“Nebraska — we’re truly America’s Team,” Riley said. “We’ve got guys from everywhere. The Cowboys think they’re America’s Team? We are.”
Riley took to Twitter to reiterate the theme: “Coast to Coast, North to South. In the middle of everywhere! Be a part of something special. Be a part of America’s Team!”
It’s an effective branding statement. Riley is right. Nebraska football — at its very best — is a melting pot of guys from Omaha, Lincoln and small Nebraska towns, mixed with regional stars, mixed with national recruits, often from big cities.
If one Nebraska coaching staff looked at recruiting nationally as a kind of burden — it took too much time, too many plane rides and too much guesswork — Riley, true to his form, has flipped that idea on its head. He wants to use the geographic diversity of Nebraska’s team as a plus. How Riley handled Husker players kneeling for the national anthem last season only gave him more credibility.