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Another potential QB for Nebraska football, a new crystal ball, and more
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Jun 17, 2024
Nebraska football could be adding another quarterback to the roster, plus the Huskers might be taking a third running back in the 2025 class. We discuss that plus a huge official visit weekend which features an Oregon commitment and top-rated in-state linebacker Christian Jones. #huskers #gbr
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0:00
Hey Husker fans, welcome back to the Husker Big Red YouTube channel
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We're back here on a Friday afternoon, or a Friday morning, excuse me. Got our schedules a little bit mixed up this week, but
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we're back to talk some recruiting news. We got a bunch of things happening on the recruiting trail this week for Nebraska
0:14
We've got some camps and possible new quarterback addition to the 2024 roster
0:19
Some potential flip opportunities this weekend as the Huskers get ready for
0:23
kind of their first big official visit weekend. So we're gonna cover all that. Before we get into it, please make sure that you guys hit the subscribe button
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Make sure that you hit the like button. Get into the comment section. Make sure you don't miss any of our future content
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Check out us for bigred.com as well. And Danny, how you doing this morning, man
0:40
Good, this was a show that I almost didn't even come to, because I had forgotten we were supposed to do a show today
0:44
So that's what I'm doing this morning. But my Celtics are one win away from the NBA championship, so
0:50
hopefully they can steal that tonight. So overall, I'm doing pretty good. Yeah, we'll see if Luca, what's his, Luca Doncic can embarrass himself
0:58
tonight on defense, or trying to draw fouls on 27-foot three-pointers. So we'll see what happens there
1:03
See, that's the thing, he falls and he draws fouls, and he complains to the refs. And credit to the Celtics, they just continue to run, and
1:09
then it becomes a five-on-four advantage on the fast break, and they score points
1:12
So I'm hoping Luca can do that again tonight. Yeah, that will be interesting to see how that works
1:18
But yeah, I feel like the Celtics are gonna wrap it up, which congratulations to you if that does happen
1:22
So, but yeah, as far as Nebraska, I mean, a few different things happening
1:26
Mostly this big visit weekend, but I wanted to start out with this NAIA
1:31
quarterback that came for a post-graduate camp, is what Nebraska had. I think it was on Sunday
1:36
But Jalen Gramstad is his name, he plays at what's called Northwestern University
1:43
It's not the Northwestern from the Big Ten, but Northwestern from the NAIA
1:47
And they were, I believe, the NBIA runner-up last year. Gramstad was the NAIA Player of the Year
1:53
I guess he's always wanted to play for Nebraska. It's kind of been a dream of his
1:57
So he didn't even tell his coaches and went to this graduate camp
2:01
And I mean, I think he did turn some heads. He did impress the Nebraska coaching staff
2:06
According to Sean Callahan, it's still possible that he's gonna get added to this roster
2:11
There's some academic things that need to get worked out with the NAIA type thing
2:18
But it seems like it's still a possibility. He had 3,681 yards passing last year, 35 touchdowns
2:25
One assistant coach, I don't know, I think he was played. Gramstad, it was like another NAIA program
2:31
But so he's better than any of the quarterbacks Nebraska had last year
2:35
which includes Henry Carver, who is in this conversation or in the competition with Dylan Raiola and Daniel Kaelin for the starting job
2:42
So I don't know, Danny, what do you think about the possibility? We've talked about a fourth quarterback
2:47
I don't know that it's really necessary. But what are your thoughts on the possibility of Nebraska adding another
2:52
quarterback to this roster for the 2024 season? I don't know if it's really necessary, but he is talented
2:59
I mean, there's no doubt about it. And the only thing I worry about is him taking away reps from Kaelin or
3:05
Raiola, but at the same time, you always have to prepare for
3:09
the possibility that Raiola struggles or kind of has a rough go of things
3:16
I know we all want him to immediately come in and succeed right away, but
3:21
that could not be the case. I mean, I don't foresee any situation where that wouldn't be, but
3:26
that may not be the case. So although it is kind of a puzzling addition
3:30
I understand it for quarterback depth purposes. I mean, Gramstad was a three-time conference player of the week
3:37
He threw for the most yards in Northwestern history for a single season last year
3:47
He was the GPA player of the year. So he does have talent. And although it may not make sense, I do think it's a good
3:56
Gramstad's a good insurance option for the room. And I think at the very least, from a numbers point
4:08
I wasn't really too confident in carrying only two quarterbacks based off of just
4:14
health concerns and injury concerns. And I know Harburg's in the conversation as well, but I think it's kind of
4:21
an interesting addition in the sense that I don't really know where he'll fit
4:27
But I think it's good to have another quarterback in the room if that makes sense, just for insurance purposes
4:33
And again, I think it's a case of recruiting based off of talent rather
4:37
than need. Yeah, it'll be interesting with the quarterback. I just don't, does this guy have a chance to possibly be a starter here in Nebraska
4:46
I guess, do they see him as a guy that can start if, I don't know
4:50
I just don't know if that's- I think they move Harburg. I mean, I just don't know if that's gonna bend
4:58
I mean, I think as a wildcat, I don't think him playing tight end is a viable option
5:02
Because I don't think he's better than, he's definitely not better than Thomas Fedoni and I don't think he's better than any of the other guys that
5:08
they have. I think that's a once in a time thing. He's better, the best thing he brings is the wildcat quarterback thing
5:15
So I mean, I don't think that that should change. And I definitely wouldn't
5:19
I just think that's a waste of time moving him to tight end. Like I just, that's my personal opinion because I think, like Carter
5:25
like even if he's the two or three, like Carter Nelson's better taking those reps. I just don't think that he's gonna switch and play tight end and
5:32
be that effective at it. I mean, he could be like maybe an H back or whatever. But yeah, we'll see
5:38
I don't know. I mean, I guess you can go through with four quarterbacks, but I guess it's to me in a lot of ways that this doesn't make sense
5:43
Because for Graham said, I just I really don't see him beating out Riola
5:48
So I don't really understand his motivation for coming to Nebraska and being a backup
5:52
It seems like there could be other, I mean, I look around the conference and
5:57
I feel like there's potential, he could start at other places. So we'll see what happens there
6:02
I mean, the group of five, it just seems like that there's other opportunities where he could play if he wanted to, as opposed to potentially come into
6:09
Brassica and being a backup, I don't know, just it seems weird to me
6:13
And it's just, I just don't like the idea of adding another fourth
6:18
quarterback to the competition. I mean, I get having a fourth scholarship quarterback, I guess
6:23
I understand that, having only three, but I don't know. If he wants to come as a walker, I guess, but
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to me, it just adds another, it just feels like a lot of times when you have
6:36
a quarterback competition, you have two or three guys and that's really legitimate
6:40
It's just hard to have a four way quarterback competition, you know what I mean, like legitimately have one
6:45
So it's like, I just feel like somebody is gonna get shorted on the reps and
6:49
maybe that will end up being Harvard. But I don't want it to be Riola or Kalen for
6:53
a guy that I really don't think is gonna play outside of an emergency situation
6:57
And so I don't know, I mean, maybe it will be beneficial and having another backup can be a good thing
7:03
But at the end of the day, I think Nebraska's success this year and
7:08
the next few years is going to depend on whatever Dylan Riola does
7:11
I mean, that's the truth of it. If this program is gonna win a championship, it's gonna be on his right arm
7:16
I mean, that's the end of the day, that's what's gonna happen. So his development is the most important thing and
7:21
anything that messes with that or threatens that or takes snaps away from that
7:25
I'm not sure I really support it, but I understand wanting to try to get more depth for the roster, but I don't know
7:31
I just don't necessarily love how it kind of shakes things out. I don't love the idea of all four quarterbacks competing in the fall and
7:39
I just feel like that takes away reps from guys that potentially could need them
7:43
But I do get wanting a more experienced quarterback if there's an injury or things don't work out or whatever
7:51
I think once the game start, you won't have to worry. I think it'll be very clear who the top dog is
7:58
And I don't think you have to worry about taking reps away to where it impacts
8:03
Raiola so much. I mean, I get wanting to add a fourth quarterback and
8:10
I get also the taking away the reps point. But I think when push comes to shove and
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fall camp starts, I don't think you'll have to worry about any of that. Yeah, we'll see
8:20
I mean, I worry about with Daniel Kaelin too. Yeah, I can definitely understand the Kaelin angle
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cuz Kaelin needs a little bit more development. But even still, I think it's not only about the reps, but
8:31
also how quickly they process things. And so I think mental reps will be important too
8:35
And with Glenn Thomas actually leading the room and a competent quarterback coach actually leading the room this time around
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I feel pretty confident in the overall direction of the room and
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the division of reps. I think it'll become pretty clear that Raiola and
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Kaelin are still the one, two punch in the quarterback room. Yeah, and we'll see
8:58
It'll be interesting cuz Graham said actually I think he could have two years left, he could redshirt and have another year
9:02
So we'll see how that situation develops. But I mean, if he worked out as well as the people are saying
9:11
it wouldn't surprise me if some other teams got in the mix too. Cuz like I said, there's definitely more teams that need quarterbacks that
9:18
probably have an easier path to start than Nebraska does. So I don't know, I've thought about that ever since they're like
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this kid has an arm, da, da, da, da. I'm like, well, how come some group of five team hasn't jumped in
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trying to get him up? So we'll see, I don't know, maybe it's just a Nebraska thing. It could be something as simple as he's flying under the radar and
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Nebraska feels like they'd be stupid not to at least extend him an offer he commits
9:40
Cuz they've done a good job at getting offers and commitments based off of their camps
9:45
So it could be something as simple as that too. Yeah, I mean, it's like he's out on 100% of the shots you don't take type of thing
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Yeah, get the Michael Scott reference today. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I mean, I get it
10:00
It probably will be a good thing overall. I mean, it's not a bad thing to add another quality player
10:04
I just, to me, it's a little strange from his perspective, I guess if he just wants to. Yeah
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But I mean, maybe he truly believes he can beat out Dylan Rayola. Maybe he can. I don't know, I'm not gonna, I'll never say never
10:15
He'll never say never. Maybe he just wants to be a part of a fun program that's building
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cuz you mentioned his multiple years of eligibility. And that could be it too. I mean, for some kids that I've been around and I've talked to
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just my own personal experiences. They just wanna be a part of a fun team and they wanna be a part of that camaraderie and culture
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So I mean, maybe it's one of those things where he just wants to have fun playing
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football at a Big Ten school and if he gets time, that's great
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If not, then maybe that's not as important to him as just being a part of what I believe is gonna be something special
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Yeah, I guess we'll see how it all works out. But something to keep on the radar is with Nebraska and Jalen Gramstad
10:56
So could be finally the fourth quarterback that some Nebraska fans have definitely
11:01
been warning, they've been talking about that since the spring. So we'll see if that finally comes to fruition
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Now, another big story that developed, not a huge story, but I mean, a pretty big news for this week that developed, Ryman Zybert canceled
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the in-state tight end, canceled his visit, three star. And he's actually the number five, the fifth ranked player in the state of
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Nebraska according to the 24-7 composite rankings. Canceled his visit to Nebraska, canceled some other visits as well and
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committed to Stanford on Tuesday or Wednesday, one of those days. I don't remember which one, but still, so that takes him off the board
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He was slated for an official visit for Nebraska. But this could potentially be a sign that things are moving
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progressing with Chase Lofton. Nebraska is gonna get him, but I don't know, it's hard to say
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What do you think about the cancellation of the visit, the commitment to Stanford
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and a top five in-state recruit coming off the board? Good for him
12:01
I mean, he has the opportunity to get a Stanford education. He has the opportunity to play football
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And these kind of schools, Stanford especially, they've developed Zach Gertz, Austin Hooper, Kobe Fleener back in the day, Dalton Schultz
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This is a program that kind of specializes in developing tight ends
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So as much as it stings a little bit to lose an in-state recruit, good for him
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He gets a Stanford education. He gets to play football at a school that's good at developing tight ends
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And as I wrote at the time, I can't remember what day, it was either Tuesday or
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Wednesday, I think this is a good sign that Chase Lofton, maybe that development may be progressing nicely
12:51
Yeah, I mean, it's definitely, you could think that. I think it's not crazy to make that assumption, but we'll see
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I definitely think that he enjoyed his visit to Florida State. I know that he's taking a visit to Texas A&M this weekend
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I think Christian Jones is also taking a visit there. Maybe, no, that's not right
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He's visiting USC in Oklahoma. But still, it's gonna be interesting to see how those recruitments play out
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I mean, if you miss on Chase Lofton, I mean, I guess I wouldn't be that worried
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about Roman, or excuse me, Rhymon Zypert if they get Chase Lofton
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But if they miss on both, I do think that that's a bad look for Nebraska to have
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two tight ends that are top five in the state. And to miss on both of them, I think, would be a tough look for the Huskers
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cuz that's clearly been the top of their board. I mean, they got Bear Tenney, but
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they've clearly wanted to get one or two of those guys to this class
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So I'm not ready to say that this was a Nebraska thing pushing him out the door
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because he did cancel some of his other visits too. It's not like Nebraska was like, hey, we're getting Chase Lofton
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we don't want you to come type of deal. I do think that Stanford really did a great job in this recruitment
14:00
But it could be related to the fact that Chase Lofton is just higher up on the board, and maybe they're like, hey, we're only taking two tight ends
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So we're probably gonna take Chase. I mean, that definitely could have been a factor, but
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it's just hard to say right now. I guess we'll have a better idea of that in a few weeks
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But there was a situation last year with Carter Nelson and another in-state tight end
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He went to Illinois, I'm blanking on his name, but it was a very similar type of situation where he was gonna visit Nebraska and
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then ended up not doing it and committed to Illinois. Is that correct, the last name, Danny
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Yeah, maybe, could be. It's gonna bother me, so I'm gonna look that up now
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But at any rate, and that was kind of the same thing. It was like, we're missing out on it, cuz he was like in the top
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he was a top ten. I think it was maybe number nine last year in the state ranked
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And so there was kind of a similar dynamic where it was like, I don't wanna miss on this player. But maybe that means Carter Nelson is coming, and
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Carter Nelson did end up committing in a couple of weeks. So I've said I do think the Nebraska leads for Chase Lofton
14:56
It's kind of interesting because they have crystal ball projections for Christian Jones
15:01
But I actually feel like they're in a better spot with Chase Lofton. And that could be, I mean, it's from the outside looking in
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I mean, there's no question. I'm not saying I have sources in the Chase Lofton camp
15:11
It's just observing- I would agree, that'd be nice. It's just observing everything and seeing the visits
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And yeah, he said Florida State's a great option. But I mean, what else is he gonna say
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He just went there for a visit. He obviously thought it was a decent enough option because
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Florida State sucks. I hate to say that. Nebraska, but Nebraska, I mean, trust me
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I've been on the Nebraska to Tallahassee trip one time, and it's a long trip
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So you're not taking that trip unless you're serious about the school
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at least in some perspective. And yeah, Florida State's a good school for tight ends. I mean, there's no question about that
15:45
I think Texas A&M, I know they have Mike Elko, so it's kind of a new program there
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But I think he's doing a nice job. And obviously, I think all those schools have the NIL factor as well
15:54
But I just think that Nebraska, with him, they've really prioritized Lofton
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And so I take this more as a sign that things are where they need to be with
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Chase Lofton, but you never know. And I do think it would be a bummer if they missed out on both of these guys who
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are each 6'6", pass-catching tight ends that I think would fit really well in
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this offense. I agree, but I could definitely see it. I mean, our tight end room is a little bit crowded right now
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I mean, you have Ian Flint, you have Kaitlin Smith, you have Carter Nelson
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you have Bear Tenney coming up, you have Fidoni right now, which he really doesn't play too big into the grand scheme of things
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When you look at the overall long-term picture, but I mean, we do seem to want to recruit a ton of tight ends
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So we'll see how it all plays out. And one thing that kind of intrigued me over this week was
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the prediction by Brian Doan of running back Makai Nelson. A high confidence prediction of seven put in yesterday morning
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And I thought that was interesting, especially given the recent commitment of Jermarion Parker
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And we had talked about earlier in the week, and even some last week, what Parker's commitment could mean for Nelson
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And I'm wondering if there's still some smoke there with Nelson, and
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if Nebraska is gonna end up taking another running back. Yeah, it's been interesting though
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The Maki Nelson thing has been interesting the entire time because they were
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training up with Jermarion Parker. And then last weekend he did take his official visit
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despite the Parker commitment, which I thought was interesting. And yeah, that crystal ball does not surprise me, but
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at least from the Nebraska recruiting side of things, the team reporters, it didn't seem like a third running back was really that big
17:45
of a possibility. But at the same time, I mean, it's not unheard of for teams to take three running backs
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I mean, that's not a crazy thing. I mean, if you're gonna take three tight ends
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you could take three running backs. Especially, I've nailed this point home quite a few times, but
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2023, one running back, 2024, zero running backs. That's pretty, I mean, that's kind of crazy in modern college football
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To me, honestly, having a class with just one running back is light
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I mean, most classes have two, just generically. I mean, that's just what you kind of do
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So I mean, if you look at it from that perspective mathematically
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you had one in 2023, zero 2024, and two, that's still only four over three years
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So if you added another one, I mean, to me, that kind of gets it
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I mean, that's four over three years, and that's a healthier number
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Three in one class is still kind of interesting, though, because you're kind of adding up those numbers in one year
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But I think that makes it more challenging from a recruiting perspective
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like trying to get three guys in one class. But if they've got it sold with Mickey Nelson, and
18:50
Connor Booth is a guy that could potentially play some fullback. I know that I basically said, they're not gonna recruit a fullback
18:56
But they are still gonna have that position. I just don't think they're gonna be like, we gotta get out here and
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recruit a fullback. They'll get a tight end. Somebody else, a running back that can maybe play that position
19:07
I mean, I do think that Heiner Carbert could be a great H back, for sure
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Cuz that guy can definitely drive his helmet into your chest, and
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that's what he likes to do even as a runner. I mean, he did not avoid contact
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He sought out contact as the quarterback running the football. So at any rate, I do think that with the running back position
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it wouldn't be crazy for them to take three there. But yeah, I found that kind of interesting
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We'll see if that leads to a commitment or not. And then one other kind of group of things I wanted to touch on, or
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if you have more, feel free, was the addition of two visitors in SJ Alta Fatuli
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and wide receiver Isaiah Mosey. Alta Fatuli is an interior offensive lineman
19:51
They were two visitors added to this weekend's list, which is already a pretty solid list
19:56
So I had actually forgotten a little bit about Mosey. I remember we were talking about some Missouri receiver earlier this week
20:04
actually, and we couldn't remember his name. As soon as I saw Mosey pop up, I was like, yep, that's the guy
20:09
So what are your thoughts on these two new additions to the visitor list
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Both official, by the way. Yeah, I do think that, yeah, Isaiah Mosey was an interesting one that popped up
20:21
since he's is an Oregon commitment right now. So that was Nebraska, I thought, did make some solid headway with him earlier in
20:28
his recruitment than Oregon, kind of took it over. Corey Sims canceled his visit this week
20:34
So they're kind of switching that over to Isaiah Mosey. And then another interesting point in the receiver recruitment
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Raheem Hutchins, which I know you wrote about, but he canceled one of his top three visits
20:45
So I really feel like at wide receiver, they're trying to take their shot with Mosey
20:54
Cortez Mills, I think, is probably not gonna happen at this point
20:58
So I feel like they're taking their shot here. And if that doesn't happen, then I feel like they're going to switch and
21:06
basically take Raheem Hutchins. I think it's kind of like, they're kind of like keeping Raheem Hutchins warm right
21:11
now, and then if Isaiah Mosey, if that doesn't really work out, then I think they'll maybe take his commitment
21:16
Cuz it definitely seems like they want another wide receiver. But yeah, then another guy who's really obviously Christian Jones is visiting
21:24
this weekend, so that's gonna be really important. But yeah, Olufotuli is another really interesting recruit
21:31
interior offensive lineman, teammate of Douglas Utu, who just visited also recently on an official visit
21:39
It feels like with Utu and Olufotuli that it feels like a Nebraska-Michigan battle
21:43
which is kind of interesting. Because Michigan doesn't really do much NIL work at all, so
21:49
that Nebraska could maybe have an advantage. They did just- They still not do a lot of NIL work
21:54
No, not really. I mean, they're doing more with the current players, but they're still kind of behind the eight ball with high school recruiting
22:01
So I don't think- Kind of interesting. Yeah, I think their coaches
22:04
I think are getting some frustration, you can imagine. Because it's basically like recruiting with one hand tied behind your back, and
22:12
that's being nice. Well, it was interesting. Even the Nebraska, like Troy Dannen a couple weeks ago basically admitted that
22:20
Nebraska's kind of falling behind in the NIL game with a budget of 10 million
22:24
And you look at some of these monetary rankings of NIL budgets
22:29
and Nebraska is quite far behind in comparison to some other schools
22:33
So that's a 10 million. I can't imagine working with kind of, I'm not gonna say bad
22:41
but kind of a disorganized NIL pool, so to speak, like Michigan does
22:47
Yeah, I mean, it was interesting cuz I did see that. And then Steve Sipple, I did think made an interesting point
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I don't know if you saw this, but he said, Nebraska's roster isn't worth $20 million
22:58
like Ohio State or Oregon's or whatever. And I do think there's some legitimacy to that
23:04
Cuz I mean, look, I'm not saying that the preseason, the Steel and Lindy
23:08
Phil Steel and Lindy's and all these people are correct all the time. But when you look at the preseason, all Big Ten teams
23:14
Nebraska doesn't have a single first team All Big Ten selection. And I think that that's pretty telling
23:20
And that has made me be like, maybe I am drinking the Kool-Aid too hard
23:25
Maybe I am overestimating Nebraska's veteran presence. And maybe I'm underestimating the talent of the rest of the Big Ten
23:32
Because to me, that's still pretty striking. And I know you can look at Nash Hutchmaker and Ty Robinson
23:38
But to be honest, those guys couldn't start on Michigan's defensive line or
23:41
Ohio State's, you know what I mean? So as good as we think they are
23:45
they aren't good enough to start for the Buckeyes or the Wolverines. So I mean, that's just how, maybe Nash, but
23:51
he's not better than Mason Graham or Kenneth Grant, you know what I'm saying? So there is still a talent gap between Nebraska and some of these other schools
23:59
Brian Boushini maybe, well, I mean, I think at the same time too
24:05
I think it's been so long since we've had solid play at some of these positions that
24:12
we tend to overvalue some players in our eyes. And I'm not saying that Robinson and Hutchmaker aren't good
24:17
They are very good football players. But at the same time, any time we get even a remote sniff of a dominant
24:24
defensive lineman or a really good edge rusher, we tend to get really excited and
24:29
kind of overvalue them in our minds. I mean, we do it all the time. I mean, we constantly give out hot takes and are excited
24:35
But I think kind of just the lack of depth and lack of talent at certain positions
24:41
over the years has kind of made us overvalue the players who are pretty good
24:46
but not elite superstars. Yeah, and I love Nebraska's defensive line, I think. Yeah
24:52
Nash and Robinson and Jamari Butler were three really good players. And they've got
24:56
James Williams is getting some nice press too. And Lenhart and Van Poppel, they've got a lot of talent
25:05
I like Shavers and all those in the linebacking group. The secondary, I do feel I am a little bit worried about cornerback, but
25:13
especially with, yeah, I guess we should mention that Ethan Nation not being on
25:17
the team, and maybe we mentioned that earlier this week or not, but- I don't think so
25:21
But yeah, at any rate, I mean, losing him, which I'm not sure what happened there
25:24
I don't wanna get into rumors or anything, but that was a loss to me
25:29
Because I mean, he was making plays during the spring. So there's a reason they allowed him to
25:36
he played like seven games last year as a freshman. So he was gonna be in the mix this year
25:42
And yeah, the more I've thought about that, the more I'm like, man, that's a loss that we could be thinking back about in October
25:49
When the quarterback depth is an issue, like man, Ethan Nation would be pretty nice out there right now
25:53
But it happens, that's just part of the game too, so. And Bly Hill is probably not gonna come back until the midpoint of next season, correct
26:03
Yeah, I think so. That is what is worrying me about it because it's like, okay, so you had
26:07
I remember I wrote about the secondary and kind of the cornerback position in the depth chart or
26:13
whatever going into the spring game. And that was kind of one thing I talked about was
26:17
they have these options, Jeremiah Charles, Bly Hill, and now Ethan Nation
26:23
And now two of those options, Dwight Boodle too. But now a couple of those options are gone, or
26:29
at least a little while with Bly Hill and Ethan Nation being out of there. So the depth has definitely been decimated a bit, and it's like
26:37
if they could find a position to add to from a transfer portal or whatever, cornerback would be nice
26:41
And apparently you can still enter the portal. I saw somebody entering recently, I think it was a Big Ten player
26:48
But yeah, it's crazy, and the Nebraska roster is crazy. It's like there is no roster limit at Nebraska, it seems like
26:55
But that's gonna change. But as far as- How about a guy like Mario Buford
27:02
Yeah, I think he could have an opportunity, I know Donovan Jones is out there
27:08
I mean, look, Malcolm, I don't think anybody expected Malcolm Hartsog to come in
27:12
as a fairly low ranked three star and be a really quality starter right away
27:16
So sometimes the recruiting rankings don't know everything, and sometimes you get a kid on the field and you're like, man, this guy
27:23
the stage isn't too big for him. So we'll see if that happens with some guys
27:28
I still think Caleb Bennington could be in the mix, maybe more at safety, but I don't know, that could help maybe free up some other guys
27:35
But as far as this visit weekend, a couple of other names that I thought were important to mention
27:42
Malcolm Simpson, defensive lineman, 6'3", 255 is number 293 overall. He's visiting Nebraska, has 82% chance
27:54
according to the on three prediction machine, of getting his commitment. The on three prediction machine has him as the leader of the Huskers for
28:02
Olaf Atuli and for Christian Jones. Brian Tapu, I think, is his name
28:10
an offensive tackle that's visiting this weekend, 6'8", 300 out of Utah
28:14
Iowa State is in the mix there. Sean Hammerbeck is another offensive tackle that's visiting out of South Dakota
28:20
So I think those guys are kind of interesting to watch as the tackle board is kind of thinned out for Nebraska with Broderick Scholl committing to Auburn
28:29
I think they're still kind of in the periphery for David Sanders. I'd still say Nebraska's in the top five or six, but
28:34
I don't know that they're gonna be able to get themselves to number one. So I think they're gonna have to look at elsewhere for their offensive tackle
28:42
I mean, Douglas Utu could be an offensive tackle if they land him. I mean, he's 6'5", 300 pounds, but he also could be an amazing guard too
28:49
So either way, but that's kind of how the board's shaking out
28:53
So I like both of those other offensive tackles too, and I'll be interested to see if Nebraska's able to kind of make some movement there
29:00
with Olaf Atuli, and if they're able to kind of establish themselves as
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the favorites this weekend. I don't know if there's gonna be any commitments, although it's hard to predict those
29:08
Sometimes the visits go really well, but what are your thoughts? Do you think we'll see any commitments like Sunday or
29:14
Monday, or will it be a little deeper into June? I'm thinking not like this weekend, but
29:21
I'm thinking maybe around the 24th, 25th. I'm thinking maybe right before the 4th of July, cuz you remember, and
29:30
granted the cookout days were different last year, but there was a big influx of commitments towards the end of the month
29:37
But it's also a little bit different this year. I feel like the 2025 class is a little bit more put together than
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the 2024 class was at this time last year. And now the coaching staff has a year under their belt, and
29:53
they kind of have, I'm not gonna say better control, cuz they did a pretty darn good job last year
30:00
But they kind of have their feet under them a little bit. And I'm really interested in the Isaiah Mosey visit, and
30:06
I'm wondering if he could be a potential commitment, a really good receiver
30:11
And certainly no second place consolation prize at any level. He's really, really good
30:17
And to land a receiver from the state of Missouri, and to kinda get him out of the state of Missouri these days would be pretty
30:25
impressive, especially with the money tree that the Missouri Tigers seem to be growing over this last year
30:34
So I don't know if we'll see anything this weekend. I'm thinking more like two weeks from now as recruits take their visits and
30:42
kind of wrap things up and start to make decisions. Yeah, Mosey's interesting
30:47
His 24-7 sports profile says he's got for June 21st visits for Oregon and Missouri
30:54
So we'll see if he takes a trip to Missouri that weekend
30:58
They would obviously be a threat to flip him as well. But that definitely shows he's looking outside of Oregon
31:05
And that last visit is always key too. Does Missouri have his last visit
31:11
That would be the last one. I don't know which one of those he's actually gonna take. So, but- Whoever has the last visit, I always say if you can get the last visit
31:20
and kinda seal the deal there and kinda get the recruit to make a decision
31:25
that's important too. And Nebraska's had a lot of last visits as well. So, I mean, but to me, the last visit is always important if you wanna
31:33
recruit high quality players. And yeah, I guess my last thing about this weekend is my number one objective is
31:40
to make sure that you grab the firm lead in the recruitment of Christian Jones
31:44
Lock that up. He's a really talented linebacker, the number one player in the state, would hate to see him go elsewhere
31:50
So that's kind of the big objective. But then, yeah, I mean, Olafatule and Mosey, if you can make headway there
31:56
I think that would be really important. And then that kinda leads into another really big visit weekend on June 21st
32:03
And then you're just trying to take all that momentum and turn it into commitments in the early part of July
32:08
And then for the most part, hopefully by August, you've got most of this recruiting class committed
32:15
And you're focusing on trying to get this program back to a bowl game this fall
32:20
which would be spectacular. It's been forever, so. It's so nice to have recruiting classes kinda wrapped up by the time the season
32:26
starts. That was never the case under the Scott Frost regime. Not to go on a tangent about that, but it's just nice to have recruiting
32:36
classes kind of already solid in by the time the season starts
32:41
And now the trick is keeping them, cuz as you recruit these higher players
32:45
more teams are gonna come calling. And I'll be interested to see if the winning starts
32:51
what type of recruits we can get then. Cuz it still blows my mind
32:57
even with how good recruiters this coaching staff is, that Nebraska's been able to do as much as they have coming off of five and
33:03
seven season. Yeah, if they start winning, then yeah, that blue chip ratio will start going up
33:08
And that's what every Nebraska fan should want to see. So- And I saw the pictures of
33:12
the weight room recently, and that would make me want to go to Nebraska too
33:17
Yeah, they definitely have all the resources that they need. So it's time to start- Yeah, like our money comes off like an incline
33:23
the pool. The nutrition, so yeah, it's time to start winning, guys, and
33:27
Matt Rule knows that. So at any rate, we'll wrap it up there, you guys
33:32
Have a great weekend and check out huskerbigred.com for more information. We'll be covering all this official visit stuff, any breaking news or
33:39
any stuff that's happening, we'll have that covered. So please again, make sure if you haven't already, hit the subscribe button
33:45
Hit the like button, get into the comment section, and as always, go Big Red
33:49
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