Nebraska already has its quarterback recruiting wrapped up for the Class of 2019 thanks to Luke McCaffrey’s verbal commitment last month.
That means Mario Verduzco and the Huskers are already looking further down the road and recruiting signal-callers for future cycles.
Among the early candidates for 2020 is Logan Smothers of Athens, Alabama. Smothers, listed at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, has not only been to campus already but he’s already got a return trip on the books.
Smothers first received an offer from the Huskers in mid-May and then visited a month later.Â
Nebraska unofficial visit was UNBELIEVABLE. Every coach I met today was top class 🌽ðŸÕÅ
— Logan Smothers (@logan_smothers)
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He and his parents will be in Lincoln at the end of next week, between an NCAA dead period that ends Tuesday and another that begins Aug. 1.
“Me and my dad talked about it and decided that we wanted to come back and see a little more and get to talk to the coaches again,†Smothers said.
This will also be the first chance for his mother to see NU’s campus and meet most of the coaching staff in person, including Mario Verduzco.
“She’s actually already talked to Coach Verdu, though,†Smothers said with a laugh.
Not surprisingly, the Husker quarterbacks coach and the three-star prospect have already built a good rapport.
“He’s very enthusiastic about what he does and very passionate about what he does,†Smothers said. “I like him a lot and he does a great job with quarterbacks. … It’s just mind-blowing all the stuff that he knows that’s just on a completely different level. Me and my dad were just eyes wide open and like, ‘This guy knows what he’s talking about.’â€
The fleet-footed junior-to-be ran 11 seconds flat in the 100 meters this spring and helped his 4x100 relay team reach the state finals. As a sophomore, Smothers passed for 2,851 yards and 21 touchdowns, per his Hudl profile.
Over the summer he camped at Ohio State, Auburn and Mississippi State, though Nebraska is currently his only Power Five scholarship offer.
“Right now they’re at the top of the board for me,†Smothers said.
A 2018 prospect to keep an eye on: Recruiting has its fair share of curveballs, and a former Nebraska target is perhaps now again a current target.
Four-star California athlete Bryan Addison signed with UCLA in February, but
Addison took an official visit to Lincoln in September, which of course was well before Scott Frost and company took over here. Still, with not much time for Addison to make a decision on what’s next, it wouldn’t be surprising to see NU try to get back in the mix.
Addison is listed at 6-5 and 180 and could potentially play either side of the ball. Both Rivals and 247Sports had him ranked among the 100 best 2018 prospects in the country. His other finalists before he picked the Bruins: The Huskers, Oregon, USC, Washington and Arizona State. Addison, per his 247Sports profile, did not officially visit the Ducks, though former NU cornerbacks coach Donte Williams — and Addison’s main recruiter here — is now in Eugene.
This one will move fast and it will certainly be interesting to see if NU can/does make a push.
Fair’s addition a big one (literally) for Huskers: Nebraska added some bulk to its 2019 class with the verbal commitment of Tony Fair on Thursday afternoon.
Notably, two of the big men NU has committed to its 2019 class so far — Desmond Bland being the other — are junior-college prospects. It’s clear the Huskers are trying to plug some holes and fill out some near-future depth with players who are older and more physically mature.
Bland is ranked the No. 15 overall juco prospect in the country by the 247Sports composite and Fair checks in at No. 18 overall.
Nebraska has many other juco offers out for 2019 that, generally, follow a similar position pattern. They include tackles such as Bamidele Olaseni (ranked No. 11 overall, Garden City, Kansas) and Anthony Whigan (No. 13, Lackawanna, Pennsylvania) and pass-rusher Kuony Deng (No. 14, Independence, Kansas).