NU's summer camps heat up

[Husker_Power]

By BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star

 

So this is summer vacation. On occasion, it includes a day of lounging at the lake.

 

But for Tyrone Sellers, it’s mostly about football.

 

Camps and lifting, lifting and camps.

 

“You can’t get too hyped out about the camps,” said the 17-year-old defensive end from McCook who already has offers from Kansas, Wyoming, Iowa and Kansas State. “You just got to do what you do best. Obviously if coaches are looking at you, there are some good reasons they’re looking at you.”

 

Plenty of looking is going on this week.

 

Husker football camps are in full operation, more than 1,200 athletes expected to attend the various events. The first session of high school camps started Sunday. The second session starts today and goes through Friday.

 

Kids from Omaha. Kids from McCook. Kids from Louisiana and New Jersey. Kids who learn quick it’s best to be on their toes.

 

“If you do something wrong, they will let you know about it,” said defensive end Craig Capella of Galloway, N.J. Capella hails from the same Absegami High School that Doug Colman, now a Husker staffer, used to coach.

 

Prep players come hoping to learn a thing or two from Nebraska coaches but also make an impression, the select ones maybe even leaving with a scholarship offer in their back pockets.

 

“I basically grew up a Husker fan. I watched them my entire life,” said Sellers, who will start working out in the Husker camp on Thursday. “They really want to get me to camp before they pull the trigger (on a scholarship). I’m just hoping the camp helps.”

 

Some, like split-end Ty Kildow, come ready to show they shouldn’t be underestimated because of a smaller stature: 5-feet-7 and 170 pounds in the case of the Millard South senior-to-be.

 

“I’m pretty satisfied,” said Kildow on Tuesday after having finished his Husker camp experience. “I’m pretty sure I ran the fastest 40 there.”

 

That’s probably a safe assumption considering he ran it in 4.39 seconds, cheering going on as he did so.

 

And about his size: “Yeah, most coaches I’m sure see it as a risk,” said Kildow, who has not yet been offered a scholarship by Nebraska. “But Coach Pelini and the Husker coaches said they’re not worried about my size.”

 

He’s playing baseball this summer and there will be more football camps at Iowa, South Dakota State and Iowa State.

 

“When you sit back and look at my schedule, it looks like it’s long and busy,” Kildow said. “I just take it day by day.”

 

Both Sellers and Kildow earned Journal Star first-team Super-State status last year.

 

Such success brings with it plenty of attention, but Sellers said he doesn’t worry about whatever outside talk there might be.

 

“All you can do is show people how you play and what kind of person you are,” Sellers said. “It doesn’t really matter what everyone else says. It’s how the coaches think about you.”

 

Capella said players went through basic drills on the first day of the Husker camp. After that, coaches would step in and teach technique on an individual basis, eventually putting the guys up front through one-on-one drills.

 

“I’m pretty sore,” Capella said. “It’s the first time I had pads on this year.”

 

Some of the players that joined Capella in the first camp session were defensive line commit Cole Pensick (Lincoln Northeast), quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase (Kansas City, Mo.), offensive lineman Matt Sterup (Hastings St. Cecilia), receiver Keith Langtry (Kansas City, Mo.), cornerback Jonathan Edwards (Birmingham, Ala.), safety Wil Richards (Lee’s Summit, Mo.), and twins Jarvis and Myron Walker (Metairie, La.). Jarvis is a safety and Myron is a defensive tackle.

 

Some names expected to be alongside Sellers in the second session are fullback commit C.J. Zimmerer (Omaha Gross), offensive lineman Jess Coffey (Denton, Texas), cornerback Gabe Lynn (Jenks, Okla.), receiver Vondrae Tostenson (Millard South) and offensive lineman Jon Lechner (Creighton Prep).

 

There are even some guys planning on road-tripping it from Lancaster, Texas: linebacker Cordarius Golston, defensive end Anthony Gilbert, and cornerbacks Joshua Brown and Demontre Hurst.

 

Coffey is a good example of a player hitting the camp circuit hard. Besides Nebraska, he’s also been to camps or visits at Kansas, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M — all taking place this week.

 

Such is the summer life of a football recruit.

 

At the Husker camp, Capella said Pelini had a strong presence. “He’s real competitive.”

 

Pelini’s competitiveness even had him playing some quarterback against campers in seven-on-seven workouts, throwing the occasional no-look pass.

 

Granted, it all came a bit easier back at Cardinal Mooney High School than it does at age 40.

 

Said Pelini: “I could barely get out of bed on Monday.”

[Street Novelist]

August can't come soon enough

[BIGREDIOWAN]

August can't come soon enough

Yes it can because that means winter is that much closer.

[huskerfan500]

I have personally played against Kildow, that is one fast kid. But one concern for me is that he hasn't really grown that much since 8th grade, so what you see is mostly what you will get at NU. As much it pains me to say this, I think he is a walk-on not scholly, but could be wrong. He would be better off size wise to be a running back but he is a great catcher. He would be a great end-around guy or screen passes also a good returner

[Street Novelist]

August can't come soon enough

Yes it can because that means winter is that much closer.

 

[Vuren]

August can't come soon enough

Yes it can because that means winter is that much closer.

WITCH! BURN THE WITCH!

[father5]

I have personally played against Kildow, that is one fast kid. But one concern for me is that he hasn't really grown that much since 8th grade, so what you see is mostly what you will get at NU. As much it pains me to say this, I think he is a walk-on not scholly, but could be wrong. He would be better off size wise to be a running back but he is a great catcher. He would be a great end-around guy or screen passes also a good returner

 

Wes Welker.

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

I have personally played against Kildow, that is one fast kid. But one concern for me is that he hasn't really grown that much since 8th grade, so what you see is mostly what you will get at NU. As much it pains me to say this, I think he is a walk-on not scholly, but could be wrong. He would be better off size wise to be a running back but he is a great catcher. He would be a great end-around guy or screen passes also a good returner

 

Wes Welker.

Tim Marlowe of the 2008 class comes to mind. It shows that Coach Pelini isn't too worried about just size.

[father5]

I have personally played against Kildow, that is one fast kid. But one concern for me is that he hasn't really grown that much since 8th grade, so what you see is mostly what you will get at NU. As much it pains me to say this, I think he is a walk-on not scholly, but could be wrong. He would be better off size wise to be a running back but he is a great catcher. He would be a great end-around guy or screen passes also a good returner

 

Wes Welker.

Tim Marlowe of the 2008 class comes to mind. It shows that Coach Pelini isn't too worried about just size.

 

If you get a chance to watch Kildow play this season you will see that he has incredible stop/cutback quickness in the open field. I've seen him make moves that reminded me of Marshall Faulk in his prime. He is so fast coming in and out of his breaks. He almost always seems to get separation. He almost single handedly beat Omaha Central last season in a huge come from behind victory, and we all know what kind of athletes Central had last year. He killed the Prater kids. He made them look slow. He may actually be a better baseball player than football. He was All Nebraska-All Class First Team as a sophomore. Maybe a two way player.

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

I have personally played against Kildow, that is one fast kid. But one concern for me is that he hasn't really grown that much since 8th grade, so what you see is mostly what you will get at NU. As much it pains me to say this, I think he is a walk-on not scholly, but could be wrong. He would be better off size wise to be a running back but he is a great catcher. He would be a great end-around guy or screen passes also a good returner

 

Wes Welker.

Tim Marlowe of the 2008 class comes to mind. It shows that Coach Pelini isn't too worried about just size.

 

If you get a chance to watch Kildow play this season you will see that he has incredible stop/cutback quickness in the open field. I've seen him make moves that reminded me of Marshall Faulk in his prime. He is so fast coming in and out of his breaks. He almost always seems to get separation. He almost single handedly beat Omaha Central last season in a huge come from behind victory, and we all know what kind of athletes Central had last year. He killed the Prater kids. He made them look slow. He may actually be a better baseball player than football. He was All Nebraska-All Class First Team as a sophomore. Maybe a two way player.

Damn. It was reported that Kildow tore his ACL in 7 on 7 drills at the Nebraska camp.

[Danimal]

I have personally played against Kildow, that is one fast kid. But one concern for me is that he hasn't really grown that much since 8th grade, so what you see is mostly what you will get at NU. As much it pains me to say this, I think he is a walk-on not scholly, but could be wrong. He would be better off size wise to be a running back but he is a great catcher. He would be a great end-around guy or screen passes also a good returner

 

 

Well he obviously isn't an every-down player. But he doesn't have to be. If he can be a return-man and make the occasional play as a scatback/wr then he is worth a schollie. He'd be kinda like our Jeremy Bloom.

 

Hope his MRI doesn't show the damage originally thought, though it likely will. If Millard South makes the playoffs he might get to play then. Kid was contending hard for a schollie. Now, I'd say he is more likely to end-up at a Ohio or Wyoming.

 

I'd still take an offer to him over Marlowe. Both would be used in similar roles but I'd say Kildow has the quicks to still clown guys when he gets to the next level. Kildow is a runt but his other measurables are sick. Marlowe I'm not sure about. Seems like he got a lot of benefit of the doubt because it was very late in the game and there were personal-ties.

 

But a Kildow-offer would worry me a bit since we have already offered another small, quick role-player in Jelani Alford. Alford is more of a rb, while Kildow more of a receiver but their projected roles would still overlap in terms of the return-man/scatback role. Could be a little redundant if we ended-up with both. But maybe we could find enough use for both.