Nebraska number 4 in Athlon's 2018 B1G roster rankings

lo country

lo country

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Not shabby for a crazy hectic recruiting cycle.  And some props to Riley and Co for getting talent here.  No reason NU can't begin to control it's own destiny in the West.  We finally have a Staff that can maximize the talent on hand and develop those on the roster.  Not to mention recruit for a specific vision and scheme.......It's also unbelievable how much better we have recruited for several years against schools that beat us like we stole something......Pi$$ poor coaching.

 "However, pay close attention to what Frost is able to do with a full recruiting cycle as he works to bring Nebraska back to national relevance."

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/ranking-big-tens-football-rosters-2018

 
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lo country said:
Not to mention recruit for a specific vision and scheme......
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Yeah, it's not who you can sign, it's who you can get in and actually use. This article assumes attrition is a wash, and doesn't consider any context when looking at the rankings. Wisconsin, for instance, recruits well to their scheme, which is why they're always under ranked in these measures. Their major problem is those schemes, and those players, have very limited ability to scale up, which is why the top tier Big East teams give them such a hard time.

When you consider the quote above and the number of higher ranked recruits that have never made the field (or sometimes the program), we probably don't have the 4th most talented roster. It's possible we do by next fall, but I'd attribute that to the possibility this incoming class is under ranked due to several JUCOs and players who missed seasons, were injured, or otherwise had scenarios that may have led to less accurate evaluations by the services.

The number one thing Nebraska has to do to make these kinds of stories feel more accurate is get these higher ranked players into (and keep in) the program. On paper one can say Nebraska recruited to a certain level, but when a new staff comes in and has to do so much need based recruiting just to fill numbers (rather than due primarily to scheme change)...it just doesn't feel like it. I'd expect, due to the makeup of this class and the types of positions we had to bring in, that we see as few redshirts this year as we've seen in a very long time.

 
brophog said:
Their major problem is those schemes, and those players, have very limited ability to scale up, which is why the top tier Big East teams give them such a hard time.
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Big East hasn't had football since 2013. How far back are you going?

I bet you meant the Big Ten East

 
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brophog said:
Yeah, it's not who you can sign, it's who you can get in and actually use. This article assumes attrition is a wash, and doesn't consider any context when looking at the rankings. Wisconsin, for instance, recruits well to their scheme, which is why they're always under ranked in these measures. Their major problem is those schemes, and those players, have very limited ability to scale up, which is why the top tier Big East teams give them such a hard time.

When you consider the quote above and the number of higher ranked recruits that have never made the field (or sometimes the program), we probably don't have the 4th most talented roster. It's possible we do by next fall, but I'd attribute that to the possibility this incoming class is under ranked due to several JUCOs and players who missed seasons, were injured, or otherwise had scenarios that may have led to less accurate evaluations by the services.

The number one thing Nebraska has to do to make these kinds of stories feel more accurate is get these higher ranked players into (and keep in) the program. On paper one can say Nebraska recruited to a certain level, but when a new staff comes in and has to do so much need based recruiting just to fill numbers (rather than due primarily to scheme change)...it just doesn't feel like it. I'd expect, due to the makeup of this class and the types of positions we had to bring in, that we see as few redshirts this year as we've seen in a very long time.
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I agree.  We have missed on a lot of the"higher" ranked kids.  Again, I think this was lack of development and too much square peg/round hole.....

Here is a good article on what NU is already doing before spring ball starts.  Finding where guys "fit" to get immediate impact.  This includes guys on the roster.  For the first time in what seems likes decades, we have a staff that gets what it takes to win.  I'm ready for some change.  And the spring game!

The same can be said for players already on the roster, and in a transition spring, every player is up for review. It remains to be seen how much role-tweaking and position-changing will follow for the Huskers, but the process is happening even now with spring ball a month away.

http://journalstar.com/sports/huskers/football/evaluations-positional-fits-high-on-huskers-pre-spring-to-do/article_7b43b7d1-76ce-5f1c-b82b-b83800174147.amp.html

 
lo country said:
Here is a good article on what NU is already doing before spring ball starts.  Finding where guys "fit" to get immediate impact.  This includes guys on the roster.  For the first time in what seems likes decades, we have a staff that gets what it takes to win.  I'm ready for some change.  
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Football is increasingly becoming a positionless game. Almost anything one could describe as innovative will fall under this header. This staff totally gets that, whereas I think one of the biggest flaws of the previous staff was their systems felt 30 years out of date. 

We will be cutting edge, schematically, on both sides of the ball. The cutting edge, on both sides, is to stop worrying so much about what position it is, and just get the best guys on the field. 

 
Wisconsin is still one of the larger surprises to me. They typically coach better than they recruit but I'd be shocked if many Badgers fans are pleased with a 44th ranked finish after a 13-win season. I assume it's rare for a Power 5 school to only lose one game and finish without a Top 25 or even Top 35 class, but I could be mistaken. If the goal is to win the B1G West every year and rely on development then they've nailed it, but, I would think Badger fans and the university have slightly higher aspirations than that.

 
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Enhance said:
Wisconsin is still one of the larger surprises to me. They typically coach better than they recruit but I'd be shocked if many Badgers fans are pleased with a 44th ranked finish after a 13-win season. I assume it's rare for a Power 5 school to only lose one game and finish without a Top 25 or even Top 35 class, but I could be mistaken. If the goal is to win the B1G West every year and rely on development then they've nailed it, but, I would think Badger fans and the university have slightly higher aspirations than that.
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They had momentum - 4th straight year of double digit wins, 4th straight bowl win

They currently dominate their division 

They have immediate playing time available, especially on defense

They didn't recruit a bunch of slow to develop under ranked lineman but rather a lot of athletes; receivers and DBs.

Those things suggest it should be a higher ranked class for them. I think one factor is early signing day hurt them. Their entire class is only about 20 guys, and iirc, all but one was done during the early period. Nebraska did well in the later period, and I think so many schools like Wisconsin having already filled classes had to help. 

It should be noted that while it looks strange, given those factors above that usually signal a much higher ranked class, this is a pretty typical year for Wisconsin recruiting in terms of rankings. It should also be noted that they're off to a much better start to 2019 recruiting. That bump may be there, just a year later.

 
brophog said:
Football is increasingly becoming a positionless game. Almost anything one could describe as innovative will fall under this header. This staff totally gets that, whereas I think one of the biggest flaws of the previous staff was their systems felt 30 years out of date. 

We will be cutting edge, schematically, on both sides of the ball. The cutting edge, on both sides, is to stop worrying so much about what position it is, and just get the best guys on the field. 
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It’s very similar to basketball in that regard. Pat Riley was way ahead of his time, trying to get as many big, fast, versatile athletes on the court at the same time. They were largely interchangeable and impossible to defend. The Bulls were built on the same model. 

Now football seems to be moving in that direction as well. I agree completely on Riley’s schemes. They seemed like very vanilla offenses from years past and must have been incredibly easy to gameplan for. 

 
brophog said:
They had momentum - 4th straight year of double digit wins, 4th straight bowl win

They currently dominate their division 

They have immediate playing time available, especially on defense

They didn't recruit a bunch of slow to develop under ranked lineman but rather a lot of athletes; receivers and DBs.

Those things suggest it should be a higher ranked class for them. I think one factor is early signing day hurt them. Their entire class is only about 20 guys, and iirc, all but one was done during the early period. Nebraska did well in the later period, and I think so many schools like Wisconsin having already filled classes had to help. 

It should be noted that while it looks strange, given those factors above that usually signal a much higher ranked class, this is a pretty typical year for Wisconsin recruiting in terms of rankings. It should also be noted that they're off to a much better start to 2019 recruiting. That bump may be there, just a year later.
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Some valid points, but it feels like we have to run through a lot of mental gymnastics to justify that 44th ranking and what it could mean. If their goal is to compete and win in the CFP (which I think it is) then their recruiting is - without question - a disappointment.

 
brophog said:
It should be noted that while it looks strange, given those factors above that usually signal a much higher ranked class, this is a pretty typical year for Wisconsin recruiting in terms of rankings. It should also be noted that they're off to a much better start to 2019 recruiting. That bump may be there, just a year later.
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I haven't looked into this but read somewhere that Wisconsin's rankings are usually lower then expected because their in state talent don't attend a lot of camps therefore their star ratings are low. They don't feel compelled to impress at camps to get offers from a lot of schools. They are going to Wisconsin.

 
Moiraine said:
Whenever I hear people talking about players being long, I think naughty thoughts.
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3snaps.gif


 
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