AndyDufresne
New member
I might do more of these if anyone is interested (or I might even if you're not). Obviously the writeups and categorization of players is entirely subjective. Feel free to offer up your own opinions.
2006
22 total members = 7 from the junior college ranks (32%) and 15 from high school (68%)
Rivals team ranking = 20th
Rivals average stars = 3.27
Scout team ranking = 29th
Scout average stars = 3.27
Players with major offers according to Rivals (I will define major offers as Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, USC, and UCLA): 6 (27%)
Cruz Barrett - Florida, Florida State, Oklahoma
Major Culbert - UCLA
Seth Jensen - Oklahoma, UCLA
Andre Jones - USC
Carl Nicks - Florida
Kenny Wilson - Florida, Tennessee
Superstars: 1 (5%)
Maurice Purify - 9 career starts, 2nd team all-Big XII WR in 2006 - Purify was a weapon unlike anything we'd seen in Lincoln in quite some time. His terrific hands and ability to separate truly shined when they were utilized properly. Unfortunately for Maurice, the playcalling in the middle of 2007 all but relegated Purify to ghost status and he didn't rise from the dead until Ganz took over as the starting QB.
Stars: 4 (18%)
Pierre Allen - 25 career starts to date - For two years in a row, Coach Carl has predicted that Allen is going to have a breakout season. While he didn't rise to superstar status in 2009, Pierre had a very solid season. Hopefully, he puts it all together in 2010 to become the dominant force that many of us believe he can be.
Mike McNeill - 26 career starts to date, 2nd team all-Big XII TE in 2009 - A little lacking when it comes to blocking, McNeill more than makes up for it when it comes to his pass catching ability. I've heard that as a receiver he's had a hard time getting separation from DB's during spring practices and summer drills, but hopefully he is able to make adjustments and is ready for his new role this fall. Regardless, he has been one of our most potent offensive weapons the last two seasons.
Carl Nicks - 13 career starts, 2nd team all-Big XII OL in 2007 - Despite our defensive struggles, our offense was clicking on all cylinders in 2007. Whether it was pass blocking or opening holes for Lucky, Nicks was a force on the line. His success as a starter for the reigning super bowl champs only shows the talent that we saw start to emerge during his time in Lincoln.
Keith Williams - 19 career starts, honorable mention all-Big XII OL in 2009 - IMO, Williams is the most talented offensive lineman that has started for us over the last several years, and that is including Slauson, Hickman, and Murtha. His problem has always been that he has the tendency to take plays (or maybe games) off. If he is motivated this year, look out.
Starters: 4 (18%)
Menelik Holt - 9 career starts - The heir apparent after Swift and Peterson graduated, it is hard not to label Meno as a disappointment. He seemed to shine brighter as the #3 guy in 2008 than he ever did being in the spotlight in 2009.
Andre Jones - 13 career starts - The 5-star cornerback with a USC offer was a bust. His poor coverage skills were partially covered up by good defensive line and linebacker play in 2006, but he lost his starting job in 2007.
Mike Smith - 26 career starts - Mike has been a starter for two seasons now, but it appears as if his role this year will be to provide solid depth as a backup instead of filling a starting role. Mike may not have been a star, but he has provided a vital role while we have continued to build depth along the line.
Anthony West - 16 career starts - Anyone who can make Armando Murillo look like a lockdown corner has to be lacking in coverage skills. To be fair, West is more of a natural safety forced into a cornerback role because of depth issues in 2008.
Major Contributors: (14%)
D.J. Jones - 3 career starts - While I don't think that Jones will be a starter in 2010, I think that he will continue to be a solid backup. While filling in for an injured Marcel Jones, D.J. helped the offense to it's most impressive performance of the season against Arizona in the Holiday Bowl.
Rickey Thenarse - 5 career starts - Rickey has always had enormous potential athletically, but has had some trouble grasping the mental side of the game. Still, he has been a special teams demon and even though he probably won't win one of the two safety spots up for grabs this year, he will provide experienced depth.
Kenny Wilson - Had 75 carries in 2006 with nearly a 4.5 yard per carry average. Not too shabby. He should avoid Best Buy at all costs - too many televisions.
Minor Contributors: 4 (18%)
Major Culbert - A special teams contributor and back up both on the defense and offense, Major wasted his potential with a total lack of common sense.
Victory Haines - Very small role as a backup on the OL. Honestly, this is more than I ever thought that he would do.
Will Henry - Special teams contributor who has one career reception for one yard. Showed some promise in the spring game and hopefully will provide some depth at WR this year.
Brandon Johnson - A special teams contributor and back-up in mop up duty, Johnson had 4 career assisted tackles. The beast certainly didn't live up to his nickname.
Busts: 6 (27%)
Steve Allen - Never made it to Lincoln.
Cruz Barrett - He's listed on the roster at huskers.com, but I'm not sure he is still on the team.
Ricky Henry - Did not qualify. His success as a player will be attributed to the 2008 class.
Seth Jensen - Health problems led to other problems that led to him leaving the team.
Ben Martin - No longer listed on the roster at huskers.com.
Corey Young - Left the team after one year.
Class Overview:
This class has provided less contribution per player than any class in recent memory. The average career starts per commit as of the end of the 2009 season was 7.50. For comparison, with one less year of contribution the 2007 class was already at 7.00 after 2009. Each class from 2002 through 2005 has provided double digit average career starts per commit. To attain this level, we will need to play in 14 games in 2010; McNeill, Williams, and Allen will need to start every game; and either Will Henry, D.J. Jones, Smith, or West will need to earn a starting spot. Overall, this class certainly didn't live up to the hype but has still produced a few key cogs for our recent resurgence.
Future Prospects:
While 8 players from the 2006 class will still be on the team in 2010, I can only realistically see two players improve their status (i.e. move from star to superstar, starter to star, etc.). IMO, the most likely would be Allen asserting himself on the line and having a monster year, moving up to a superstar. The other that I could see happening (though not nearly as likely) would be Rickey finally putting it together and claiming a starting safety spot. Perhaps this is just wishful thinking, as I've always liked his intensity.
2006 Walk Ons:
From looking at the roster at huskers.com, it appears that the only noteable walk-on in 2006 was Dreu Young. He has compiled 13 career starts, but only 15 career receptions. This doesn't tell the whole story as he is our best blocking tight-end by far. I would guess that many of his starts are attributed to us opening games in power sets.
Edit: Looking at the roster from 2006, it appears that Colton Koehler was also a walk-on in 2006. He was a transfer from Nebraska Wesleyan who joined the team as a redshirt freshman. He was a major contributor with one career start who provided significant depth in late 2008 when our linebacking corps was riddled with injuries.
2006
22 total members = 7 from the junior college ranks (32%) and 15 from high school (68%)
Rivals team ranking = 20th
Rivals average stars = 3.27
Scout team ranking = 29th
Scout average stars = 3.27
Players with major offers according to Rivals (I will define major offers as Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, USC, and UCLA): 6 (27%)
Cruz Barrett - Florida, Florida State, Oklahoma
Major Culbert - UCLA
Seth Jensen - Oklahoma, UCLA
Andre Jones - USC
Carl Nicks - Florida
Kenny Wilson - Florida, Tennessee
Superstars: 1 (5%)
Maurice Purify - 9 career starts, 2nd team all-Big XII WR in 2006 - Purify was a weapon unlike anything we'd seen in Lincoln in quite some time. His terrific hands and ability to separate truly shined when they were utilized properly. Unfortunately for Maurice, the playcalling in the middle of 2007 all but relegated Purify to ghost status and he didn't rise from the dead until Ganz took over as the starting QB.
Stars: 4 (18%)
Pierre Allen - 25 career starts to date - For two years in a row, Coach Carl has predicted that Allen is going to have a breakout season. While he didn't rise to superstar status in 2009, Pierre had a very solid season. Hopefully, he puts it all together in 2010 to become the dominant force that many of us believe he can be.
Mike McNeill - 26 career starts to date, 2nd team all-Big XII TE in 2009 - A little lacking when it comes to blocking, McNeill more than makes up for it when it comes to his pass catching ability. I've heard that as a receiver he's had a hard time getting separation from DB's during spring practices and summer drills, but hopefully he is able to make adjustments and is ready for his new role this fall. Regardless, he has been one of our most potent offensive weapons the last two seasons.
Carl Nicks - 13 career starts, 2nd team all-Big XII OL in 2007 - Despite our defensive struggles, our offense was clicking on all cylinders in 2007. Whether it was pass blocking or opening holes for Lucky, Nicks was a force on the line. His success as a starter for the reigning super bowl champs only shows the talent that we saw start to emerge during his time in Lincoln.
Keith Williams - 19 career starts, honorable mention all-Big XII OL in 2009 - IMO, Williams is the most talented offensive lineman that has started for us over the last several years, and that is including Slauson, Hickman, and Murtha. His problem has always been that he has the tendency to take plays (or maybe games) off. If he is motivated this year, look out.
Starters: 4 (18%)
Menelik Holt - 9 career starts - The heir apparent after Swift and Peterson graduated, it is hard not to label Meno as a disappointment. He seemed to shine brighter as the #3 guy in 2008 than he ever did being in the spotlight in 2009.
Andre Jones - 13 career starts - The 5-star cornerback with a USC offer was a bust. His poor coverage skills were partially covered up by good defensive line and linebacker play in 2006, but he lost his starting job in 2007.
Mike Smith - 26 career starts - Mike has been a starter for two seasons now, but it appears as if his role this year will be to provide solid depth as a backup instead of filling a starting role. Mike may not have been a star, but he has provided a vital role while we have continued to build depth along the line.
Anthony West - 16 career starts - Anyone who can make Armando Murillo look like a lockdown corner has to be lacking in coverage skills. To be fair, West is more of a natural safety forced into a cornerback role because of depth issues in 2008.
Major Contributors: (14%)
D.J. Jones - 3 career starts - While I don't think that Jones will be a starter in 2010, I think that he will continue to be a solid backup. While filling in for an injured Marcel Jones, D.J. helped the offense to it's most impressive performance of the season against Arizona in the Holiday Bowl.
Rickey Thenarse - 5 career starts - Rickey has always had enormous potential athletically, but has had some trouble grasping the mental side of the game. Still, he has been a special teams demon and even though he probably won't win one of the two safety spots up for grabs this year, he will provide experienced depth.
Kenny Wilson - Had 75 carries in 2006 with nearly a 4.5 yard per carry average. Not too shabby. He should avoid Best Buy at all costs - too many televisions.
Minor Contributors: 4 (18%)
Major Culbert - A special teams contributor and back up both on the defense and offense, Major wasted his potential with a total lack of common sense.
Victory Haines - Very small role as a backup on the OL. Honestly, this is more than I ever thought that he would do.
Will Henry - Special teams contributor who has one career reception for one yard. Showed some promise in the spring game and hopefully will provide some depth at WR this year.
Brandon Johnson - A special teams contributor and back-up in mop up duty, Johnson had 4 career assisted tackles. The beast certainly didn't live up to his nickname.
Busts: 6 (27%)
Steve Allen - Never made it to Lincoln.
Cruz Barrett - He's listed on the roster at huskers.com, but I'm not sure he is still on the team.
Ricky Henry - Did not qualify. His success as a player will be attributed to the 2008 class.
Seth Jensen - Health problems led to other problems that led to him leaving the team.
Ben Martin - No longer listed on the roster at huskers.com.
Corey Young - Left the team after one year.
Class Overview:
This class has provided less contribution per player than any class in recent memory. The average career starts per commit as of the end of the 2009 season was 7.50. For comparison, with one less year of contribution the 2007 class was already at 7.00 after 2009. Each class from 2002 through 2005 has provided double digit average career starts per commit. To attain this level, we will need to play in 14 games in 2010; McNeill, Williams, and Allen will need to start every game; and either Will Henry, D.J. Jones, Smith, or West will need to earn a starting spot. Overall, this class certainly didn't live up to the hype but has still produced a few key cogs for our recent resurgence.
Future Prospects:
While 8 players from the 2006 class will still be on the team in 2010, I can only realistically see two players improve their status (i.e. move from star to superstar, starter to star, etc.). IMO, the most likely would be Allen asserting himself on the line and having a monster year, moving up to a superstar. The other that I could see happening (though not nearly as likely) would be Rickey finally putting it together and claiming a starting safety spot. Perhaps this is just wishful thinking, as I've always liked his intensity.
2006 Walk Ons:
From looking at the roster at huskers.com, it appears that the only noteable walk-on in 2006 was Dreu Young. He has compiled 13 career starts, but only 15 career receptions. This doesn't tell the whole story as he is our best blocking tight-end by far. I would guess that many of his starts are attributed to us opening games in power sets.
Edit: Looking at the roster from 2006, it appears that Colton Koehler was also a walk-on in 2006. He was a transfer from Nebraska Wesleyan who joined the team as a redshirt freshman. He was a major contributor with one career start who provided significant depth in late 2008 when our linebacking corps was riddled with injuries.
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