The early National Signing Day arrives Wednesday in the midst of what has already been a busy offseason for Nebraska football.
The Huskers have three new offensive coaches hired, one staff position still open, three scholarship transfers committed so far and more work to do on all recruiting fronts still ahead.
That’s to say nothing of the evaluation and work to do among the new offensive staff, the attrition that has become a constant in college football and the potential that coach Scott Frost will have to stave off any poachers who might try to hire away members of his defensive staff in the coming weeks.
Not only that, but as of Tuesday morning, the Huskers’ 2022 recruiting class stands at just 12 members. The reasons for that are many and we’ll get into it a bit more below. They’ll likely also add to that collection in the coming days, but yes, there’s perhaps less hoopla for the early signing date this year than there has been in the past.
The class includes three in-state players — Columbus linebacker Ernest Hausmann, Lincoln Southeast linebacker Jake Appleget and Millard South athlete Gage Stenger — quarterback Richard Torres (San Antonio); wide receivers Victor Jones (Orlando, Florida) and Grant Page (Boulder, Colorado); tight end Chase Androff (Lakeville, Minnesota); defensive lineman Brodie Tagaloa (San Francisco); and defensive backs Jaeden Gould (Oradell, New Jersey), Jalil Martin (Chicago), Malcolm Hartzog (Prentiss, Mississippi) and DeShon Singleton (Hutchinson Community College in Kansas).
Who could the Huskers still add?
Minneapolis running back Emmett Johnson is announcing his decision Wednesday afternoon, and the Huskers appear to be in strong position. That's the obvious candidate.Â
OK, well, are there any potential surprises?
It wouldn’t feel like a signing date without any drama, but only time will tell. Are there any late defections lurking from the class?Â
Perhaps a visitor from this weekend who hasn’t been heard from much, like New Jersey offensive lineman Justin Evans-Jenkins (Irvington), junior college defensive lineman Seleti Fevaleaki (Snow College) or Ben Roberts (Salt Lake City), the defensive lineman verbally committed to Oregon, jumps on board.
Could new receivers coach Mickey Joseph land a score from Louisiana from, say, three-star wide receiver DeColdest Crawford? He's going to announce his decision on Friday morning.Â
Remember, too, that some players around the country won’t sign in the early period and will take more visits in January leading up to the February signing date. So perhaps the new offensive coaches on board will have a couple of high school spots to work with over the next six weeks, too.
Why is the class so small?
For several reasons. NU definitely missed on some top targets earlier in the cycle and going 3-9 doesn’t make recruiting easier, but that might have an impact more on who ends up in the class rather than how many. This was always going to be a small group.
NU finished the season right at 85 scholarship players and only had seven scholarship players that exhausted their eligibility. Seven more have since decided they’re going to the NFL or transferring. So, a total of 14 spots is a good starting point this week.
That squeeze is a combination of the extra eligibility granted by the NCAA due to COVID-19 last year and the fact that the Husker roster overall is a young one.
The proliferation of transfer portal recruiting also has a major impact. Given NU’s roster construction currently, any additional spot in the high school class essentially takes away a spot from a potential transfer. And, as Frost said during the 2021 season — especially considering he’ll begin 2022 on the hot seat — the Huskers need difference-makers and feel like those are more likely to come from the portal rather than straight out of high school.
NU has four scholarship transfers committed so far: Northern Colorado offensive lineman Kevin Williams, Furman kicker Timmy Bleekrode, Montana punter Brian Buschini and Arizona State defensive back Tommi Hill. Combine those guys with the high school class, and the scholarship picture looks, roughly, on balance. That would mean essentially a one-in, one-out formula for Nebraska the rest of the offseason. If seven players leave NU, the Huskers can take about that many transfers. If three leave or 12 leave, space for transfers follows along.
To recap, here are two general rules for thinking about space in the 2022 class between now and August:
1: Each scholarship player who leaves Nebraska creates an opening. That attrition in some cases might be seen as a good thing but, as an example, of course, NU would much rather have Cam Jurgens back for 2022 than have an extra spot for a transfer.
2: Any high school player added down the stretch is a player that Nebraska essentially sees as good enough to take over a transfer.
Do transfer portal players have to decide by Wednesday, too?
They do not. Transfers don’t sign NLIs. They just enroll in classes for the spring semester. That changes the clock substantially. Remember a year ago, NU transfer receiver Samori Toure and running back Markese Stepp committed on back-to-back days in the middle of January. Wan’Dale Robinson, Luke McCaffrey, Boe Wilson and Kade Warner all entered the portal in January, too.
So a transfer — let’s take former LSU quarterback and Nebraska target Myles Brennan as an example — after this weekend has to wait until January to take an official visit just like a high school recruit, but isn’t working on the exact same decision timeline.
There are still players deciding to transfer every day, and that will continue for weeks. Then, there will be another blast of activity during and after spring ball as well. The portal never sleeps.
This seems complicated, doesn’t it?
Indeed it does. Welcome to the ever-changing new world of college football, where rosters are more in flux than ever.
The turning point in every Nebraska football game in 2021
Nebraska coach Scott Frost hugs Jalil Martin, a 2022 defensive back recruit from Chicago, who verbally committed to the Huskers before NU's game against Ohio State on Nov. 6.Â