Nebraska Kids on the Roster

[jmfb]

I get the guys who think we need to have the best athletes we can find on the team, no matter where they come from. Understand fully Suh, Prince, Helu, David etc are out state kids

I also get the guys who say we need to make sure we offer any local kids we can find who may be able to help the team

Losing Harrison Phillips and Ott, hate that

 

Here are some numbers to help understand where we are:

1994 Roster- 159 kids, 79 Nebraskans- 49% local kids

2007 Roster- 111 kids, 32 Nebraskans- 28% local kids

2013 Roster- 127 kids, 52 Nebraskans- 40% local kids

 

What those numbers don't tell us is how many legit B1G level DI kids from Nebraska have we failed to offer in favor of a non local player

 

Limited data from what I could find in 10 minutes:

 

Callahans last 2 years he signed 53, 8 were local for about 15%

Pelinis last 2 years, signed 37, 5 were local for about 14% (If you dont think Pelini's crew believes in player development, look at those recruited player numbers- Cally 53, Bo 37 in 2 years)

Only data I found on Osborne- 1993 he signed 21, 7 were local- 33%

 

If youve watched the NETV show on the walk-ons, you get why it's so important to have local kids on the roster

IMHO I think we need to be near 20% over the long haul on local scholarship kids. It will vary year to year. Like where we are at with walkons. Bo and his staff give them a legit chance.

The local kids "get" NU, are vested, are used to the weather, close support system and understand the tradition. Sure some drop, but we have a better chance of retaining them.

 

Locals also keeping the football hopes of those local HS and youth kids alive- hey the local stud from our HS plays for NU. Today there is COMPETITION with football for the time of our youth. Not like the 60s, 70s where all you had as an option in the fall was football and 3 channels on TV. Now kids have MANY sports to choose from in the Fall the communist plot aka sokker, fall baseball, year round basketball, bmx, skateboards etc etc. They can also do the socially accepted nothing at all- 100 channels on TV, internet, video games, slacking etc. Local players help keep football at the forefront of our local kids crowded little minds.

[BRV920]

Those numbers are all fine and dandy but don't indicate the level of talent in the state for those years. I have seen a Scott Frost or Ahman Green in this state for many years. Nebraska's talent level hasn't even been close since the 90's.

[NUance]

I’m not so concerned with the % of Nebraska natives on our roster as I am with capturing the top in-state talent—and not offering scholies to the marginal talent. I would be upset if we didn’t sign a guy like Baker Steinkuhler. Especially if that guy went on to success at some other FBS school. OTOH, we can’t afford to offer in-state guys with little hope of cracking the two-deep. Take Micah Kreikemeier for example, a guy from the same 2008 class as Baker. I’m sure Micah is a great guy—good character, hard working and all. It makes for a great feel-good news story when we sign a small town guy like that. But did anyone really think he would ever start a down for us? Or even see significant PT? He should have been brought on board as an invited walk-on. Our walk-on program is one of the strengths of our program.

[jmfb]

Kids like Micah have made it, but I hear your point

HOWEVER Micah had 2 major injuries that many kids never come back from. No one knows what he could have done if healthy.