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Published Wednesday | September 5, 2007
Mitch Sherman: NU likely looking out of state in '09
BY MITCH SHERMAN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
LINCOLN - Saturday marked not only opening day for the Nebraska football team but also the unofficial start to the 2009 recruiting season.
And the top prospects, unlike last year, aren't all that close to home.
Without conducting a door-to-door search, it appears the closest offers to anyone close to local went to wide receiver Keenan Davis of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and cornerback Gabe Lynn of Tulsa, Okla.
Lynn is the brother of Nebraska linebacker Phillip Dillard.
A year ago on Sept. 1 - the first day on which scholarship offers may be distributed to juniors - NU went after Baker Steinkuhler of Lincoln Southwest, Ronnell Grixby of Omaha Central and Trevor Robinson of Elkhorn.
Steinkuhler committed immediately. Robinson followed a few months later, though he's back on the market now, considering NU, Notre Dame and Michigan. Grixby lost his offer last winter. Meanwhile, four other Nebraskans have joined the Huskers' recruiting class of 2008.
Safe to say the '09 class in Nebraska does not look nearly as strong.
Davis, 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, also received an offer from Iowa during the weekend. But Tony Lombardi, coach at Cedar Rapids Washington, will not steer his star receiver toward the home state school.
Lombardi, native to the South Side of Chicago, is cut from the same cloth as Nebraska coach Bill Callahan.
He coached in the Big Ten before landing as defensive backs coach for the Chicago Enforcers of the now-defunct XFL. Lombardi said he's also a longtime friend of former NU defensive coordinator Charlie McBride.
Lombardi describes Davis as a big-time playmaker. He caught six passes for 120 yards in Washington's opening game and intercepted a pass.
The NU offer, Lombardi said, is "a big deal."
"I think it certainly sent a message to where he sits with Nebraska," the coach said.
Lynn follows Dillard as a defensive star at powerhouse Jenks High School.
A 6-foot, 185-pound cornerback, he also received an offer from North Carolina. No surprise there, with Butch Davis assistant John Blake behind the recruiting push. Blake recruited Dillard to Nebraska.
"I'll have to talk to (Lynn), see how he feels about it all," Dillard said. "He's an athlete, a good one."
link
Mitch Sherman: NU likely looking out of state in '09
BY MITCH SHERMAN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
LINCOLN - Saturday marked not only opening day for the Nebraska football team but also the unofficial start to the 2009 recruiting season.
And the top prospects, unlike last year, aren't all that close to home.
Without conducting a door-to-door search, it appears the closest offers to anyone close to local went to wide receiver Keenan Davis of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and cornerback Gabe Lynn of Tulsa, Okla.
Lynn is the brother of Nebraska linebacker Phillip Dillard.
A year ago on Sept. 1 - the first day on which scholarship offers may be distributed to juniors - NU went after Baker Steinkuhler of Lincoln Southwest, Ronnell Grixby of Omaha Central and Trevor Robinson of Elkhorn.
Steinkuhler committed immediately. Robinson followed a few months later, though he's back on the market now, considering NU, Notre Dame and Michigan. Grixby lost his offer last winter. Meanwhile, four other Nebraskans have joined the Huskers' recruiting class of 2008.
Safe to say the '09 class in Nebraska does not look nearly as strong.
Davis, 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, also received an offer from Iowa during the weekend. But Tony Lombardi, coach at Cedar Rapids Washington, will not steer his star receiver toward the home state school.
Lombardi, native to the South Side of Chicago, is cut from the same cloth as Nebraska coach Bill Callahan.
He coached in the Big Ten before landing as defensive backs coach for the Chicago Enforcers of the now-defunct XFL. Lombardi said he's also a longtime friend of former NU defensive coordinator Charlie McBride.
Lombardi describes Davis as a big-time playmaker. He caught six passes for 120 yards in Washington's opening game and intercepted a pass.
The NU offer, Lombardi said, is "a big deal."
"I think it certainly sent a message to where he sits with Nebraska," the coach said.
Lynn follows Dillard as a defensive star at powerhouse Jenks High School.
A 6-foot, 185-pound cornerback, he also received an offer from North Carolina. No surprise there, with Butch Davis assistant John Blake behind the recruiting push. Blake recruited Dillard to Nebraska.
"I'll have to talk to (Lynn), see how he feels about it all," Dillard said. "He's an athlete, a good one."
link
