This is as sweet as the inaugural offseason is going to get for Nebraska's football staff.
Enthusiasm and good vibes surrounding Husker recruiting hasn't been this potent since June 19, 2010. Five years ago. That day ring a bell? Probably not. That's when Bubba Starling picked NU over everybody else a week after the Huskers jumped to the Big Ten. Nebraska fans felt good that week, man. A national title-caliber roster in the house for 2010. A middle finger to Texas, Dan Beebe and the Big 12. And Bubba? Nebraska football was struttin', even if The Professor, Ted Gilmore, was putting together the class.
Screen Name or EmailNow I remember!Just about every day since that summer, the general Nebraska fan mood — at least in reaction to recruiting — has vacillated between "it's getting better, even good!" and "are you sure?" As someone who doesn't work for one of the recruiting sites, part of what I do — what I watch and chart — is recruiting sites' reaction and thought process in relation to Nebraska's recruiting operation. And when the Huskers hauled in strong classes in recent years — the 2013 class had its share of gems and its share of grease fires — it was a bit of pleasant surprise. The "it's getting better, even good" vibe.
But rarely did I sense a "these guys get it" vibe about Nebraska's former staff. I didn't sense it because it wasn't exactly there on recruiting.
It's there with this Nebraska staff. And if I sound like a broken record, well, that why I'm telling you: It's the height of the honeymoon. Enjoy it. There will be some games to win soon, and thus begins the real marriage.
You had two Nebraska recruiting sites —
Husker Online and
Huskers Illustrated following Husker staffers to satellite camps last week. Satellite camps. Is that unprecedented in the history of these deals? I suspect it may be, unless you count Michigan's summer slam, which was part football camp, part Jim Harbaugh's American Values tour. But outside of that, for four camps to draw that much interest.... well, that's how Nebraska fans and Nebraska recruitniks roll, though. They eat up this news like Langoliers munch through the past.
And you had NU's two quarterback commits —
Terry Wilson and
Patrick O'Brien — throwing at camps held by a school that already had their verbal commitment. Workouts, interviews, the whole nine yards. Now that they're both four-star prospects according at least one recruiting service — my hunch is they're both consensus four-stars by the end of their high school seasons — their dual commitments feels a bit like a unspoken duel, doesn't it? Feels like the 1997 recruiting class — which had Eric Crouch and Bobby Newcombe — all over again.
It feels pretty good.
It feels good, too, that Nebraska was able to target — and land — a highly-coveted defensive prospect in California,
Marquel Dismuke, and a more-coveted defensive prospect in New Jersey,
Quayshon Alexander. If Fort Pierce (Florida) Central linebacker Greg Simmons commits to NU in the next couple weeks — as is predicted — that'd mean Nebraska has planted 2016 flags in three of the top states for talent.
And that's what coach Mike Riley told reporters he wanted to do when he arrived at Nebraska. Recruit nationally. Go to every corner of the map, do so with efficiency, and not feel bad about finishing second with top-shelf prospects. Thus far,
Riley's done what he said he was going to do. His staff has been efficient in evaluating and offering prospects.
Now, it's time to close more of them before training camp hits. Preferably before the dead period hits in July hits.
