weekend.
Will there be others that come on the radar? The team would look into adding another offensive lineman. The issue is the portal options have been thin. It is also hard to judge the offensive line this spring. Offensive line coach Donovan Raiola didn’t see Teddy Prochazka and Turner Corcoran. Nebraska is always looking to take the best player available so a surprise is always lurking.
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.
