“He was organizing the coaches’ schedules, he was evaluating players, he was keeping tabs on our roster, he was coordinating visits,” said Billy Devaney, NU’s executive director of player personnel. “One of those departments is hard enough to pull off, and he was heavily involved in all four of them. You can see what a void he left.”
Gunderson trained many in the office well, Devaney said, so as the Huskers steam toward signing day, they haven’t lost much momentum.
“It’s not a case where guys are trying to figure out, ‘How did Gundy do this?’ They’ve been involved,” Devaney said.
Todd McShane has assumed some of Gunderson’s role. Devaney said he is more involved, too. The longtime pro football veteran, who spent several years as an NFL general manager, was hired 11 months ago.
“I’m starting to get pretty comfortable, finally, on the nuances of recruiting,” Devaney said. “It’s been long hours, but it’s been fun.”