This is an interesting article
http://bigrednetwork.com/archives/2007/12/...e_recruits.html
You’d have to think that the hiring of Bo Pelini will give the Huskers an excellent chance to retain the defensive recruits that have committed to Nebraska or to replace them with other players. The Huskers also appear likely to meet their needs on the offensive line and at tight end. Offensively, that leaves…well…everything else.
After next season, the Huskers will have only two scholarship quarterbacks with eligibility. They’ll need more. The upcoming class needs to include one to two more. Blaine Gabbert would seem hard to lure back from Missouri, but James Vandenberg, Iowa’s all-time leading passer could become a Husker. Beyond those two, Nebraska doesn’t appear real close on any other quarterbacks.
With the Huskers losing a slew of wide receivers this year (Maurice Purify, Terrence Nunn, Frantz Hardy, and Dan Erickson) and next (Todd Peterson and Nate Swift) new faces will be needed to fill the holes. So far aside from trying to keep juco transfer Adrian Hilburn and lure back D.J. Woods, there’s been little action toward bolstering the receiving corps.
The Huskers have running back options, but they can quickly be depleted. Marlon Lucky could go pro, Cody Glenn could continue struggling with injuries, Major Culbert could be needed on defense, and Collins Okafor could opt to go elsewhere. That would leave only the three running backs from last year’s class (Quentin Castille, Roy Helu, and Marcus Mendoza) unless the Huskers poach another defender like Prince Amukamarato fill out the position. Fortunately, running back is one spot where teams can be late to the game and still find a good one. Brandon Jackson was a late recruit for Nebraska back in 2004.
The Huskers might also want to add a fullback. They don’t have a single scholarship player at that spot on the roster, nor do they appear real close on luring one to Lincoln. Of course, depending on the offense it may not be a need, but if it is then the Huskers have a lot of work to do.
The fact that the Huskers are needy on offense makes sense. For weeks or even months it’s been apparent that the coaching staff at Nebraska would not be returning. Defensive guru Bo Pelini has been announced as the new head coach but so far no formal announcements have been made about the assistants that will be running the offense. Will Nebraska continue to run the West Coast offense? Will it be a spread option? A triple option? Until the coaching staff can get real specific about the future of the Husker offense, it will likely be a struggle to lock in commitments from offensive skill players. And particularly at quarterback and receiver, there’s no time to waste.
http://bigrednetwork.com/archives/2007/12/...e_recruits.html
You’d have to think that the hiring of Bo Pelini will give the Huskers an excellent chance to retain the defensive recruits that have committed to Nebraska or to replace them with other players. The Huskers also appear likely to meet their needs on the offensive line and at tight end. Offensively, that leaves…well…everything else.
After next season, the Huskers will have only two scholarship quarterbacks with eligibility. They’ll need more. The upcoming class needs to include one to two more. Blaine Gabbert would seem hard to lure back from Missouri, but James Vandenberg, Iowa’s all-time leading passer could become a Husker. Beyond those two, Nebraska doesn’t appear real close on any other quarterbacks.
With the Huskers losing a slew of wide receivers this year (Maurice Purify, Terrence Nunn, Frantz Hardy, and Dan Erickson) and next (Todd Peterson and Nate Swift) new faces will be needed to fill the holes. So far aside from trying to keep juco transfer Adrian Hilburn and lure back D.J. Woods, there’s been little action toward bolstering the receiving corps.
The Huskers have running back options, but they can quickly be depleted. Marlon Lucky could go pro, Cody Glenn could continue struggling with injuries, Major Culbert could be needed on defense, and Collins Okafor could opt to go elsewhere. That would leave only the three running backs from last year’s class (Quentin Castille, Roy Helu, and Marcus Mendoza) unless the Huskers poach another defender like Prince Amukamarato fill out the position. Fortunately, running back is one spot where teams can be late to the game and still find a good one. Brandon Jackson was a late recruit for Nebraska back in 2004.
The Huskers might also want to add a fullback. They don’t have a single scholarship player at that spot on the roster, nor do they appear real close on luring one to Lincoln. Of course, depending on the offense it may not be a need, but if it is then the Huskers have a lot of work to do.
The fact that the Huskers are needy on offense makes sense. For weeks or even months it’s been apparent that the coaching staff at Nebraska would not be returning. Defensive guru Bo Pelini has been announced as the new head coach but so far no formal announcements have been made about the assistants that will be running the offense. Will Nebraska continue to run the West Coast offense? Will it be a spread option? A triple option? Until the coaching staff can get real specific about the future of the Husker offense, it will likely be a struggle to lock in commitments from offensive skill players. And particularly at quarterback and receiver, there’s no time to waste.
