Defensive end prospect Robert Porcher IV was considered to be one of Nebraska’s best defensive commits. According to Hail Varsity’s composite ranking, he was a 3-star with a 83.1 overall score. When Porcher decommitted Monday afternoon, the questions began. Primarily, what will the Huskers do now?
Nebraska has a few options to replace Porcher, all who could bring value to the class and John Parrella’s defensive line.
Robert Beal
Robert Beal is a 6-3, 230-pound defensive end prospect from Norcross, Georgia. He is considered a 4-star with a 96.3 overall score on Hail Varsity’s composite ranking. Sounds great, right?
The only problem is that Beal is currently committed to Georgia and has been since July 5, 2016. However, Parrella has visited Beal, including a recent visit that was shared on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/robertbeal6/status/804176686568865793
Beal would be Nebraska’s best case scenario. It’s not completely out of the question that he could decommit from Georgia, but he is looking at quite a few other schools. That includes Florida State and Alabama. Wherever Beal lands, he is expected to enroll in January.
With Porcher’s decommittment, Nebraska will be pushing harder than ever to get Beal on campus before he ultimately makes his decision.
James Lynch
Before Nebraska offered Porcher, the Round Rock, Texas, defensive tackle was on the Huskers’ radar. Battling for the same spot last summer, Porcher ultimately won out and received the Nebraska offer.
Since then, Lynch has committed to TCU, decommitted from TCU, committed to USC and then decommitted from USC a couple of days ago. Yes, it sounds like Lynch may still be trying to make up his mind and if Nebraska was back as a possibility, he may finally get the offer he was competing for.
Parrella hasn’t made a move for Lynch yet, but he’s a name to keep an eye on. As the Huskers look to fill Porcher’s spot, Lynch will likely be on the short list of players that will be evaluated.
Deontre Thomas
This is a long shot but one still worth mentioning. If Nebraska is unable to find someone to replace the spot left open by Porcher, defensive tackle Deontre Thomas could shift to defensive end.
Thomas is considered to be a bit undersized for the defensive tackle position, so moving him could be an option. If shifted over, he could become a good strong side defensive end.
One final benefit to this option? If it happened, it would open up two spots at defensive tackle for prospect Damion Daniels and current LSU commit Tyler Shelvin.
Check out our Hail Varsity Radio interview with Robert Porcher III here.
Erin is the Deputy Editor and Digital Marketing Strategist for Hail Varsity. She has covered Nebraska athletics since 2012, which has included stops at Bleacher Report, Cox Media Group’s Land of 10, and even Hail Varsity (previously from 2012-2017). She has also been featured on the Big Ten Network, NET’s Big Red Wrap-Up, and a varsity of radio shows nationwide. When not covering the Huskers, Erin is probably at Chipotle.
