ESPN: Nebraska's recruiting success in California is only getting started

[cm husker]

Good read.

I really like reading these types of comments from top recruits.

One of those taking notice is Gebbia’s teammate Darnay Holmes, an ESPN Jr. 300 cornerback. The No. 2 player in the state is being heavily recruited from team all over the country but is looking hard at the Huskers.

Prior to 2016, Nebraska had only landed one ESPN 300 recruit from California, going all the way back to 2006. That alone is a signal to Riley’s influence on the program’s recruiting.

The initial intrigue of Riley has gotten players interested, but once the recruits get to campus, they say that the Huskers’ coaching staff has a way of making the recruits feel at home.

Comfort level is always a big factor for prospects, and Holmes says that is one of the biggest things he noticed with the Nebraska coaches.

“Just the way they bring guys in and treat them like they’ve known them since day one,” Holmes said. “The coaches are just down to earth and they know what to do to get guys there. They tell you the truth, they don’t sugar coat anything and they just talk about what’s best for you.”

Bonus points if you know who the one ESPN300 recruit way back then was.

I'm gonna find you and kick you in the nads if you don't.

I'm going on a limb and saying Ricky Thenarse

That was going to be my guess...

 

[ScottyIce]

Riley needs to hit the state of Texas like he is Cali. He has had some good plays at OSU from Texas so I know he can get them to NU as well.

I don't know how deep his connections are in Texas, but his Cali ones are well-documented and probably deeper than anywhere else in the country. Outside of the 500-mile radius, I don't care where the recruits come from so long as they're the best we can get for the roles we need filled.

I'm ALL FOR getting talent from wherever we can get it from. It appears right now he has better connections by far to California than to Texas. Time will tell I guess.

 

[BaytownHusker]

No doubt, I like like seeing my Texas boys play for my Huskers.

 

[Landlord]

Definitely wasn't Lucky if we're going by ESPN's accurate depiction of years - Lucky was already a sophomore in 2006.

Wasn't Martinez, he was a 3 star athlete prospect.

Do JUCO players count? If so, it'd have to be Andre Jones - 5 star juco DB from somewhere in Cali. Otherwise, maybe Carl Nicks or Maurice Purify.

 

[BigRedBuster]

I like this....

 

[Micheal]

So I never really care about class rankings etc, but where is Nebraska sitting right now? My curiosity has been peaked by the big gets as of late.

 

[cm husker]

So I never really care about class rankings etc, but where is Nebraska sitting right now? My curiosity has been peaked by the big gets as of late.

25th per Rivals. 10th per the average score rankings. 28th per 247.

I think this class has a chance to finish on par with the 2011 class. Maybe even a bit higher, but going to be hard to get into the top 10 barring something crazy happening.

I say this while noting that I don't think the recruiting rankings are as important as people have recently espoused. I'll be quite happy if NU can be consistently between 15 and 35 in the rankings.

 

[Landlord]

So I never really care about class rankings etc, but where is Nebraska sitting right now? My curiosity has been peaked by the big gets as of late.

Our average player rating is extremely high, but we're not ranked that high overall because we only have 4 commits thus far. This isn't cause for concern, nor is it unusual for our program, because our biggest sells usually involve getting kids here and the kids we're recruiting are still juniors, and thus, can't yet come on official, paid for by the school, visits.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

I would like us to get excited about some big ol' offensive linemen.

Any of those fellers in the pipeline?

 

[skersfan]

My boss said when we got Coach Riley, that he was happier for SC than Nebraska. He feels that Coach Riley is one of the best coaches in the country, and is very glad that SC does not have to face him. It was tough to beat them, even with vastly superior talent that SC had. He is a major booster at SC and had actually wanted Riley to come to SC. He felt our recruiting would improve, due to the relationships Coach Riley had with coaches in the state. A very very well liked coach and person.

Those comments coming from a diehard Trojan carries some weight with me. I have followed the man for a few years. People just like him, which opens doors that others never see.

So glad things are going well for him on the recruiting trail, and hope next fall we pull some of those stinkers out of the fire.

Go Big Red!

Truly happy with this hire, his effort and his obvious knowledge of how to recruit.

 

[Saunders]

So I never really care about class rankings etc, but where is Nebraska sitting right now? My curiosity has been peaked by the big gets as of late.

25th per Rivals. 10th per the average score rankings. 28th per 247.

I think this class has a chance to finish on par with the 2011 class. Maybe even a bit higher, but going to be hard to get into the top 10 barring something crazy happening.

I say this while noting that I don't think the recruiting rankings are as important as people have recently espoused. I'll be quite happy if NU can be consistently between 15 and 35 in the rankings.

While rankings aren't gospel, they're a pretty good predictor of success. While it's possible to win if you recruit outside of the top 25, it's been proven over the last 10+ years that you are more likely to win big if you recruit top 15-20 classes each year.

 

[cm husker]

It's also been proven that you need to come from a large population state/region.

Point is, when successful, NU has been and needs to continue to be the exception to the rule.

 

[skersfan]

What has been proven, to win the MNC or NC you have to recruit at the very top, meaning top five classes in a couple of years before the MNC. I think that is true for about the last 14 out of 15 Championships. Is Coach Riley recruiting at that level. No he is not, but he is making efforts to get to the high standard and we are seeing it begin to happen.

I always remember the saying from Saben. 24/7/365. Need to be out recruiting, don't have time to be preparing for a NC game. That statement tells it all. I think Nebraska has that mentality under Coach Riley.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

It's also been proven that you need to come from a large population state/region.

Point is, when successful, NU has been and needs to continue to be the exception to the rule.

And when most successful, in 1995, Nebraska featured a game-changing quarterback from Florida, a game-changing running back from California, two game-changing brothers from New Jersey, and a total of 9 out of 22 starters from far away places with high populations. You'll find a few other California/Florida/New Jersey Osborne recruits farther down that roster.

None of which takes away the importance of home grown talent.

There's really only one reason to treat this as bad news.

 

[Enhance]

So I never really care about class rankings etc, but where is Nebraska sitting right now? My curiosity has been peaked by the big gets as of late.

25th per Rivals. 10th per the average score rankings. 28th per 247.

I think this class has a chance to finish on par with the 2011 class. Maybe even a bit higher, but going to be hard to get into the top 10 barring something crazy happening.

I say this while noting that I don't think the recruiting rankings are as important as people have recently espoused. I'll be quite happy if NU can be consistently between 15 and 35 in the rankings.

While rankings aren't gospel, they're a pretty good predictor of success. While it's possible to win if you recruit outside of the top 25, it's been proven over the last 10+ years that you are more likely to win big if you recruit top 15-20 classes each year.

IIRC, every single national champion in the last 10 years has recruited a Top 10 class prior to the year they won the national title. Most of the players of course don't see the field in their first season, but it's more or less an indicator that those programs likely recruit well regularly.

Nebraska will likely never be a Top 10 recruiter year in and year out, but I think being in the 15-25 is an ideal goal every year, with the chance they they could squeeze into the Top 10.

I think consistently recruiting outside of the Top 25 means you can still win and be successful, like you said, but you have to make up for the lack of talent in other areas like culture, coaching, S&C, etc.