Nebraska on Monday added a commitment from Montana graduate transfer wide receiver Samori Toure. Here are three observations.
1. At 6-foot-3, Toure joins a growing list of receivers with big frames to join the Nebraska program in the past 18 months or so.
NU added substantial size with its 2020 class and got production from freshman Zavier Betts and walk-on transfer Levi Falck, but not yet from junior college transfer Omar Manning.
In the 2021 recruiting class, all three of the Huskers’ pass-catchers are at least 6-2 — Latrell Neville, Kamonte Grimes and Shawn Hardy.
The Huskers also return junior tight ends Austin Allen and Travis Vokolek and add three freshmen — including heralded signee Thomas Fidone — to the mix, as well.
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No matter what else happens this offseason, Nebraska’s depth chart at the skill positions is continuing to get bigger. The past two seasons, the top producing pass-catchers have been from the slot — Wan’Dale Robinson in 2020 and JD Spielman in 2019.
NU has continued to stockpile players on the outside, however. Betts showed plenty of promise as a freshman without the benefit of a real offseason because of the pandemic — and Falck played a lot of snaps. Manning at this point is a wild card after he appeared in just one game and didn’t catch a pass.
It will be interesting to see who emerges from that collection of outside-type receivers in 2021. Toure is undoubtedly going to be right in the mix.
2. At Montana, Toure was a do-it-all threat.
He could get vertical and win in contested situations down the field, but he also showed the ability to take short passes, make a defender miss and create big plays.
As a veteran arriving on campus this month, he’s going to have an entire offseason not only to try to earn playing time in his own right, but also to make an impact on the younger players in the room.
Toure knows a thing or two about having to progress within a program. He redshirted in 2016 and then had a nice redshirt freshman season in 2017, but didn’t really burst onto the scene until his fourth year in college.
In Lincoln, he’ll be the elder statesman along with Kade Warner in a group that’s going to feature a lot of young players.
He’ll have every chance not only to compete against the likes of Betts, Neville, Grimes and Hardy, but to be a positive influence on them in offensive coordinator Matt Lubick’s room, too.
3. Toure is the second graduate transfer from the FCS level that will be jumping on board with the Huskers this month, joining Northern Iowa linebacker Chris Kolarevic.
Graduate transfers don’t technically sign a National Letter of Intent, but the pair, along with four-star linebacker Wynden Ho’ohuli (Mililani, Hawaii), puts Nebraska’s 2021 recruiting class at 22 players total.
That leaves the Huskers with three spots to use the rest of the offseason. They are still involved with at least one high school player (Omaha Westside defensive back Avante Dickerson, who is verbally committed to Minnesota).
So, Nebraska like will end up with either two or three more spots to use on the transfer market over the course of the offseason.
Depending on what happens with a couple of senior decisions — namely running back Dedrick Mills and safeties Deontai Williams and Marquel Dismuke — NU could target backfield or secondary help in particular. Or, the Huskers could just look for the best fit regardless of position.