Husker Recruit Jalin Barnett Follows Shields', Minter's Path to Nebraska

[Mavric]

During the first water break, the head coach came over to Breeze, wanting to check on the progress of one of the seniors, wondering if he’d be good enough, if he’d be able to get the job done, as hoped.

“And I said, ‘You can forget about him. This sophomore is unbelievable,’” Breeze said.

Sure enough, 14-year-old Will Shields impressed early and then blossomed, leading to his All-America career at Nebraska in the early 1990s, his 12-time Pro Bowl career with the Kansas City Chiefs and his election Saturday to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“You can make the argument Will Shields is the best right guard in the history of football,” Breeze said. “At any level.”

A 42-year coaching veteran at Lawton High School, and now the school’s head coach, Breeze is sending another talented, promising guard to Nebraska.

Jalin Barnett, all 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds of him, will sign Wednesday, and he's arguably the most-coveted piece of new Nebraska coach Mike Riley’s 2015 recruiting class.

ESPN.com ranks Barnett, a four-star recruit, as the No. 4 offensive guard in the country and the No. 76 overall prospect.

Breeze notes those are loftier rankings than what Shields had in high school.

 

LJS