NU changes kept its recruiters busy

[Husker_Power]

BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL

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"Scrambling" can be a positive word in football lexicon — if you're talking about a fleet quarterback making something out of nothing on third-and-7.

 

The word isn't quite as affectionate, though, when you're talking recruiting.

 

Save the scrambling for on the field in October. Not on the road in January.

 

Nobody wants to scramble then. Not with national letter-of-intent signing day looming on the first Wednesday of February.

 

And schools certainly don't want the word "scrambling" to become a regular part of their January vocabulary.

 

Sure, "scrambling" implies hard work, long hours and hopefully positive results. But it also means there's stress and uncertainty during times of change, something Nebraska coaches (and fans) have now endured twice in four years.

 

First-year Nebraska coach Bo Pelini will introduce his first recruiting class Wednesday. It's been described by many as not only a scramble, but a "mad scramble."

 

But how does it compare with the scramble by former coach Bill Callahan and his initial class in 2004?

 

That might be a better question to answer in two, three or four years. For now, though, it appears Pelini's crew might have had the madder scramble.

 

That conclusion could be derived by comparing the number of decommitments.

 

Callahan lost one player — quarterback Allan Evridge — who was originally committed, then reneged.

 

Pelini had 15 players decommit, 14 who had committed to Callahan.

 

A prized quarterback. A highly touted in-state offensive lineman. A running back who's now at Notre Dame. Big 12 schools, most notably Colorado, raided the Huskers for players.

 

The scramble began. Pelini convinced one of those players, Josh Williams, to come back. The staff worked over the state of Texas for new players. Twelve new Huskers have come aboard under Pelini — including Sunday's commitment of wide receiver Khiry Cooper — and a couple of others reaffirmed their previous commitments.

 

And, unlike Callahan's first class, it appears the scramble will end Wednesday. Callahan continued to add players through the summer with junior college additions such as Marque McCray and Shamus McCoy.

 

Callahan and his staff, though, had one less month to recruit — he was hired Jan. 9, while Pelini was hired Dec. 2.

 

Callahan, by the time the 2004 season began, had signed 12 players who hadn't already committed to former coach Frank Solich. One of those is Nebraska's probable starting quarterback in 2008. Another, Brandon Jackson, is already in the NFL, both signs that Callahan's scramble wasn't unproductive.

 

Eight players from the 2004 class — including quarterback Joe Ganz and offensive tackle Lydon Murtha, two products of Callahan's scrambling — are on the 2008 roster. Many figure to be starters.

 

Which players in Pelini's scrambling class will stand out?

 

That can be answered easier in four years, when the word "scrambling" in January will ideally be a distant memory.

[DeathCultArmaggedon]

Very interesting. Why do you think Callahan had so few de-commits? Is it because he took the reigns much closer to signing day?

[hskerholic]

I think he has so few decommits becuase he took over after a 9-3 season, not a 5-6 season.

[GBR]

Very interesting. Why do you think Callahan had so few de-commits? Is it because he took the reigns much closer to signing day?

Because FS's recruits where committed to Nebraska. And BC's recruits were commited to him.

 

If you're committed to the program, you'll wait and see how the new guy does. If you're committed to a coach you'll go find the next coach that makes you happy.

 

What also needs to be figured in the equation is how many players left after they spent one (or more) years with BC. It will be interesting to see if BP has (m)any losses of current players after his first season.