Rivals.com: banking on Gabbert

[zoogs]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/foot...ting/index.html

 

Blaine Gabbert is the guy.

 

At least for Nebraska coach Bill Callahan, he'd better be.

 

Callahan is 22-15 in his three years at the helm of the Huskers, and he's entering the time in his tenure that will likely make or break his future in Lincoln.

 

A grueling nonconference schedule, highlighted by home games against Nevada and USC and an away game at Wake Forest, will make this season tough. However, eight or nine wins are expected. Beyond 2007, Nebraska fans will be itching to play in BCS games and for a national title. That's where Gabbert, who verbally committed to Nebraska in May, comes in to the equation.

 

A team will only go as far as its quarterback will take it. The difference between a 5-6 debut at Nebraska and back-to-back seasons with eight or more wins is as simple as trading in Joe Dailey for Zac Taylor.

 

OK, it's not quite as simple as that, but Taylor's 40-to-19 touchdown-to-interception ratio sure looked a lot better than Dailey's ugly 17-to-18 ratio in 2004.

 

Nebraska went from beating nobody of importance to pulling off big wins against Michigan, Iowa State and Texas A&M. The Huskers went from being pummeled by Kansas State to beating them in each of the last two years. That, my friend, is because of quarterback play.

 

Callahan has the luxury of an experienced gunslinger under center this year, as Arizona State transfer Sam Keller will take over the reigns for a season. Taylor came in as an experienced junior college prospect and was ready to play big-time, Big 12 football. These are luxuries Callahan needs as he continues to develop his offense, but sooner or later he knew he'd have to stop adopting quarterbacks and raise one from the crib.

 

Gabbert is the guy.

 

Some thought Harrison Beck was the guy, but the quarterback from Clearwater, Fla., had much more hype than talent. He has already been a washout in Nebraska's system (he completed one of 10 passes in his Husker career). Beck transferred to N.C. State and hopes to compete for a starting job in Raleigh this year.

 

Gabbert was the best quarterback at the recent Elite 11 showcase in California, and his stock is on the rise. In the latest Rivals.com rankings, Gabbert earned his fifth star and a national ranking of No. 14. He has a chance to end up as the highest-ranked recruit in the Callahan era (running back Marlon Lucky, who should have a breakout year this season, was No. 13 overall in 2005).

 

Quarterbacks are the movie stars of the football world, and Gabbert will be Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Matt Damon all in one for fans of the Cornhuskers. It's also safe to say Gabbert will likely make or break Callahan.

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After this season, there are no instant solutions at quarterback. Junior College signal-caller Zac Lee signed with Nebraska last year after putting up some nice numbers in California, but it will be hard for him to match the other Zac when it comes to production. And it will be harder to keep Gabbert off the field.

 

Gabbert is expected to be in the quarterback mix for the 2008 season, and there will be plenty of fan and media pressure to play the star recruit early. A redshirt season seems unlikely, especially with the constant pressure on Callahan to take Nebraska back to its traditional heights.

 

If Gabbert isn't rushed and pans out, Nebraska will have a huge piece to the national-title puzzle under center. With a stellar O-line class signing with Gabbert in February, the Huskers offense could be scary down the road.

 

What if Gabbert isn't the guy? Callahan and Husker Nation don't want to think about that.

 

Spartans win a big one: Detroit (Mich.) Southeastern wide receiver Fred Smith chose Michigan State over an offer from Michigan earlier this week. The 6-foot-2, 207-pounder has been called a poor man's Braylon Edwards by some. The comparison is based on Smith's size and downfield ability.

 

Smith is ranked as the No. 23 wide receiver in the country. He caught 37 passes as a junior for 595 yards and six scores. He was recruited by MSU running backs coach Dan Enos, who is emerging as one of the top recruiters in the country.

 

Trojans add good hands: Norcross, Ga., wide receiver Brice Butler was a unanimous choice by Rivals.com analysts for having the best hands at his position, and Butler has become known for his circus catches. He is heading west after committing to USC over offers from Georgia, Florida State, Florida, Notre Dame, LSU and others.

 

 

A nice article - well, nice coverage anyway - although I'm not sure I agree with all aspects. First, Beck wasn't "more hype than talent" - that remains to be seen. Also, a redshirt season seems unlikely? Why? Does this guy know anything about our offense, or is he basing that off his "Callahan is on the hotseat" spin? I'd argue that, given the complex nature of our offense, a redshirt season is highly probable. It's not like our QB cupboard is bare - we'll return three talented guys who'll have at least one year in the system, one of them who's a potential starter this year. I think the best scenario is for Gabbert to absorb WCO for a year, and then lead us to the promised land for years to come.

[rawhide]

Witt doesn't sound like chopped liver just yet. Hope Gabbert is that good though.

[husker rob]

everyone of the QB's wants to be the Guy. even Sam Keller says that in his interview. It is going to be hard to keep them all happy. Hopefully they all have the character to stay and push each other to become better players, if that is the case then NU will be set at QB for a long time.

[HuskerJosh82]

Decent article but the writer didn't do his homework. He forgot to mention next year's QB's i.e. Ganz, Lee, Witt.

[Blackshirt316]

And when in the world did beating a very bad ISU team become the equivalent to beating a good Michigan team at a neutral site on national television?

[KCforNU]

And when in the world did beating a very bad ISU team become the equivalent to beating a good Michigan team at a neutral site on national television?

 

 

That's exactly what I thought when I was reading that. Since when is Iowa State a marquee victory?

 

Other than that, I think it's a pretty fair assessment. Our QB pipeline is fairly well stocked with quality players with some time to contribute to and develop in the program. Only issue I see is it's possible the next 3 years (including this one) we will most likely have 3 different starting QBs. Sam Keller this year, Ganz / Witt / Lee next year, and Gabbert after his RS year.

 

But that's just how I see it.

[OmahaPoohBear]

Better hope he signs with us first. Look what happened with the last "Elite 11" qb from Missouri that went out and tried to recruit other players for us

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

Better hope he signs with us first. Look what happened with the last "Elite 11" qb from Missouri that went out and tried to recruit other players for us

Brilliant!

[DJR313]

And when in the world did beating a very bad ISU team become the equivalent to beating a good Michigan team at a neutral site on national television?

 

 

That's exactly what I thought when I was reading that. Since when is Iowa State a marquee victory?

 

 

 

I think they were referring to the 2005 2OT game against the ranked ISU team. ISU stumbled badly after that one.

[Landlord]

What DJR said. It wasn't necessarily a "marquee" victory, but it was a tough-fought, well deserved victory over a ranked opponent when our program was still struggling.

[Necava Husker]

Some thought Harrison Beck was the guy, but the quarterback from Clearwater, Fla., had much more hype than talent. He has already been a washout in Nebraska's system (he completed one of 10 passes in his Husker career).

Even though Beck’s Husker contributions on the field were not many, I think getting an early verbal commit from him helped us to attract other commits which led to a great recruiting class. That may have been his most valuable contribution—probably worth the scholie time we gave him. Same can be said of Josh "textboy" Freeman—and he didn’t even cost us a scholie. GBR!

[Spartness]

You figure in the next three or four years one of those QBs will carry us. -- whether it's Gabber, Lee or Witt. Hopefully through the whole duration, at least two of those three stick around. You figure one QB perhaps will transfer so he can start somewhere else. You can't keep them all happy.

 

If Ganz doesn't start this year, you figure he will have a great chance of beginning the 2008 season as the starter. It seems he is physically more talented than Taylor. But does he have Taylor's smarts and leadership ability? That is unknown. Plus he is a little undersized height-wise. So we shall see.

[Alex 4.0]

I think next years will be a fun one. Lee, Witt, and Ganz have all drawn praise, and each brings something different to the table. They should all have the system down pretty well, so it will be a fun one.

 

(I find it hard to believe that gabbert can come in and join the race right away, maybe later in the season though. I think he would be best suited to RS and get as many reps in practice as possible so he can possibly start or get significant pt as a RS Frosh and have a solid 4 years to dominate. )