Can Nebraska land 5 star David Sanders, plus payback for Colorado

Good morning, Husker fans. Welcome back to the Husker Big Red YouTube channel. We're

back for another episode of our podcast this Wednesday morning and we've got some exciting

topics to cover with the primetime matchup between Nebraska and Colorado. We've got some

five-star buzz about David Sanders, so we'll get into that and more. Before we do, please

make sure you do us a huge favor if you haven't already and hit the subscribe button, hit

the like button. It helps us and it helps other Nebraska fans find our content. So there's

my spiel and Danny, how are you doing this morning? Good. Primetime against primetime

What a bit of news to hear this week and boy, that place is going to be rocking. Memorial

Stadium is going to be rocking and this is one of those many times while covering this

team or writing about this team that I wish I lived in Nebraska. I may not have been able

to get a ticket, but I would have just loved to be around the campus and be around the

atmosphere on game day because boy, that is going to be a fun time in September. It is

going to be a fun time and let's start there. We'll open up the show with, yeah, that's

number one topic on my mind. Colorado and Nebraska primetime, wink two of the season

on NBC. I know some people were talking about a big noon kickoff, but in Nebraska people

like playing primetime games. Some other programs don't necessarily, but I like the primetime

atmosphere. Matt Rule on the radio last night said it was a good thing for college football

and I think it is going to be a good thing for college football, especially after we

kick their ass because that is what I think is going to happen. I hope that is what happens

That needs to be what happens after the payback last year and all the heartache that we've

had over the last however many years. Nebraska, this is a must win game to me. Nebraska has

to show up. They have to get it done in this opportunity. If they don't, it is just going

to set a bad tone for the season. To me, this is the tone setting game for the 2024 Nebraska

football season. Yeah, it is a tone setting game and it will be interesting to see who

starts that quarterback for Nebraska. We all want Dylan Raiola, but will the coaching staff

make him the outright starter? Will they sit him? I want Dylan Raiola to start against

Shadier Sanders. What a matchup that would be. It will be interesting to see what the

team looks like by the time that matchup happens. The stadium is going to be absolutely electric

I can remember the 2021 game against Michigan, also a night game. The fans are going absolutely

crazy. It was a great home environment. I think this one will be even better, honestly

I can safely assume that Nebraska legends and stars will also be in attendance at the

game. There are going to be a lot of eyes on Nebraska in this one. This is just going

to have so many subplots. The game is within the game. It is going to be a great time

It will be a great time. The 2021 Michigan game was a great atmosphere, but I agree that

this is going to definitely go beyond that. People really wanted to win that game. Being

a ranked team, Nebraska really needed a win like that. They still haven't gotten over

a ranked team, I want to point out. This is just a different rivalry. Nebraska-Colorado

goes back to the Big 8 days. There is true hatred between the two fan bases. There is

a rivalry between Oklahoma and Nebraska. There is no question about it. There is no love

lost between Oklahoma and Nebraska fans. I almost think that the way the rivalry played

out, there is almost worse blood between Nebraska and Colorado fans. Now with the whole Coach

Prime thing, it is just something that there really is a dislike between these two fan

bases. Last year, Shadier Sanders was the difference. Nebraska didn't have a quarterback

Colorado did. Now, Nebraska does have a quarterback. It is going to be really exciting to see Dylan

Raiola, I believe, will be the starter. I do think Harvick is going to play some. He

is going to have some type of a role as a runner, a wildcat or whatever. I think that

it would be a missed opportunity not to have him utilized in some sense. This is going

to be Dylan Raiola and Shadier Sanders. It is interesting with Colorado in that they

may have the two best individual players in college football, Travis Hunter and not the

best in Shadier Sanders, but the best quarterbacks. Two very high draft picks, but they don't

have the depth that Nebraska does. That is going to be a very big test. That is a pretty

important thing in college football. It is great to have those star players, but you also have to be really good from not just 1 to 22, but 1 to 40. That is where the Georgias

and Alabamas wear you out over a 60-minute game. Absolutely. It will be interesting to see the Colorado defensive line against the Nebraska

offensive line. I am not overly concerned about Colorado's defensive line. I do feel

confident in Nebraska's offensive line. That will be an interesting matchup battle there

It is just going to be so exciting. Again, the atmosphere, the fans will be ready. This

is a game that they have circled on their calendar for quite a while

I know there was the Miami game when Miami came here after they beat Nebraska. That was

a huge moment for the crowd. That was a really pumped up atmosphere. I remember there were

the signs like, this is your worst nightmare. I hope we get that same energy, but more

To me, this is even more important. Just where this program is, they have to win this game

They need to get this stigma out of their way. I am not saying that beating Colorado

is going to get them over the hump or something, but it feels like a big game. It is going

to be early in the season. Colorado might have a loss already because they are playing North Dakota State week one on a Thursday night, which is not going to be an easy matchup

for those guys. It just feels to me like Nebraska needs this win to build some momentum and

just to have the confidence that we can play with the team on a big stage and we can come

out and perform the way that we are supposed to perform. They have not done that. Even

last year, they had a lot of great moments and they made a lot of progress, but they

just could not finish it off in the biggest games that they played. They need to win a

quote unquote big game and this is the first opportunity to do that. This game will be on NBC, correct? Not Peacock

Yeah, this will be on NBC Sports. I think you can still watch it on Peacock if you want to

Well, I am not doing that and I know a lot of people aren't doing that. NBC is good

so for anybody asking and wondering, this game will be on NBC. Signing into Peacock

it is pretty easy to get on my PlayStation, but it is just annoying. Back in my day, channels

weren't 4, 5, and 7 and games were blah, blah, blah, but it is annoying sometimes because

you just have to pay for extra streaming services. Yeah, I mean, it didn't stream the best last year at times

No, not at all. So hopefully they have improved that. I haven't watched a ton. I guess I did watch some Big

Ten basketball games on Peacock, but again, they weren't the best. But I don't know, maybe that hasn't worked for you

Actually, that's not true. I did watch a Nebraska game on Peacock. I think it was against, I

can't remember, the one where Rinkmask went off back in February. But anyway, their streaming

services is not the best. It could be better, but they do have The Office, which is awesome on Peacock. And then what's

even better is they have The Office superfan episodes 1 through 7, so you get an extra

five or six minutes of stuff that was cut out from The Office and it's just magic. It's

hilarious. I love The Office. I mean, if you love The Office, definitely check it out

You definitely in those first seven seasons get some extra Michael Scott and just everybody

It's really funny. So at any rate, you can get that and you can get some Big Ten sporting

events. Although if you want to watch everything, then you probably need BTN Plus, which is

that's the one that really triggers me. Peacock doesn't trigger me so much as BTN. It's like

I already have to pay for the Big Ten network and you made me pay for Peacock to get these

games. And on top of that, I have to get BTN Plus. And then I've heard the announcing is

really bad on BTN Plus. So I haven't gone that route. Probably won't. Usually if it's

on BTN Plus, I just go to the radio. So that's where I go. But this game, I'm really excited

about it. We haven't got a ton. I don't think we've got the UTEP kickoff. I think this is

the only kickoff time we have so far, unless I'm mistaken. I'm sure the Iowa game is going

to be the traditional time. So I wouldn't expect that to change. Thinking about some

of these other games, it wouldn't shock me if we had that Ohio State game in a primetime

NBC sports matchup. That could be a big noon kickoff too. That's kind of the one thing

that's interesting about being a Big Ten team is that the number one spot is that big noon

kickoff spot. So if Nebraska and Ohio State, if Joe Klatt's talking about how they could

potentially be undefeated for that game, now that I'm thinking about it, Fox Sports is

probably going to take that one. So that'll probably be a big noon kickoff. I'm trying

to think the other marquee matchups that we have. But there's going to be some opportunities

Like that Wisconsin game would surprise me if that was a night game. They love playing

that game as a night game. Well, they've had good games lately

That could be a CBS 330 game, which actually is somewhat interesting that CBS is going

to be broadcasting the Big Ten Championship this year. So that'll be a little bit different

from years past, which Fox has kind of had the stranglehold on that game, I think, almost

ever since it's been created. I prefer the CBS broadcast myself. I don't

know. Because I always like watching the SEC Championship on CBS broadcast. So that'll

be interesting. And then, of course, there was another Big Ten game announced the same

day as Nebraska. Michigan and Fresno State on August 31st as part of their Big Ten Saturday

night package. Go Bulldogs. But, you know, it's going to be a fun time

Yeah. And then Michigan will play Texas on the big noon on the same day as the Nebraska-Colorado

game. And then I think also that weekend. So I think I'm pretty sure I'm almost positive

I could be wrong unless this is a season opener. But I think that weekend there's Texas, Michigan

and I believe Wisconsin and Alabama on CBS. And then you get Nebraska-Colorado. So that's

why the Big Ten built itself the way that it did and invested so much in getting TV

contracts because you have three marquee games all with Big Ten teams. And it's going to

be that way almost every Saturday. The SEC's two now that Oklahoma and Texas are in there

So we're in the brand new world. And what's great about it is that Texas and Michigan

is going to be a great game. But really, it's a chance for each team to build their resume

because we're in the 12-team playoff now. So it's not do or die. And we'll see how that

impacts Nebraska. I've even seen people are still talking about the playoff from Nebraska

which I don't think is unrealistic. But let's just get... I'm just so sick of the, you know

we're going to do this and we're going to do that. I know I'm one of the worst peoples of that, you know, but I just need to see them actually freaking do it on the field. I just want to see

them do it starting with this Colorado game. That's why it's a must win because if not

it's just going to be that same old, you know, we're cursed, can't win big games

yada, yada, yada, yada. I just can't deal with it anymore. They need to end it finally

And then I'll see all the angry tweets and stuff like that. And yeah, I can't do it anymore. It

doesn't make any fun. But yeah, no, this is going to be the first two weeks of the season. Usually

you get to ease into things and, you know, kind of just build your, you know, strengthen your record

Not, not the case for many teams over the first couple of weeks, but it's good for the fans

Cause I remember the Texas Alabama game last year was really good. And that was

well, September 8th, I believe it was. So, I mean, it's good to get some marquee matchups in early

and it helps build hype for the rest of the season. And it could be a catalyst for, for the

rest of the way for some of these teams. And I just like, I mean, that's what we should be seeing

you know, some of the best teams playing each other. That's, you know, that's what college football should be about. And that those types of matchups should be encouraged. I feel like they

will be more with the 12 and soon to be 14 team playoff, especially since the sec and big 10 are

like guaranteed going to be guaranteed certain spots, which I don't, I don't like that, but you

know, it's, that's just the way of the world and they, they own so much money and they have such

big control that they just kind of demanded it. But at the same time, you know, like the big 12

is guaranteed spots too. So, and the ACC, so, I mean, they did give up things, but I just don't

like the idea of guaranteeing a spot to anybody. I just think it should be, you know, your conference

champ, your, your five best conference champions, you know, your power for, and then, you know

the top rank from the group of five. And then the other, I think the rest should just all be at

large picks. And I, I really doubt that there's going to be any year where the big 10 or sec

don't get in a 14 team playoff, don't get 14 because if you're in the big 10, I mean, the

nice thing is once it goes to 14, if you're in the big 10, if you go nine and three, like you're

probably making the playoff. So, I mean, that's why when people are like, you know, yeah, Nebraska

can get to the playoff. It's not unrealistic to say that Matt Rule can get this team to the

playoff because it's not going to take 11 and one or 12 and one season like he did before

And, and it could happen this year. You never know. I mean, the, the schedule's there if everything

comes together, but I mean, it's, it's really a lot about Dylan Riola. And one thing that's also

interesting about Dylan Riola is that he is one of the main reasons that David Sanders is on campus

this past weekend. They have a very close relationship, you know, and I think that he

played a key role in getting him here. And it sounds like that Nebraska did another great job

with David Sanders. His family was blown away by the visit, according to Damon Benning, who was

actually on the same, you know, kind of recruiting trip because Caleb visited last weekend, even

though he already signed with Nebraska. So that was kind of an interesting perspective and the

Oscars are knocking it out of the park with their visits. I mean, Broderick Schull, another guy

ranked in the top 200 went into the weekend with Auburn as the leader came out with saying that

Nebraska is the co-lead. So did Nebraska, in your opinion, David, do you think they did enough with

David Sanders or what needs to happen next, you know, for them to actually land his commitment

A winning season and clear development on the offensive line. And there has been development

last year, but, you know, as a player, you kind of want to see where you fit. And so I think another

strong season from the line this year. And, you know, because let's be, let's be completely honest

here, whether it was, you know, inconsistencies with the entire coaching staff or whatever

Donovan Rayel has struggled in 2022, did a lot better job in 2023, both in terms of coaching

on the field and in recruiting. And now if you can put together another solid season with the line in

2024, combined with the overall team wins and like we just talked about, maybe even a playoff

birth. And then I think, you know, Nebraska is in a good spot. I mean, the fact that

you know, Sanders family was blown away by the visit and, you know, the fact that, you know

it seems like everything's trending in the right direction for him. I think it's a very positive

sign. If they can just have another solid, I shouldn't say another solid, but a solid season

this year, then I think they're in very good shape. I mean, cause the, the, the talent is

going to be there starting this year. Now it's just about, you know, putting it together

And there was some interesting things where Sanders is the highest ranked player to ever

visit Nebraska. That's what the staff, you know, told his family, which I guess would be true since

dealing Rayola's ranking dropped like a little bit. He was like 12th or 15th, I think, or whatever

when he came to visit in December. But that's interesting. And yeah. And so Sanders is number

two, cause he's number two overall in the 2025 class. He's the number one offensive tackle. So

I mean, he really is like the top of the, you know, cream of the crop, whatever you want to say

he's big time. And they said he would be a game changer and he would, because you could have him

at left tackle. You could have grant bricks at right tackle. I mean, in the future, you could

have Tamu inside Gibson pile inside, you know, one of these other guys at center. I mean, that's a

that's a sounds like a big 10 championship contending offensive line right there behind

you know, to protect a five-star quarterback. So at any rate, I do think that there's a chance

there. I think they got to get them on campus a couple more times. Clemson is, you know, the

I guess the favorite at this point, you know, and they're the closest kind of, they're kind of the big power in that area. He's from Charlotte. He plays at Providence day

you know, they're South Carolina really kind of close in proximity, but he's kind of been

all over the place and his recruitment hasn't been, you know, super flashy. And I think Nebraska

is right there in the mix. I know, I know that the family said they haven't seen a better visit

than this. And in terms of facilities and stuff, that's probably true. I don't know if that's

going to get it, you know, over the top. I mean, cause everybody says that, you know

Nebraska has the best facilities. I think that they do, but that doesn't necessarily mean that

they're going to get David Sanders, but if they can get him back, you know, the summer for the

cookout, and then if they can get him for a game this season and they have success, like you're

talking about on the field and he can see that and feel that energy of, you know, Lincoln Memorial

stadium on a game day. I think that they, that would be a formula where I could see them landing

his commitment this fall. Cause I don't think it doesn't seem like he's anywhere close to a decision

No. And it's kind of interesting. Like you just said, he hasn't been flashy about his

recruitment at all. He's kind of kept things quiet, but we'll see. I think Nebraska is very

very much in play. I think Nebraska has a good shot at landing him. I don't think he was just

you know, you know, blowing smoke up everyone's butt. I think he, I think he really liked Nebraska

So we'll see how it goes. I mean, that would be another huge get for this offensive line. And

you know, he's just, he's a man child. He's just so sturdy and so well, well taught. He's

he's very technically sound and you know, six, six, 270 pounds. You can work with that pretty

well on the offensive line. And just the fact, honestly, not that we like to play for

consolation prizes and trophies, but just to just the fact that he was able to visit campus

and Nebraska got a five-star lineman on campus, especially when you consider what our line was

let's say four years ago, even, you know, three and two years ago, that's a victory in of itself

Yeah. Just a guy that, you know, super long arms to 36 inch arms. I mean, that is incredible

That's, you can't draw it up better than that. He's got great feet. And the thing I like about

him is he has six, six, you know, two 70. So, I mean, he's got a lot of frame to grow. You know

you can add 30 pounds to this guy and he would still, you know, he's one of those guys that

would be like 300 pounds, but still looks like an athlete. That's what you want at left tackle

Like if you could go into, you know, some, make a machine where you could punch in things to

you know, give you attributes for the perfect left tackle. And he would just come out of like a machine, like a, you know, Frankenstein or something that would be David Sanders. Like

he literally is the model of what you want as a left tackle. You know, it's going to obviously

take him a time to get adjusted, but I do think that, you know, Don Vinrayola has really developed

as a coach on the field and as a recruiter, like you said. And part of that, I think is having

you know, an experience and a good head coach because good head coaches, they develop not only

their players, but they develop their assistant coaches. And that's something that, you know

Scott Frost did not do very well. I don't think he managed his staff well at all. And that was

one of the, one of his downfalls, I think at Nebraska. And Matt rule, I think is the exact

opposite. You know, he wants these guys to come have success. He wants, he wants everybody on his

staff to, you know, move on and be a head coach and do all those things. But, you know, like Garrett

McGuire, maybe he'll be a head coach somewhere else someday, but the only way that's going to

happen is if he creates a lot of successful things at Nebraska with the wide receivers and whatever

happens in the future. And I think it's the same thing with Donovan Rayola. He's helped him

become a better offensive line coach. And because of that, Nebraska is a better program. And it's

just the way there's so many ways that Matt rule makes your, your program better. And it has made

Nebraska football better. And I think developing his coaching staff and getting the most out of

these assistants is one of the, one of the ways that he does that better than most. Speaker 2 He's made it exciting too. I mean, just, I can't remember, you know, being any more

excited in terms of recruiting than these last two years. And you know, it's, it's made the normal

boring summer months, a lot more fun to write about. And there's a lot more excitement. I was

talking with somebody last night and they, they noted the excitement around the program. They

noted, you know, the fact that there's this buzz around the program now and for what it's worth

I'm seeing Nebraska and a lot more of these, you know, top three finalists, top five finalists. So

I don't think, you know, all the, all the hype and all Nebraska's generating buzz. I don't think

it's just people trying to put, you know, words out there. I think the recruits see it too

Speaker 3 Yeah. And I, the, the way that they go about, I think really helps in a, you know

they're like, Hey, Nebraska is not for everybody, but here's what we have here. You know, we're

going to offer you this opportunity. Here's the things that we can offer you to help you get

better. Whether it's the nutrition stuff, the weight room stuff, the coaching staff

and it's like, Hey, this is our culture. This is how we do things. Do you want to be a part of

this? Is this the best thing for you? And I think that the way that they sell it really does, you

know, hit home with a lot of people. Not everybody is going to choose Nebraska, but it ended up

working with Dylan Rayola and Daniel Kalin and some of these other guys. And, you know, cause

even then, I mean, Matt rule, even with Dylan Rayola was like, Hey, is this, you know, he wanted

to take that visit instead of just, you know, putting, becoming the used car salesman and

saying whatever it took to get him in the door to, to get that sale. You know, he's like, Hey

just be sure about this. Be sure this is the correct thing that you want to do. And I think

that the way he goes about that, I mean, same with Daniel Kalin, you know, that honesty being

upfront. There's no BS with Nebraska. And I think that that's one reason why they've resonated so

much. And, and they're building a talented program. Matt rule is a proven winner. And once more of

that success starts to happen on the field, which I think will happen this year at, you know, the

recruiting should continue to trend up. I think there's no reason that Nebraska can't, you know

be in the top 15 every single year in the recruiting rankings. I truly believe that

And as a domino effect, you know, there's the commitment of TJ Lateef is going to be enticing

for future wide receivers who want to come here. I mean, they're building the offensive line

not only for right now, but for the future, they've shown a commitment to building the

offensive line. You look at, you know, the recruits that they're trying to get a running

back. I mean, and then on the defensive side of the football, you're, you're looking at a strong

developer on the defensive line and Terrence Knighton, you have a good, probably one of the

best in the country defensive coordinators and Tony white. So there's a lot of different

attractive pieces of this program for both sides of the football. And, you know, it's

it's starting to really kind of all come together. It's not finished yet by any means, but

you're seeing a lot of these, you know, recruits and, you know, potential commits kind of

you know, realize that Nebraska is building something special here. And it's interesting too, because there are times when the Nebraska coaching staff will offer kids

or get them for visits that, you know, don't have the stars or whatever. Nicholas Clayton is a great

example that he just visited this past weekend. A zero star recruit in the composite rankings

He's a three-star by 24 seven, but right, right after his visit, he gets offered by Florida state

in USC. So you're getting to the point where Nebraska is. And we saw that last year too

with you know, the defensive lineman that ended up, yeah. And he went to what Alabama

is that where he went? I believe it was. Oh yeah. That's right. Ohio state. You know

the running back too, that we lost to old one Lacey. So, I mean, you're starting to see Nebraska

where like players at Nebraska is identifying earlier than others. Now those other programs

the Alabama's of the world, the USC's they're starting to kind of follow what Nebraska is doing

And I think that, you know, yeah, I don't like that. They are coming and taking some of our

players, but that, that is going to happen. But what I do like is that Nebraska's evaluations

are on point almost every single time. So if Matt rule company offer somebody, regardless of what

the ranking is, you can generally feel pretty good about that offer because over time, I think

their evaluations have proven that they know what they're doing. And to be honest, I kind of liked

that Ohio state and, you know, Alabama, right. Taking some of our players. Cause that means we're recruiting with the big dogs. It's no longer just, you know, this lackadaisical recruiting

effort where we go for the low hanging three star, the easy pickings. We're now trying to recruit

for top tier elite talent and you have to play the game as a result, the recruiting game. So

although, although I don't like it as it turns to you know, in terms of, you know, having to

kind of battle with these schools, I do like, you know, playing the recruiting game with some

of the top tier programs in the country. Cause again, that gives Nebraska more exposure to

Yeah. And I think it does show because when sometimes when you prioritize kids early

that does end up making an impact. So I think it shows that Nebraska is very good at identifying

talent, you know, which they should be with all the NFL backgrounds and stuff on their

on their coaching staff. But I think that is one of their strong points. And that's

that's something that Michigan had done, did really well under Jim Harbaugh, you know

evaluate talent, develop it, build a culture. Nebraska is doing all those same things under

Matt rule. So the future is very bright and yeah, I think we'll wrap it up there today guys

But it's been an exciting week for Nebraska football recruiting. Keep, keep your eyes

you know, peeled for more information. Check out huskerbigred.com. We'll have plenty of updates

there. We're going through our kind of spring look back series to going through some of our

positional depth chart kind of predictions going forward. So check that out. And just again

if you haven't hit the subscribe button, please do so hit the like button. The channel is for

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