SI: Can Mike Riley improve Nebraska's recruiting? Sizing up his challenge

[Saunders]

When Nebraska hired Mike Riley as its new head coach in December, one of the main questions that emerged was whether he could recruit the talent required to fuel a more successful tenure than his predecessor. The Cornhuskers posted at least nine wins in each of Bo Pelinis seven seasons at the helm but failed to win a conference championship and never factored into the national title race.
That is an acceptable run for some programs and an outstanding one at others, but not at Nebraska, where the standard for success is perhaps unreasonably high. To reach that level, Riley needs to not only recruit elite prospects, but also to develop them effectively. Yet before assessing Rileys recruiting forecast, its instructive to look back on the Huskers recent history of acquiring talent.

http://www.si.com/college-football/2015/02/09/nebraska-cornhuskers-football-recruiting

 

[BigRedBuster]

Good article that is honest with the challenges but also honest in that Nebraska still is viewed as a special program.

Hopefully Riley and staff can capitalize on what we have and bring in the recruits we need.

 

[zoogs]

I think the primary gains will be in the organization aspect of recruiting. A few more in numbers, per class, better depth management (to avoid the bottom dropping out from position groups as much as possible -- see the DE, LB situation left behind), and building a better "N" brand long term, both locally and nationally. Most coaches can probably pull in 10-15 three-stars and a handful of four-stars to Nebraska, but that hardly tells the whole story.

Ultimately, of course, recruiting will be judged on the field and not in the rankings.

 

[LumberJackSker]

Good article it will be interesting to see if Riley can recruit on the same level as the big name coaches at OSU,PSU and Michigan. I don't think Nebraska necessarily needs to or can have a top ten class every year but recruiting definitely needs to improve. Owning that 500 mile radius is key. Its crazy to think the players Riley will be recruiting weren't even alive the last time Nebraska won a national title, gonna hard to stay relevant if Nebraska doesn't at least start winning conference titles.

 

[Saunders]

Its crazy to think the players Riley will be recruiting weren't even alive the last time Nebraska won a national title, gonna hard to stay relevant if Nebraska doesn't at least start winning conference titles.

Hell, some of the kids (most?) weren't even 1 year old the last time we won a conference title.

 

[Touchdown Tommie]

Definitely interested to see how well MR and staff can get recruits to Nebraska. I get the feeling this staff is willing to work harder and be out there more than the previous staff. Go after the big names and get your foot in the doors of these schools they are attending. I would like to think Nebraska has the strong name still, but it may only be known as the team that fired a psycho coach who won 9+ games a year for now.

 

[BigRedBuster]

Definitely interested to see how well MR and staff can get recruits to Nebraska. I get the feeling this staff is willing to work harder and be out there more than the previous staff. Go after the big names and get your foot in the doors of these schools they are attending. I would like to think Nebraska has the strong name still, but it may only be known as the team that fired a psycho coach who won 9+ games a year for now.

no