Let’s take a Tuesday drive through the neighborhood.
1. Nebraska’s players are returning to campus and a big group of midyear enrollees has arrived, too.
The Huskers have a grand total of 14 — 11 high school players and three transfers — joining the program officially this week.
Just as a refresher, here’s the list of high school players: quarterback Heinrich Haarberg; running back Gabe Ervin; tight ends Thomas Fidone and James Carnie; offensive linemen Teddy Prochazka, Henry Lutovsky and Branson Yager; defensive lineman Ru’Quan Buckley; linebackers Seth Malcom and Randolph Kpai; and defensive back Marques Buford.
“Kids are ready to take the next step and move on,†Nebraska coach Scott Frost said on National Signing Day last month. “Kids that do early enroll get a chance to go through spring ball, get accustomed to college, get accustomed to the team, and that gives them a better opportunity to probably play early than if they showed up in June or July.â€
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Among the rest of the class that’s arriving later in the spring are all three of NU’s high school receivers in Latrell Neville, Shawn Hardy and Kamonte Grimes. Grimes is playing basketball at Palmetto Ridge High in Florida. Neville originally said he intended to enroll early but told the Journal Star earlier this month that he and his high school were still trying to work out the details. Instead, he’ll enroll in May with the rest of the class.
2. The Huskers are also welcoming in three transfers this week, including the two recent additions on the offensive side of the ball.
Those would be wide receiver Samori Toure from Montana and running back Markese Stepp from USC.
They jump into an offense whose complexion looks different after the departures of wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson (transfer) and several seniors either to the NFL (offensive linemen Matt Farniok and Brenden Jaimes and running back Dedrick Mills) or the transfer portal (Boe Wilson).
On defense, NU adds inside linebacker Chris Kolarevic (Northern Iowa) to the mix. He committed back in October, graduated from UNI in December and now will be immediately eligible with two years left to play.
Combined, the high school players and transfers make this easily the biggest group of midyear enrollees that Nebraska has had under Frost.
Blessed to have received an offer from The University of Nebraska‼ï¸
— ✞ Jaren Kanak ✞ (@KanakJaren)
3. One of the Huskers' more recent offers in the 2022 class went to three-star athlete Jaren Kanak out of Hays, Kansas.
Kanak, a speedy wide receiver listed at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, also has offers from Kansas State, Kansas and a host of lower division schools, including some Ivy League options.
Interestingly, Kanak is the second player out of Hays High to earn an offer from the Huskers in the 2022 class, joining linebacker Gavin Meyers.
Not every day you see two players in the same grade earn Big Ten offers in a town slightly smaller than Fremont. A pretty cool deal for those two and the folks at Hays High, though. Now, how much of a run can Nebraska make at the pair with already stiff regional competition that is sure to only increase in the coming months?
4. Speaking of competition and the 2022 class, a bit of commentary while we drive.
Currently, the NCAA’s dead period runs through April 15. It’s unclear exactly where the vaccination campaign nationally will stand at that point, but obviously it won’t be completed. It’s going to be interesting to see what the NCAA does in terms of the recruiting calendar.
The class of 2022 has now been shut out of in-person recruiting for 10 months and will be up to 13 at the least on April 15. Will spring visits happen at that point? Will the dead period get extended into (or through) the summer?
One thing is certain: Whenever it lifts, there is going to be major competition to get kids to campus. It was already hard enough to set a junior day or a camp in June that didn’t bump against events at several other schools. Now imagine what it will look like on a compressed clock when kids haven’t been able to get out for more than a year.
Given the later start to the spring semester at UNL and the projected later start to spring ball, it’s possible NU’s Red-White Spring Game will be on or around May 1 instead of mid-April. That might be an event worthy of attracting recruits. Will that be on the table by then? Who knows?
TOP 6.
— Carsen Ryan (@CarsenRyan)
Big things coming for 2021.
5. NU recently made the top six for 2022 four-star tight end Carsen Ryan (American Fork, Utah).
Ryan is listed at 6-4 and 240, and put the Huskers in his top group along with Washington, UCLA, BYU, Colorado and Virginia.
He is listed as the No. 9 tight end prospect nationally according to 247Sports and No. 12 by Rivals. The Huskers have two high priority tight end prospects right down the road in the class, too, in Bellevue West teammates Micah Riley and Kaden Helms. Riley is a four-star prospect by Rivals and Helms is a consensus three-star player, but both have national recruitments already underway and seem to pick up more high-level offers weekly.
Riley, for instance, was just reoffered by the new coaching staff at Auburn. Suffice to say, NU has a lot of competition but is in on several good players at the tight end spot again for the 2022 class after taking three in 2021.
Top 10ðŸ™ðŸ¾ recruitment still 100% open.
— Lando Hullaby. (@_Lhull22_)
6. Two other 2022 players who have earned mentions from NU in top groups in recent days: defensive backs Avery Powell (Jersey City, New Jersey) and Landon Hullaby (Mansfield, Texas).
Powell listed a big group of 15 schools, though it’s not surprising to see the Huskers back in the mix on the East Coast with outside linebackers coach Mike Dawson on the staff again. Hullaby’s older brother plays at Texas and he has an impressive top group of schools that includes the Longhorns, Notre Dame, Oregon, Auburn and others.
Fans sometimes roll their eyes at these “top group†lists, but it gives at least a little insight into who NU’s recruiting actively, considering nobody’s rolling through campus to junior days or other events like they would be in other years.