Mr. Accountability said:
While I agree fully on the DE's we have being better than Ott, it wasnt really about playing time or performance. I dont even care if he rides the bench for 5 years. I'm sorry if it would be a wasted scholly to the blind eye, but I'm speaking more to the intangible connection with the high school kids of this state. Ott was a Nebraska kid. He should be playing for Nebraska.
Unfortunately, I just don't think this is possible in this day and age. You really have to go with they guys who you are expecting to be starters. There just aren't enough scholarships to go around. We'll probably only have three scholarship QBs on the roster next year. Probably only four RBs - maybe 3. We only have 6 DEs lined up right now and 7 CBs. To go three deep at each of 22 spots is 66 guys plus specialists. That's already about 70 of your 85 spots who are an injury away from being in the two-deep. And there's really closer to 26 or so spots to fill by the time you factor in different personnel groupings. And that's assuming everyone pans out.
I think you have to be as picky as you can. And that means a lot of Nebraska kids who would have gotten a scholarship back in the day won't anymore.