With National Signing Day 2018 just weeks away, we look at the five most important commits in the Nebraska recruiting class.
It’s a new era for Nebraska football. Native son and former quarterback Scott Frost returned to the Huskers after a majestic turnaround effort at UCF, complete with a 13-0 record in 2017, and hit the ground running in Lincoln.
The Huskers were making progress in recruiting under Mike Riley but have seen an injection of interest from talented players (especially on the offensive side of the ball) since Frost was hired. The momentum Frost and his coaching staff has brought to the recruiting trail have lifted Nebraska to the top of the rankings in the Big Ten West and to the edge of the Top 25 classes nationally according to recruiting outlets.
The 2018 recruiting class includes a relatively high number of junior college players, all of whom could play a big role in 2018. Receivers Jaron Woodyard and Mike Williams will be in the mix immediately, as will defensive back Deontai Williams and linebacker Will Honas, the No. 1 inside linebacker recruit in the nation out of the junior college ranks, according to the 247Sports Composite.
There is also plenty of high school talent on board, including four four-star recruits. But more than simply chasing highly recruited blue chippers, the Cornhuskers are also thinking outside the box. One of the diamonds in the rough in this year’s class could be Casey Rogers, a star lacrosse player-turned-three-star defensive lineman from New York. At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, Rogers was athletic enough to play receiver in prep school.
And while it JUCO signees will have a big early impact, and it may take time for players like Rogers to develop into key contributors at Nebraska, the most important commits are the talented high school players Frost and his coaching staff have convicted to join them at Nebraska, to be the face of the program for the next four years.
5. Cameron Jurgens, Tight Ent
Cameron Jurgens was a big signee for the Huskers for two big reasons: Frost has a history of utilizing talented tight ends in a variety of ways, and he was the highest rated high school player in the state of Nebraska.
For those looking for the X’s and O’s of how Frost would utilize a player like Jurgens – a 6-foot-3, 240-pound four-star prospect ranked No. 7 among tight ends in this class – Oliver Connoly of Landof10.com and SEC Country put together a very detailed blueprint of Frost’s UCF run-first, quick-paced philosophy. The good folks at FishDuck.com have also spent years analyzing the Oregon offense, and have a huge library of content, including instructional videos, from Frost’s time as Chip Kelly’s offensive coordinator. Tight ends must be able to block and catch passes in Frost’s offenses, and Jurgens’ high school tape shows his skills in both areas.
Secondly, as the top player from Nebraska, Frost showed he’s capable of keeping what little hometown blue-chip talent exists. Sure, Jurgens was committed to the Cornhuskers since 2015, but he also seriously considered jumping to LSU after Mike Riley was fired. A Nebraska native himself, Frost understands how important it is to keep a Nebraska identity on the roster. And though it will be important to keep his connections in Florida and the West Coast, locking in Jurgens’ commitment was important.
Furthermore, Jurgens was used in a variety of ways on both offense and defense in high school, and there’s a chance he ends up playing linebacker or defensive end in college.