Nebraska’s projected win total for 2017 has been all over the map this offseason.
You will find some predictions that peg Nebraska for six wins and a few with nine, but most settle in the seven-to-eight win range. But what if the Huskers get a few bounces, the defense comes together nicely in year one of the 3-4 and Tanner Lee is an all-conference type quarterback? Then we might be talking about 10 wins.
And if Nebraska gets to 10 wins, what would it mean for 2018 recruiting?
For starters, 10 wins would severely reduce the chances of losing any players currently committed. It happens every recruiting class and Nebraska has already seen a decommit (and another commitment) from Cameron Brown, wide receiver from St Louis. There could always be surprises but this class seems to be pretty solid with most of the top-rated players doing a great deal of peer recruiting.
Speaking of peer recruiting, winning 10 games makes the sell by Bookie Radley-Hiles and Joshua Moore to 4-star wide receiver Isaah Crocker much easier. Crocker is likely to visit for the season opener against Arkansas State.
It makes the choice for 4-star defensive back Houston Griffith a little easier between Nebraska and Florida State, too.
Long Beach Poly (California) teammates 4-star wide receiver Jalen Hall and 4-star Aashari Crosswell will be much more likely to ignore the inevitable late push by hometown USC if real progress is made on the field for Nebraska this season.
I did not forget about everyone’s favorite 5-star Micah Parsons. The vision will be sold hard to him that he can be the star of the Blackshirts defense at the outside linebacker “CAT” position.
A player of that caliber believes he can make an impact anywhere, so showing him that the team is playing in meaningful games without him is massive. The sell on being the “missing piece” is not so far fetched in this scenario.
What will be the spark that allows the Nebraska recruiting efforts to go to another level? It doesn’t necessarily have to be that conference championship that has eluded Nebraska since 1999.
The work is being put in off the field and on the recruiting trail, but now the team must match it on the field to put some accelerant on the recruiting fire that the staff has been slowly building.
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.
