Welcome to the early signing period. It’s been an action-packed day for Nebraska on the recruiting trail.
As the day started to wrap up, Coach Scott Frost met with the media Wednesday afternoon to address the 2020 recruiting class and more. He spent some time talking about the Huskers’ needs at wide receiver and linebacker, as well as what he thought about various players Nebraska signed on Wednesday.
Let’s take a quick look at what Frost said.
>> What does Frost think about his 2020 recruiting class so far?
"Best thing about them is they love football, they love the game, they're excited, they love Nebraska,” he said.
Frost said he was a little anxious going into signing day because a lot of the kids they wanted were late decisions. Nebraska knew people thought they were behind, but just kept working because the staff knew their chances with those still left on the board.
>> When it came to deciding how Nebraska would use its final available spots in the class, Frost said there were a lot of balls in the air heading into the day.
“We were making decisions on that all the way up to last night and this morning,” Frost said.
>> Travis Fisher had a really solid signing day, which Frost gave him plenty of credit for on Wednesday.
“T-Fish, I gotta tell you that every year there’s a superstar on the staff in recruiting,” Frost said. “This year, he’s one of the top guys.”
Frost shared that what makes Fisher so good at recruiting is that he cares about the players deeply and that he builds strong relationships with them.
>> As for the rumors on Fisher that he may leave Nebraska?
“I don’t want to say too much about details,” Frost said. “This process is tough on a lot of recruits. It’s tough on 18-year-olds and sometimes they have to sort out rumors, and truths and falsehoods.”
Frost also said it’s just how recruiting goes but that Fisher will be at Nebraska for a long time. For what it’s worth, Fisher also tweeted something similar earlier in the day.
There’s no place like Nebraska! Getting better today and I can’t wait to coach these great young men for the next four to five years! Sky’s the limit!#GBR ☠️☠️☠️
— Travis Fisher (@CoachTFisher) December 18, 2019
>> Those rumors about Fisher were mostly surrounding the decision for 4-star defensive back Jaiden Francois. Frost spoke to Francois today and admitted he was a little nervous when the signing way delayed, but that the Nebraska staff believes in telling the truth and that it usually wins out.
Frost also expects him to come in and contribute early.
>> Will Nebraska pursue a good number of junior college players going forward?
“We’ll get to a point in this program where we won’t look too sign too many,” Frost said.
Frost felt Nebraska needed more immediate help at some spots this year, like pass rushers and wide receivers. Going forward, it’ll just depend on what’s needed.
>> “Omar, I’m really excited about,” Frost said about wide receiver Omar Manning.
Nebraska wanted to be more productive at the outside receiver spot and Manning fits that spot.
“There wasn’t a better guy in the country for what we were looking for than him,” Frost said.
>> Logan Smothers was a quick favorite for Frost because of the visit. And the food?
“The best meal I’ve ever had on a recruiting visit was at Logan’s house,” Frost said.
With that said, he also liked his ability to throw, run and felt he had the right mentality. He was impressed by his “toughness,” too.
>> Is there anything that would keep Frost from recruiting certain players?
“There are things that would make us shy away from recruits,” Frost said.
He didn’t say specifics, but said those decisions can go right up until the end for Nebraska.
>> Linebacker was a big focus for Nebraska in this class, and Frost had no problem speaking highly of the players the Huskers signed today.
“I think getting Keyshawn Greene out of Florida really solidified what we’re doing there,” he said.
Frost also really likes Eteva Mauga-Clements and Blaise Gunnerson. He said he would like to see his son grow up to be like Gunnerson.
>> Another position Frost wanted to see more improvement at is wide receiver. Manning, as mentioned, helped there but he also complimented some of the players Nebraska already has like JD Spielman and Wan’Dale Robinson. He also spoke about the young wide receivers and what they might bring to the team in 2020.
>> Speaking of Spielman, Frost may have dropped some information on the future with the wide receiver. He said that he’s excited to coach Spielman for another year, and that the Huskers are “lucky to have him back another season."
>> When it comes to the running backs in the 2020 recruiting class, Frost said Marvin Scott III is physically ready to play right away and that Sevion Morrison is as complete a back as you'll find.
Frost also said they both are always smiling any time he FaceTimes with them and called them the kind of kid he wants to be around and have in his program.
>> As far a couple of non-recruiting updates, quarterback Adrian Martinez had surgery after the season ended. Frost didn’t get into specifics as to what it was for, but said he expects Martinez to be available for spring ball.
"I think the kid's a trooper for battling with what he battled through this year,” he said.
>> Frost said he's meeting with Maurice Washington on Thursday and should have news about a resolution to that situation after that.
>> Frost was also asked about Katerian LeGrone and Andre Hunt at the end of his press conference. He said the minute the staff was made aware of information regarding the sexual misconduct allegations they reported it and suspended them.
