Tommie was a big-time, heralded recruit, but as an athlete more than a QB. I know ND offered him as a QB, and you mentioned Clemson. Not very many schools wanted him as QB.
Regardless, none of that is the point. The point is that when Nebraska has been successful in the past, they took risks in recruiting that other schools simply didn't take. That's how we got teams that were as talented as programs located in much more populous, talent-rich areas.
I cringe when I hear people complain about going after a guy like Taylor Martinez. Getting tremendous athletes like him are exactly how Nebraska will get back to the top. When they don't work out at QB, you can get an electric WR like Jamal Turner or Bobby Newcombe. When they do work out at QB, you get a guy like Taylor who will hold most of the school QB records by the time he leaves.
For us to be competitive at the highest level, you have to do things differently - sometimes it's recruiting guys like Scott Frost or Eric Crouch to play positions that other teams wouldn't have them play, sometimes it's doing things like we are doing right now with the Big Red Weekend. We have to be unique, we have to take risks, and we have to be innovative in order to win championships again.
Wow....talk about hitting the nail on the head.
Great post!
NU fans thinking we're going to magically go toe-to-toe recruiting with Alabama, USC, Texas, Ohio State, etc just don't get it. TO couldn't hack that. "Nobody" at NU has ever done that. We don't have anything even remotely close to the local talent available those schools do.
So just as you said, we have to do something different. Unique. Our fans that b!^@h & moan about us going after a Frazier, Crouch, Tmart, etc for qb simply don't understand that our best coaches know full well our assets & liabilities at Nebraska and compensate the best they can. Sometimes with fantastic results.
Bo has his weak spots but some good ones too. Let's see how it goes.