NU being selective in final month

[Ohio Pete]

Football: NU being selective in final month

BY MITCH SHERMAN

WORLD-HERALD BUREAU

 

LINCOLN — It's been a month since Nebraska added to its class of football recruits.

 

And with just two weeks left until signing day, now is not the time to lose momentum in this game. Just the opposite, though, is happening at NU, according to members of the 2009 class and the coaches for whom they are pledged to play.

 

Fullback C.J. Zimmerer of Omaha Gross was among six prospects to visit Lincoln last weekend. He said the feeling of excitement around Memorial Stadium grows each time he visits, capped by a recent two-day trip that allowed Zimmerer to feel at home among his future teammates.

 

"From the guys that I have met, I feel great about it," Zimmerer said. "It's a good bunch of guys, and good players, too. They'll talk to you. They're not stubborn or stuck on themselves, like you hear about sometimes. That will just make things easier as we go along."

 

A smaller group of recruits is expected on campus this weekend, with the possibility to add visitors in the final days of January if necessary.

 

Signing day is Feb. 4.

 

As few as one and likely no more than three positions remain open in Nebraska's class. The group numbers 21 without the addition of 2008 signee Antonio Bell, a wide receiver from Daytona Beach, Fla., who recently gained academic eligibility.

 

The past month has made one thing clear: The Huskers will be selective with the final spots.

 

The lone uncommitted visitor last weekend was 6-foot-2, 275-pound defensive tackle Sione Tuihalamaka of Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, Calif. Tuihalamaka, nationally ranked as the No. 52 player at his position by rivals.com, has visited Arizona and is set to see Oregon this weekend.

 

"We tried to work him a little bit," Zimmerer said. "Obviously, we want to get some good players. It seemed like he was having a good time, but you never know. Those guys have all got lots of offers. It comes down to what's right for him."

 

Another tackle on the recruiting radar is Myles Wade, a former high school All-American from Portland, Ore. Wade played at Arizona Western College in 2007 but did not attend the Yuma, Ariz., school last season, coach Tom Minnick said, leaving his eligibility in question.

 

Linebacker Eric Martin is also out there. The 6-2, 215-pound senior at Rancho Verde High in Moreno Valley, Calif., is scheduled to visit Nebraska this weekend. Martin is also considering several Pac-10 schools, including Arizona and Arizona State.

 

And then there's Bennie Logan. The 6-3, 235-pound defensive end from Coushatta, La., visited Lincoln for the Nov. 28 NU-Colorado game. Logan is still considering the Huskers, along with Michigan, LSU, Texas Tech and others.

 

In addition to Zimmerer and Tuihalamaka, visitors last weekend included linemen Cole Pensick of Lincoln Northeast and Jesse Coffey of Denton, Texas, cornerback Lazarri Middleton of Long Beach, Calif., and Taylor Martinez of Corona, Calif. All four have committed to NU.

 

Martinez, interestingly, spent much of his time with Cody Green, the just-enrolled quarterback out of Dayton, Texas.

 

Martinez quarterbacked Centennial High School to a 15-0 record last fall and a No. 2 national ranking by USA Today. He was recruited to Nebraska primarily as a defensive back or receiver but may get a shot at quarterback as a freshman.

 

As for Green, Zimmerer said the freshman was "loving college already in the first week."

 

NU coach Bo Pelini and his staff, while visiting with the recruits, expressed happiness over the development of this class, Zimmerer said.

 

"We've fielded almost a whole offensive line," Zimmerer said. "That's going to pay big down the road. I think they really found guys where we needed guys — at defensive back and receiver.

 

"I know the coaches think the class came together really well. It's just a matter now of how it comes together on the field next year."