A Look at Past Classes - 2007

[AndyDufresne]

2007

 

27 total members = 6 from the junior college ranks (22%) and 21 from high school (78%)

 

Rivals team ranking = 13th

Rivals average stars = 3.33

 

Scout team ranking = 21st

Scout average stars = 3.22

 

Players with major offers according to Rivals: 8 (30%)

 

Jaivorio Burkes - Michigan, Oklahoma

Demetrious Davis - Alabama

Curenski Gilleylen - Tennessee

Adi Kunalic - Miami

Armando Murillo - Oklahoma

Niles Paul - Michigan

Latravis Washington - Ohio State

William Yancy - Oklahoma

 

Superstars: 3 (11%)

 

Prince Amukamara - 17 career starts, 1st team all-Big XII at CB in 2009 - What a difference a year makes. Prince went from looking a bit lost in 2008 when filling in due to injuries to a true lockdown corner and one of the best in the nation in 2009. National, the premier NFL scouting service, has given Prince the highest grade for any senior in the 2010 class. It is possible that he could have been a 1st rounder last year, but thankfully he will once again be locking up opposing receivers for the Huskers in 2010.

 

Jared Crick - 14 career starts, 1st team all-Big XII at DT in 2009 - Named by the Sporting News as the best player in college football, there is a lot of hype surrounding Jared. There will be added pressure knowing that he will be playing next to a new DT and not the all-everything Suh. Some media outlets are predicting a big letdown on the defensive line for Nebraska this year; but Jared's instincts, strength, and explosiveness won't let that happen.

 

Roy Helu - 16 career starts, 2nd team all-Big XII at RB in 2009 - Despite being hampered by injuries himself and an offensive line plagued by injuries, Roy still broke the 1,000 yard mark in 2009. IMO, he had an even better 2008 despite fewer yards. His career 5.5 average yards per carry are the most by a Husker running back since Dan Alexander and Correll Buckhalter graduated in 2000, and this is without the benefit of being in an option attack.

 

Stars: 4 (11%)

 

Larry Asante - 36 career starts, 1st team all-Big XII at S in 2009 - I debated whether to list "The Assassin" as a superstar, but Asante's mediocre coverage skills convinced me to list him as a star. I'm not taking anything away from Larry - he is a ferocious hitter who was incredible in run support and stopping wide-outs in their tracks after the catch - but Pelini's scheme covered up Asante's deficits that were made apparent in the senior bowl.

 

Eric Hagg - 20 career starts, honorable mention all-Big XII at S in 2009 - Hagg has filled his role as a DB/LB hybrid perfectly. Whether he is asked to drop back in coverage, stuff the run, or pressure the QB; Hagg is certainly a jack-of-all-trades. Whether he will continue to fill this hybrid role or be moved to a more traditional safety spot, I am just glad Hagg is going to be on the field for another year.

 

Niles Paul - 18 career starts, honorable mention all-Big XII at both PR and WR - I wasn't sure whether I wanted to list Niles as a star or a superstar. Niles is a bit of a hot and cold player, but there is no doubt that when he is on he can take over games as both a punt returner and a wide receiver. In the end, I felt that his inconsistency should relegate him to star status . . . for now.

 

Starters: 4 (15%)

 

Jaivorio Burkes - 7 career starts - Burkes had the chance to be the best offensive lineman at Nebraska since Richie Incognito, but health issues hampered his progress and disciplinary issues ended his Nebraska football career.

 

Marcel Jones - 12 career starts - I believe that Jones has been called our best lineman by at least one Husker coach. Personally, I don't see it up to this point in time. A fast defensive end with a good first move seemed to burn Marcel more often that I care to recall in 2009. He is still young and has plenty of time to improve his game though.

 

Zac Lee - 12 career starts - If nothing else, Zac is a good decision maker. His accuracy, scrambling, and lack of speed when making that good decision leave something to be desired. I'm not sure how much of this can be attributed to his elbow injury, but improved QB play is a must if we are going to match our preseason rankings in 2010. I have heard that the QB competition this summer has been fierce, what I haven't heard is how good those that are involved in the competition have looked.

 

Armando Murillo - 24 career starts - As I mentioned in the 2006 thread, Armando was a lockdown corner in 2008 compared to his counterpart (West). While I don't want to take anything away from his contribution, he was merely a good corner in 2008 and like the most of the rest of the defense, was pretty terrible in 2007. Still, Murillo was good enough to allow most of our 2008 class to redshirt and showed a lot of improvement during his career.

 

Major Contributors: 8 (30%)

 

Shukree Barfield - 1 career start - Versatile enough to be a backup DT in 2007 and a backup DE in 2008, I will always remember Shukree for his two sacks in the final series of the thrilling CU victory in 2008.

 

Anthony Blue - 2 career starts - Blue showed a lot of promise as a freshman, though I'm not sure if that is because he looked so good or just so good compared to the rest of the 2007 defense. He rebounded from a 2008 injury to fill the gunner role on the punt team in 2009.

 

Quentin Castille - 1 career start - While I wasn't as enamored with Castille as many, he was a key component of our offense in our bowl win against Clemson, chewing up huge chunks of yards. His fondness of herb got him kicked to the curb.

 

Kevin Dixon - 4 career starts - Dixon filled in for an injured Steinkuhler in 2007, racking up 19 tackles. I remember the minor panic attack I had when he was kicked off of the team before the 2008 season started, wondering what we were going to do for DT depth.

 

Currenski Gilleylen - 2 career starts - Gilleylen is fast, blazing fast. Too bad he seems to be Frantz Hardy's twin brother. Gilleylen has two seasons to figure out how to keep the ball from bouncing off of his hands and how to remain upright while running a route.

 

Ryan Hill - played in 26 games - Ryan is a key part of our goal line offense. He only has 5 career receptions but has 2 career TD's, the most important being the only TD of the game in the 2009 victory over OU.

 

Adi Kunalic - 86 career touchbacks - Adi has been a field general when it comes to the battle of field position. His percentage of kickoffs that have resulted in touchbacks has increased each year. I doubt that he will redshirt in 2010, but I think he will get a shot at an NFL roster regardless.

 

Blake Lawrence - 2 career starts - Blake always reminded me of Bo Ruud. He played with a ton of heart and may have been one of the best linebackers on the team when forced to drop back into coverage. Too bad his career was cut short by a series of concussions, though he showed his intelligence by not sacrificing his health for the game he loved.

 

Minor Contributors: 3 (11%)

 

Marcus Mendoza - Mendoza has seen time both as a running back and as a slot receiver, but almost all of the game action he has seen has been when victory is firmly in hand.

 

Terrence Moore - In early 2008, Terrence looked like he could be a force to be reckoned with. He recorded 2 sacks against Western Michigan in the season opener. Unfortunately for Terrence, he hasn't seen much action since then.

 

Latravis Washington - A special teams contributor in 2007 and 2008, Latravis saw time at QB in 2009. He had all of the athletic ability in the world, but didn't have the right mind-set to make an impact on the defensive side of the ball.

 

Busts: 6 (22%)

 

Demetrious Davis - Academic casualty.

 

Austin Stafford - He was in the doghouse so often, I've heard Pelini named it after him. I'm not sure if he left on his own or was kicked off the team.

 

Shawn Sullivan - When a friend of mine watched Sullivan's film after he committed, he told me that Sullivan would never see the field. I don't know what he saw that coaches from Colorado, Kansas, Okie Lite, and Wisconsin did not; but he was right.

 

Joseph Townsend - Tried to push himself too hard to qualify by taking an enormous courseload, another academic non-qualifier.

 

Patrick Witt - Too bad he didn't fight as hard for the starting QB spot as he did for a couple of extra yards when he went in for an injured Ganz for one play in the Gator Bowl.

 

William Yancy - The only real flame-out of the Arizona Five.

 

Class Overview:

While the percentage of starters (37%) may be a bit low, the 2007 class is nothing less than a resounding success. Two thirds of the class have been major contributors to this point and three superstars in one class is very nice. If all of the promising players that left of their own accord or were kicked off had stayed, this might have been a class for the ages. It still might be, as I believe there are 7 players that still have two years of eligibility. The average starts per commit for the class are already at 6.96 and I could see this hitting double digits this year. Not only has the quality been high, but contribution for this class looks to be high as well.

 

Future Prospects:

I expect a lot of upward movement with this class. I am very confident that Niles will iron out his inconsistencies and become a superstar this year. He absolutely schooled Prince in the spring game and he has been named the top senior wide receiver in the nation by at least one NFL analyst. I'm a little less sure of Hagg. While he has filled his role well, he will need to shore up his coverage skills to move to the next level. As mentioned in his synopsis, the coaches are high on Jones and they know much more than I do. I have to think he has at least decent potential for upward mobility. According to the coaches, there will be more rotation on the defensive line than we saw last year. Moore may be a part of that rotation and move up to a major contributor. I'm also hoping for a few surprises, but it is hard to imagine players like Gilleylen or Hill claiming starting spots.

 

2007 Walk-Ons:

 

The quality of walk-ons in 2007 has forced me to expand this section from the 2006 version. I will still only list walk-on contributors, as I don't believe that a walk-on that doesn't contribute should be labeled a bust.

 

Super Stars: 1

 

Alex Henery - 39 career starts as a kicker, 14 career starts as a punter; 2nd team all-Big XII as a K and P - By the time Henery's career is done, I think it is possible that he will be remembered as the best special teams player that Nebraska has ever had. He has to be among the favorites to win both the Ray Guy and Lou Groza awards in 2010.

 

Major Contributors: 2

 

Mike Caputo - played in 13 games - In 2009, Mike saw quite a bit of time while filling in for an injured Hickman, though Hickman did manage to start every game. He looks poised to take over as our starting center in 2010. I've heard everything from "He's going to surprise people" to "He's our best center since Dominic Raiola". I'll take either one.

 

Lance Thorell - 6 career starts - Walk-ons such as Thorell allowed Pelini to build for the future and redshirt nearly the entire 2008 recruiting class. While he may not have been the optimal choice for a starting DB in 2008, he performed well enough to allow Pelini to stick with his plan. While Lance likely won't be taking the field in a starting role in the future, he will provide experienced depth.

 

Minor Contributors: 5

 

Austin Cassidy - played in 16 games - While mainly a leading tackler on special teams to this point, Cassidy looks to provide some heavy hitting depth at the safety position in 2009. I wouldn't be surprised to see him challenge for a starting safety position before his career is over.

 

Thomas Grove - played in 29 games - Bo loves linebackers on special teams, and Grove is proof of that. In 2009 he was a starter on the kickoff coverage, kickoff return, and punt return teams.

 

Mike Hays - played in 27 games - Mainly a special teams player, Mike also saw some limited time as a backup to fullback Tyler Legate in 2009.

 

Jay Martin - played in 8 games - This Waverly stand out looks to continue his role as a starter on the kickoff return unit.

 

Matthew May - played in 22 games - May's testing numbers the last couple of years have been off the charts, but his playing time to date has been relegated to special teams and non-crucial back-up situations.

[zoogs]

This was a damn good year for us.

[RockyMountainOySker]

Makes you realize what a difference a decent walk-on class can do for a team.

[dylan]

This was a damn good year for us.

 

indeed. and there's still significant upside. would be even better if we hadn't lost such a great lineman in javario. really could have used him, too, with our struggles at tackle last year.

 

minor quibbles:

 

i'd probably go ahead and list asante as a superstar. i've wondered how much our secondary will miss his physicality. you can be sure receivers kept an eye out for him.

 

i'd consider it for niles as well, though i think he'll cement that this year. if you're going to have niles in the star category, i'd probably have helu there as well. both have won games for us and carried a limping offense, but neither have put together a full, dominating season yet.

 

i also think hagg may move into that superstar category this year. as far as his coverage, he was beat a few times late in the year, but he's pretty darn solid in coverage over all, particularly when you consider that he's more of a weak side linebacker than a corner. basically a reincarnation of the small, active WLB's we had in the 90's. don't see too many corners that can tackle and blitz like he can.

 

i think you'll see terrence moore move up quickly to major contributor, and may even end up starting this year. would have been a contributor last season if not for injury.

 

i'd go ahead and put caputo as a starter. he's got a stranglehold on the job.

 

i'd consider moving cassidy to major contributor. he's a special teams stud and played some at safety last year. will no doubt be a major contributor this year and next.

 

wouldn't be surprised to see may make some more noise either. was supposed to be a leader at LB before last season before he struggled with an injury that limited him to special teams.

 

great post about a great class. probably callahan's best class, despite all the hype about 2005.

[zoogs]

I mean, it's sort of amazing when you think about it. This class you go through it, and it's a basically a who's who of the team's top players right now. Plus a lot of the hyped-about potential contributors. It's gonna really be a challenge to replace them.

[T-Husker]

Just like the last one, this was awesome. Thanks for doing these Andy. They are extremely enjoyable reads.