Husker_Power Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 BY MITCH SHERMAN WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER LINCOLN — Amid the ugliness of the final months of the Bill Callahan era, this comment from the fired Nebraska coach slipped through the cracks: "We really didn't feel like we could bring a guy in at a young age and wait . . . to develop them." Callahan said it at one of those tense Tuesday press conferences during the Huskers' historic five-game skid. He was defending his practice of recruiting junior college players by the bushel. "You've got to win," he said. "You've got to win right away." Callahan signed 29 juco players in four recruiting classes, including 11 in his touted 2005 group. Somewhere along the way, he determined it more important to "win now" than to develop young talent. You'll hear no such talk from Bo Pelini and his staff. Nebraska has barely sniffed the junior college ranks since Pelini was hired Dec. 2. Yes, NU unsuccessfully tried to retain the oral commitments of three California junior college players. And yes, the Huskers signed tight end Tyson Hetzer out of Citrus (Calif.) College in December. They're also expected Wednesday to sign former Omaha Burke lineman Ricky Henry, who now attends the North Dakota State College of Science. But Hetzer and Henry committed long before Pelini was hired. Nine players, all high school seniors, have joined the Nebraska class during the past two months. Jeff Jamrog, NU director of football operations, broke it down Wednesday like this: The Huskers focus first on recruiting Nebraska high schools, then canvass the area within a 500-mile radius of Lincoln. The next focus is national recruiting. "And then, if we do go the junior college route," Jamrog said, "it's going to be for a specific need. It'll probably be a situation where we're counting on someone coming in right away to play. If it's all equal, we'll tend to probably go toward the high school player just because he has five years to play four." Junior college players make up an important part of NU history. Think Mike Rozier. Jamrog referenced Demorrio Williams, too. There have been many others, but never in the numbers that Callahan brought. "Different people subscribe to different ideas about junior college players," said Jeremy Crabtree, recruiting editor for rivals.com. "Some believe that it's a no-no. Some people, you should go heavy. Others think the junior college players can complement a class." There's always a sense of urgency to win at Nebraska. That hasn't changed. "This time, I think there's a sense of urgency not to try to find the quick fix," Crabtree said. "I think (Pelini) wants to win for a long time. It looks like they're in this for the long haul." More planning to be walk-ons Almost every day, there's word of another Nebraska high school senior who's planning to walk on next year in Lincoln. Omaha Creighton Prep coach Tom Jaworski on Wednesday said twin defenders Colin McDermott, a linebacker, and defensive end Conor McDermott, have pledged to walk on next season at NU. They visited Lincoln last week with Prep's Matt Manninger and Omaha Bryan's Jeremy Wallace, both of whom are also on board. "They feel like they'd be shortchanging themselves if they didn't give it a chance," Jaworski said. If you don't know someone involved in this resurgence of the NU walk-on program, well, you're just not getting out enough. The class of committed walk-ons is up to 23 and may grow by a few more. The interest has surprised even Jamrog, a former Nebraska walk-on turned starting outside linebacker and assistant coach. "What we found out is that the percentage we've targeted has been extremely high," he said. Jamrog is the chief organizer of the walk-on bonanza. He compiled an impressive list of 28 former Nebraska walk-ons who graduated to the NFL. The collection includes Jimmy Williams, Joel Makovicka, Adam Treu, Jared Tomich and John Parrella, who together played 43 professional seasons. Not exactly the same recruiting pitch you'll get from the University of Nebraska at Omaha or Northwest Missouri State. "We really don't want to turn down anyone who comes highly recommended, looks good on film and has been offered some kind of scholarship somewhere else," Jamrog said. As for the numbers, Jamrog said, the Huskers will "err on the high end this year." The recruited walk-ons sign a nonbinding agreement with the Huskers. Only those walk-ons who have been admitted to school at Nebraska and taken other steps toward enrollment will be announced with the NU signing class next week. Jamrog said he expects that to include about half of the walk-on group. The others will be announced by Nebraska later. Quote Link to comment
Eric the Red Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Mitch Sherman: Pelini won't rely on jucos Mitch Sherman: Pelini won't rely on jucos BY MITCH SHERMAN WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER • NU football schedule • 2008 NU football commitments RELATED • NU football schedule • 2008 NU football commitments LINCOLN — Amid the ugliness of the final months of the Bill Callahan era, this comment from the fired Nebraska coach slipped through the cracks: "We really didn't feel like we could bring a guy in at a young age and wait . . . to develop them." Callahan said it at one of those tense Tuesday press conferences during the Huskers' historic five-game skid. He was defending his practice of recruiting junior college players by the bushel. "You've got to win," he said. "You've got to win right away." Callahan signed 29 juco players in four recruiting classes, including 11 in his touted 2005 group. Somewhere along the way, he determined it more important to "win now" than to develop young talent. You'll hear no such talk from Bo Pelini and his staff. Nebraska has barely sniffed the junior college ranks since Pelini was hired Dec. 2. Yes, NU unsuccessfully tried to retain the oral commitments of three California junior college players. And yes, the Huskers signed tight end Tyson Hetzer out of Citrus (Calif.) College in December. They're also expected Wednesday to sign former Omaha Burke lineman Ricky Henry, who now attends the North Dakota State College of Science. But Hetzer and Henry committed long before Pelini was hired. Nine players, all high school seniors, have joined the Nebraska class during the past two months. Jeff Jamrog, NU director of football operations, broke it down Wednesday like this: The Huskers focus first on recruiting Nebraska high schools, then canvass the area within a 500-mile radius of Lincoln. The next focus is national recruiting. "And then, if we do go the junior college route," Jamrog said, "it's going to be for a specific need. It'll probably be a situation where we're counting on someone coming in right away to play. If it's all equal, we'll tend to probably go toward the high school player just because he has five years to play four." Junior college players make up an important part of NU history. Think Mike Rozier. Jamrog referenced Demorrio Williams, too. There have been many others, but never in the numbers that Callahan brought. "Different people subscribe to different ideas about junior college players," said Jeremy Crabtree, recruiting editor for rivals.com. "Some believe that it's a no-no. Some people, you should go heavy. Others think the junior college players can complement a class." There's always a sense of urgency to win at Nebraska. That hasn't changed. "This time, I think there's a sense of urgency not to try to find the quick fix," Crabtree said. "I think (Pelini) wants to win for a long time. It looks like they're in this for the long haul." More planning to be walk-ons Almost every day, there's word of another Nebraska high school senior who's planning to walk on next year in Lincoln. Omaha Creighton Prep coach Tom Jaworski on Wednesday said twin defenders Colin McDermott, a linebacker, and defensive end Conor McDermott, have pledged to walk on next season at NU. They visited Lincoln last week with Prep's Matt Manninger and Omaha Bryan's Jeremy Wallace, both of whom are also on board. "They feel like they'd be shortchanging themselves if they didn't give it a chance," Jaworski said. If you don't know someone involved in this resurgence of the NU walk-on program, well, you're just not getting out enough. The class of committed walk-ons is up to 23 and may grow by a few more. The interest has surprised even Jamrog, a former Nebraska walk-on turned starting outside linebacker and assistant coach. "What we found out is that the percentage we've targeted has been extremely high," he said. Jamrog is the chief organizer of the walk-on bonanza. He compiled an impressive list of 28 former Nebraska walk-ons who graduated to the NFL. The collection includes Jimmy Williams, Joel Makovicka, Adam Treu, Jared Tomich and John Parrella, who together played 43 professional seasons. Not exactly the same recruiting pitch you'll get from the University of Nebraska at Omaha or Northwest Missouri State. "We really don't want to turn down anyone who comes highly recommended, looks good on film and has been offered some kind of scholarship somewhere else," Jamrog said. As for the numbers, Jamrog said, the Huskers will "err on the high end this year." The recruited walk-ons sign a nonbinding agreement with the Huskers. Only those walk-ons who have been admitted to school at Nebraska and taken other steps toward enrollment will be announced with the NU signing class next week. Jamrog said he expects that to include about half of the walk-on group. The others will be announced by Nebraska later. Quote Link to comment
BOBELIEVER Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Mitch Sherman: Pelini won't rely on jucos The collection includes Jimmy Williams, Joel Makovicka, Adam Treu, Jared Tomich and John Parrella, who together played 43 professional seasons. i could not believe that Quote Link to comment
huskermez9674 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Mitch Sherman: Pelini won't rely on jucos Mitch Sherman: Pelini won't rely on jucos BY MITCH SHERMAN WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER • NU football schedule • 2008 NU football commitments RELATED • NU football schedule • 2008 NU football commitments LINCOLN — Amid the ugliness of the final months of the Bill Callahan era, this comment from the fired Nebraska coach slipped through the cracks: "We really didn't feel like we could bring a guy in at a young age and wait . . . to develop them." Callahan said it at one of those tense Tuesday press conferences during the Huskers' historic five-game skid. He was defending his practice of recruiting junior college players by the bushel. "You've got to win," he said. "You've got to win right away." Callahan signed 29 juco players in four recruiting classes, including 11 in his touted 2005 group. Somewhere along the way, he determined it more important to "win now" than to develop young talent. You'll hear no such talk from Bo Pelini and his staff. Nebraska has barely sniffed the junior college ranks since Pelini was hired Dec. 2. Yes, NU unsuccessfully tried to retain the oral commitments of three California junior college players. And yes, the Huskers signed tight end Tyson Hetzer out of Citrus (Calif.) College in December. They're also expected Wednesday to sign former Omaha Burke lineman Ricky Henry, who now attends the North Dakota State College of Science. But Hetzer and Henry committed long before Pelini was hired. Nine players, all high school seniors, have joined the Nebraska class during the past two months. Jeff Jamrog, NU director of football operations, broke it down Wednesday like this: The Huskers focus first on recruiting Nebraska high schools, then canvass the area within a 500-mile radius of Lincoln. The next focus is national recruiting. "And then, if we do go the junior college route," Jamrog said, "it's going to be for a specific need. It'll probably be a situation where we're counting on someone coming in right away to play. If it's all equal, we'll tend to probably go toward the high school player just because he has five years to play four." Junior college players make up an important part of NU history. Think Mike Rozier. Jamrog referenced Demorrio Williams, too. There have been many others, but never in the numbers that Callahan brought. "Different people subscribe to different ideas about junior college players," said Jeremy Crabtree, recruiting editor for rivals.com. "Some believe that it's a no-no. Some people, you should go heavy. Others think the junior college players can complement a class." There's always a sense of urgency to win at Nebraska. That hasn't changed. "This time, I think there's a sense of urgency not to try to find the quick fix," Crabtree said. "I think (Pelini) wants to win for a long time. It looks like they're in this for the long haul." More planning to be walk-ons Almost every day, there's word of another Nebraska high school senior who's planning to walk on next year in Lincoln. Omaha Creighton Prep coach Tom Jaworski on Wednesday said twin defenders Colin McDermott, a linebacker, and defensive end Conor McDermott, have pledged to walk on next season at NU. They visited Lincoln last week with Prep's Matt Manninger and Omaha Bryan's Jeremy Wallace, both of whom are also on board. "They feel like they'd be shortchanging themselves if they didn't give it a chance," Jaworski said. If you don't know someone involved in this resurgence of the NU walk-on program, well, you're just not getting out enough. The class of committed walk-ons is up to 23 and may grow by a few more. The interest has surprised even Jamrog, a former Nebraska walk-on turned starting outside linebacker and assistant coach. "What we found out is that the percentage we've targeted has been extremely high," he said. Jamrog is the chief organizer of the walk-on bonanza. He compiled an impressive list of 28 former Nebraska walk-ons who graduated to the NFL. The collection includes Jimmy Williams, Joel Makovicka, Adam Treu, Jared Tomich and John Parrella, who together played 43 professional seasons. Not exactly the same recruiting pitch you'll get from the University of Nebraska at Omaha or Northwest Missouri State. "We really don't want to turn down anyone who comes highly recommended, looks good on film and has been offered some kind of scholarship somewhere else," Jamrog said. As for the numbers, Jamrog said, the Huskers will "err on the high end this year." The recruited walk-ons sign a nonbinding agreement with the Huskers. Only those walk-ons who have been admitted to school at Nebraska and taken other steps toward enrollment will be announced with the NU signing class next week. Jamrog said he expects that to include about half of the walk-on group. The others will be announced by Nebraska later. Speaking of Makovickas'. I heard that Jordan Makovicka said he was going to walk on. Anybody else here about this? Quote Link to comment
teamster Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Yes, LJS confirmed that Jordan will walk on this fall. Quote Link to comment
Husker_x Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Nothing like a walk on dynasty being passed through the ages. Welcome Jordan. Quote Link to comment
dlrn64 Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Recruiting JUCO's in large numbers is not a way to build a cohesive program. It is a 'quick fix" and almost says that the coaches aren't good at developing players. It clearly wasn't a strong suit with Callahan's staff. I'm glad that Pelini is going to go the build and develop recruits through 4-5 yrs instead and just pick a few JUCO's that may fit a specific need. KState is in big trouble with the number of JUCO's they are going to have this coming year. Somethjing tells me Prince is on his last leg there. Quote Link to comment
Touchdown Tommie Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Nothing like a walk on dynasty being passed through the ages. Welcome Jordan. Didn't they all choose to walk on? I thought they walked on since they did not need to scholarship to play at NU...the dad just paid since he had the money. Correct me if I am wrong..... Quote Link to comment
zoogs Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 If so, that's AMAZING loyalty. Quote Link to comment
REDSTEEL Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Nothing like a walk on dynasty being passed through the ages. Welcome Jordan. Didn't they all choose to walk on? I thought they walked on since they did not need to scholarship to play at NU...the dad just paid since he had the money. Correct me if I am wrong..... I think Joel was schollie after his bro Jeff did so well here or are the names the other way? Quote Link to comment
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