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More on commit No. 10
A couple of things not included in the Curtis Carter commitment story from last night I have for you guys here…
Obviously the big news was Carter’s decision to join the Huskers’ 2010 class. Not to mention he and Gabbert’s conversation about both of them suiting up for the Big Red.
He had a few more interesting comments though that I’ve reserved just for the RSS and not the whole Rivals.com network in a story.
For instance, after his conversation with wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore, he’s definitely very aware of what he can bring to the table to help out the receiver corps.
“I bring a lot of team speed and just athletic ability,” Carter said. “Just to the team, I think I can stretch the field and give them something that they haven’t had for a long time. That I can be one of those breakaway guys that can take it the house at any time.”
Even though he was close to committing, many may wonder why Thursday night to deliver a decision?
Part of it was Carter was frankly sick of the process and had the decision basically made on his visit to Lincoln.
“It’s a big relief to be done with it man,” Carter said. “It was just starting to take a toll. It gets on your nerves for so long. ‘Where are you going to school,’ people are asking. Now I can say - ‘Alright, I’m going to the University of Nebraska. That’s my choice.’
Obviously aside from Gilmore, Carter’s main recruiter throughout the process was John Papuchis. There was excitement during the phone call about being around Gilmore, Papuchis, and all the coaches at Nebraska. Bo Pelini is also somebody that Carter clicked with.
“Coach Bo is a great guy,” Carter said. “Just to have that opportunity for him to coach me for the next four to five years… Then of course, the fans are crazy. I mean, they’re amazing. I just thought, it’s the place I need to be.”
(John)
Insight into Gabbert’s process
There hasn’t been any shortage of talk about the recruiting process of current Nebraska quarterback commit Tyler Gabbert lately. With his senior season winding down, the big news has been about Missouri making a late push for him in the recent weeks and months.
Gabbert, who has said more than once that he remains committed to the Huskers, has also stated that he’s not ignoring Missouri either. He was also recently an unofficial visitor for the Huskers game against Texas Tech.
So this week, I spoke with his father, Chuck Gabbert, to get some more insight into Tyler’s current recruiting situation.
I started by asking when did Tyler and the family started feeling an increase in interest from Missouri.
“I actually think it was when Blaine Dalton was dismissed from the program,” Gabbert’s father began. “… I believe that was kind of the trigger for kind of the re-recruiting process. I think the needs of the program change, because that changed pretty significantly from Missouri’s standpoint…and that was a significant change, they became re-involved with Tyler.”
Gabbert’s father also made it clear that with Tyler, just as he has handled things with all of his kids, the recruiting process will come down to where they want to go - not where he or the family wants him to go.
“We keep that at an arm’s length,” Gabbert’s father said about how involved he and his wife are with their sons’ recruiting process and decision. “We get our kids to a certain point, and then it has to be their decision.”
He went on to say that both Missouri and Nebraska have many “positive things” that characterize each program. But, he also said that being in the middle of the recruiting process is much different than the way it looks from the outside.
“As much as they think they understand and know the process, you can throw that out the window with one change in a situation,” Gabbert said. “Blaine went through the replacement of a coaching staff. That was a worst case scenario for us and a very difficult process. Tyler is looking at it from the standpoint with this change in circumstance, ‘How do I evaluate the overall scheme, comparing and contrasting opportunities, depth charts… Basically is just a re-evaluation.”
Then we got into some interesting topics. I asked him if there was a date that he and or Tyler had talked about so that both programs would know about their 2010 quarterback recruitment sooner rather than later. I also asked about he and Tyler’s relationship with NU coach Shawn Watson along with some clarification on visits.
In terms of date where Tyler is completely done with the process, that is in Tyler’s hands.
“The ball is in Tyler’s court,” Gabbert’s father said. “I wouldn’t even begin to answer that question for him. It’s not a decision that can linger, however. That’s the other thing. I think you cannot put a timeline on it, but it’s not something you’re going to drag out for months. That’s where we as parents get involved.”
As I reported in Gabbert’s visit update, he is going to Missouri this weekend to watch his brother play Texas. He’s been to Columbia several times, as a spectator and it doesn’t appear there is an official visit per se set to MU.
His father clarified about the several times he’s been to Columbia.
“He’s not going as a recruit to those games,” Gabbert’s father stated directly. “He’s going with us, sitting in the stands with his little brother and us. So he’s not going to the University of Missouri attending a recruiting event. He has not done that all season. I don’t anticipate him doing that he rest of the year.”
Gabbert’s father also reiterated as Tyler himself had stated that there was excitement when head coach Bo Pelini and Watson came to watch one of his games. Chuck Gabbert said that he spoke with Watson last week.
“I’ve talked to Shawn and I believe they’re aware that Missouri has reentered the picture,” Gabbert’s father said. “I mean it’s been all over the papers, announced to everyone, with coach Pinkel and a helicopter. Same with coach Pelini. They’re not high pressure guys. They want Tyler to make the best decision for himself.
“The one thing, was coach Watson and coach Pelini said (after the Nebraska-Missouri game), ‘How’s Blaine? Is he going to be o.k.?’ That was the first question. Not hey [we had a] ‘Good win.’ It was about the well-being of a kid. I think that speaks volumes as to what kind of coaches they are. Of course they reaffirmed the fact that Tyler is their guy and has always been No. 1 on their list of quarterbacks because of what he brings to the playing field.”
It sounds like the Oklahoma game, from what Tyler himself told me, is the plan for his official visit to Nebraska. As to the three most important factors for Tyler in terms of finding the right school for him….
One thing is that a quality athletic training and therapy program is big for Tyler and his family, the “fit” that the player feels with the team and university, along with the “opportunity to compete and play.”
“The only thing you have any control with is you can influence who comes with you in your recruiting class and you know who’s on the depth chart ahead of you,” Gabbert’s father said about his philosophy. “You can’t worry about who’s coming behind you. You want to evaluate where the best opportunity is to grow, compete, and where there is the best chance to play early. You are going to compete every day for your job. We totally understand that. Tyler is a competitor and he wants to play.”
In terms of his commitment, Gabbert’s father once again reaffirmed that his son remains a Husker pledge.
“I’ve heard from a number of people at various media outlets [ask] and I tell them, ‘Guys, Tyler has never once come to us as parents and said I’m not committed to the University of Nebraska.’”
UPDATE: Obviously this interview was done after the commitment of Curtis Carter to Nebraska. For some “updated” comments about Gabbert’s commitment to the Huskers, please see Carter’s interview after his decision to commit to NU here.
(John)
Southern linebacker targets
The Husker staff is looking to add one linebacker to the 2010 class and they’re trying to make some inroads in the Southeast region of the country. So far, the results have been mixed.
It looks as if NU has at the very least got their foot in the door with Beaufort, (S.C.) linebacker Justin Parker. In a recent update, Parker said it was “huge” that Nebraska came by his school to check on him. He has also been watching Nebraska on TV. His opinion of the Huskers was:
“Actually, I saw their game the other night when they played Missouri. Nebraska’s got a heck of a defense. I like how they run it.”
It’s been assumed that Parker will wind up at either of the two in-state schools, Clemson or South Carolina. But Parker told us that’s not necessarily the case, and he’s seriously looking at out of state schools.
”I’m just looking at the in-state schools in case I stay in state. Both Clemson and South Carolina are on the same level with me. One of them isn't ahead of the other.”
Conversely, Nebraska has not had much traction with Lakeland (Fla.) linebacker `Quayshawn Nealy yet. He has 15 offers at this point, and he won’t be taking any official visits until after his season. Three schools look to be shoe-ins for officials.
“Yes sir, Ole Miss, South Florida and Purdue are the schools that I want to visit so far. I relate to Ole Miss’s recruiting coordinator well, and I like how their defense is run. My other linebacker on our team is committed to Purdue and he tells me how great everything is there. I like South Florida because it’s close to home.”
When asked where Nebraska stands with him Nealy replied: “They‘re okay, but not that high on my list right now. I have met coach Mike (Ekeler), probably at the beginning of this month, and he seems like a nice guy.”
Nealy said that he has watched some of the college football teams recruiting him, but Nebraska wasn’t one of them.
“Yes I do watch. I’ve seen Ole Miss play a couple of times, and they’ve looked pretty good so far. I’ve seen Purdue play. They fight hard, but they’ve got to finish. And even though USF’s starting quarterback was out, they had a great win over Florida State.”
(Mike)
Husker legacy growing fast
Many may not know the name Alex Lewis, but it should be a recruit name you get to know.
The Phoenix (Ariz.) Mountain Pointe offensive tackle has had quite the growth spurt and now his recruitment is taking off. He’s the son of former Nebraska All-American and NFL center Bill Lewis. Like his father and many others in his family, he’s gotten big - quickly.
“Well before his junior year, he grew 7 inches in 9 months,” his father explained. “So last year as a junior, he played at 6-4 and about 210 pounds. That’s how it goes when kids grow that quickly. Then this year he grew up a couple more inches and he’s right at 6-6, 245 pounds. His coordination came back and he can certainly run a lot better than I ever could.”
Alex says his doctor says he could still put on up to “four” more inches.
“My dad, when he was my age, he was much smaller at like 6-4, 220,” Alex said. “Then like in two years he was 6-7 and gained about 60 pounds. Our family has a long history of growing later.”
Lewis was actually in attendance at Nebraska’s camp the last few summers. Now that he’s put on tons of size, he’s getting heavy interest every week from not just the Huskers, but the likes of Colorado, Michigan State, and UNLV. At the request of the Nebraska coaching staff, Lewis and his father will be unofficially visiting Lincoln for the Oklahoma game.
Both Alex and his father don’t know how serious things are with the Big Red, but they’re being patient with the process. So far he’s just been on one unofficial visit to UNLV.
Keep an eye on Alex and the complete story I’ll have on him early next week.
(John)
Extra stuff
*** Got a message from four-star junior college tight end Chase Harper within the last 48 hours. Nothing has changed in terms of him making a decision. Yet I also don’t know of any other visits that have been set up. Really something could happen at any possible moment quite honestly. I don’t think you can stick a timeframe on it.
***After a brief chat with top 2011 running back target Aaron Green this week, the plan is still to try and visit Nebraska for the Oklahoma game - like we’ve said, because his cousin Austin Hill will be there.
That seems to be the game with the most recruiting buzz that everybody, including commits like Gabbert, are all trying to get in for. No question it will be the biggest weekend of the year even if a few guys who have hinted at trying to be in town, don’t make it.
*** For those still wondering, there is just one official visitor in running back Giovanni Bernard this weekend with the early start time. I haven’t heard of any others and as far as I know, the Bernard visit is still on. I haven’t heard anything otherwise from him or his coach, family, etc.
Oklahoma is a huge weekend. I’m going out on a limb right now and predicting a commit (yes I’ve been wrong before) - Jay Guy. It’s such a huge weekend all the way around for the Huskers. I just don’t see Guy choosing anybody but Nebraska, especially considering the other two in his final group of schools are in California. Word has always been he’ll stay closer to home. Nebraska is certainly closer than California, from how his family is looking at it.
And on Bernard, from what I know, don’t anticipate a quick commitment this weekend. I think he’ll wait for a while, but he’s the type of running back Nebraska will wait on. He’s that good and I’m sure being the lone official visitor, he’ll receive his fair share of cheers when he walks into Memorial Stadium with the rest of the recruits on Saturday.
*** Who’s on the rise according to Rivals.com? Well Harold Mobley might be. There is some new film that’s circulating around and Mobley is playing quarterback ? yes quarterback.
One analyst that saw it told me, “Good looking athlete that was playing QB in this game. Not a QB in any sense, but did move around really well. Threw a decent ball when he had to, but not exactly a spiral either. Team was much better when he was at the QB spot compared to the other guy.”
*** One other thing. Just checking around the country this week, it’s pretty amazing how many defensive end targets that are still left on the board that want to visit Lincoln. Who are they? All of these guys are still doing interviews saying that they’d like to visit Lincoln before their processes are over or have set one up already. Kony Ealy, Owamagbe Odighizuwa, David Perry, etc....
Perry just told me today that he'll be at Miami this week/weekend, and then he'd still like to visit Nebraska. Huskers got his attention in a big way with their defensive performance at Virginia Tech.
A couple of things not included in the Curtis Carter commitment story from last night I have for you guys here…
Obviously the big news was Carter’s decision to join the Huskers’ 2010 class. Not to mention he and Gabbert’s conversation about both of them suiting up for the Big Red.
He had a few more interesting comments though that I’ve reserved just for the RSS and not the whole Rivals.com network in a story.
For instance, after his conversation with wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore, he’s definitely very aware of what he can bring to the table to help out the receiver corps.
“I bring a lot of team speed and just athletic ability,” Carter said. “Just to the team, I think I can stretch the field and give them something that they haven’t had for a long time. That I can be one of those breakaway guys that can take it the house at any time.”
Even though he was close to committing, many may wonder why Thursday night to deliver a decision?
Part of it was Carter was frankly sick of the process and had the decision basically made on his visit to Lincoln.
“It’s a big relief to be done with it man,” Carter said. “It was just starting to take a toll. It gets on your nerves for so long. ‘Where are you going to school,’ people are asking. Now I can say - ‘Alright, I’m going to the University of Nebraska. That’s my choice.’
Obviously aside from Gilmore, Carter’s main recruiter throughout the process was John Papuchis. There was excitement during the phone call about being around Gilmore, Papuchis, and all the coaches at Nebraska. Bo Pelini is also somebody that Carter clicked with.
“Coach Bo is a great guy,” Carter said. “Just to have that opportunity for him to coach me for the next four to five years… Then of course, the fans are crazy. I mean, they’re amazing. I just thought, it’s the place I need to be.”
(John)
Insight into Gabbert’s process
There hasn’t been any shortage of talk about the recruiting process of current Nebraska quarterback commit Tyler Gabbert lately. With his senior season winding down, the big news has been about Missouri making a late push for him in the recent weeks and months.
Gabbert, who has said more than once that he remains committed to the Huskers, has also stated that he’s not ignoring Missouri either. He was also recently an unofficial visitor for the Huskers game against Texas Tech.
So this week, I spoke with his father, Chuck Gabbert, to get some more insight into Tyler’s current recruiting situation.
I started by asking when did Tyler and the family started feeling an increase in interest from Missouri.
“I actually think it was when Blaine Dalton was dismissed from the program,” Gabbert’s father began. “… I believe that was kind of the trigger for kind of the re-recruiting process. I think the needs of the program change, because that changed pretty significantly from Missouri’s standpoint…and that was a significant change, they became re-involved with Tyler.”
Gabbert’s father also made it clear that with Tyler, just as he has handled things with all of his kids, the recruiting process will come down to where they want to go - not where he or the family wants him to go.
“We keep that at an arm’s length,” Gabbert’s father said about how involved he and his wife are with their sons’ recruiting process and decision. “We get our kids to a certain point, and then it has to be their decision.”
He went on to say that both Missouri and Nebraska have many “positive things” that characterize each program. But, he also said that being in the middle of the recruiting process is much different than the way it looks from the outside.
“As much as they think they understand and know the process, you can throw that out the window with one change in a situation,” Gabbert said. “Blaine went through the replacement of a coaching staff. That was a worst case scenario for us and a very difficult process. Tyler is looking at it from the standpoint with this change in circumstance, ‘How do I evaluate the overall scheme, comparing and contrasting opportunities, depth charts… Basically is just a re-evaluation.”
Then we got into some interesting topics. I asked him if there was a date that he and or Tyler had talked about so that both programs would know about their 2010 quarterback recruitment sooner rather than later. I also asked about he and Tyler’s relationship with NU coach Shawn Watson along with some clarification on visits.
In terms of date where Tyler is completely done with the process, that is in Tyler’s hands.
“The ball is in Tyler’s court,” Gabbert’s father said. “I wouldn’t even begin to answer that question for him. It’s not a decision that can linger, however. That’s the other thing. I think you cannot put a timeline on it, but it’s not something you’re going to drag out for months. That’s where we as parents get involved.”
As I reported in Gabbert’s visit update, he is going to Missouri this weekend to watch his brother play Texas. He’s been to Columbia several times, as a spectator and it doesn’t appear there is an official visit per se set to MU.
His father clarified about the several times he’s been to Columbia.
“He’s not going as a recruit to those games,” Gabbert’s father stated directly. “He’s going with us, sitting in the stands with his little brother and us. So he’s not going to the University of Missouri attending a recruiting event. He has not done that all season. I don’t anticipate him doing that he rest of the year.”
Gabbert’s father also reiterated as Tyler himself had stated that there was excitement when head coach Bo Pelini and Watson came to watch one of his games. Chuck Gabbert said that he spoke with Watson last week.
“I’ve talked to Shawn and I believe they’re aware that Missouri has reentered the picture,” Gabbert’s father said. “I mean it’s been all over the papers, announced to everyone, with coach Pinkel and a helicopter. Same with coach Pelini. They’re not high pressure guys. They want Tyler to make the best decision for himself.
“The one thing, was coach Watson and coach Pelini said (after the Nebraska-Missouri game), ‘How’s Blaine? Is he going to be o.k.?’ That was the first question. Not hey [we had a] ‘Good win.’ It was about the well-being of a kid. I think that speaks volumes as to what kind of coaches they are. Of course they reaffirmed the fact that Tyler is their guy and has always been No. 1 on their list of quarterbacks because of what he brings to the playing field.”
It sounds like the Oklahoma game, from what Tyler himself told me, is the plan for his official visit to Nebraska. As to the three most important factors for Tyler in terms of finding the right school for him….
One thing is that a quality athletic training and therapy program is big for Tyler and his family, the “fit” that the player feels with the team and university, along with the “opportunity to compete and play.”
“The only thing you have any control with is you can influence who comes with you in your recruiting class and you know who’s on the depth chart ahead of you,” Gabbert’s father said about his philosophy. “You can’t worry about who’s coming behind you. You want to evaluate where the best opportunity is to grow, compete, and where there is the best chance to play early. You are going to compete every day for your job. We totally understand that. Tyler is a competitor and he wants to play.”
In terms of his commitment, Gabbert’s father once again reaffirmed that his son remains a Husker pledge.
“I’ve heard from a number of people at various media outlets [ask] and I tell them, ‘Guys, Tyler has never once come to us as parents and said I’m not committed to the University of Nebraska.’”
UPDATE: Obviously this interview was done after the commitment of Curtis Carter to Nebraska. For some “updated” comments about Gabbert’s commitment to the Huskers, please see Carter’s interview after his decision to commit to NU here.
(John)
Southern linebacker targets
The Husker staff is looking to add one linebacker to the 2010 class and they’re trying to make some inroads in the Southeast region of the country. So far, the results have been mixed.
It looks as if NU has at the very least got their foot in the door with Beaufort, (S.C.) linebacker Justin Parker. In a recent update, Parker said it was “huge” that Nebraska came by his school to check on him. He has also been watching Nebraska on TV. His opinion of the Huskers was:
“Actually, I saw their game the other night when they played Missouri. Nebraska’s got a heck of a defense. I like how they run it.”
It’s been assumed that Parker will wind up at either of the two in-state schools, Clemson or South Carolina. But Parker told us that’s not necessarily the case, and he’s seriously looking at out of state schools.
”I’m just looking at the in-state schools in case I stay in state. Both Clemson and South Carolina are on the same level with me. One of them isn't ahead of the other.”
Conversely, Nebraska has not had much traction with Lakeland (Fla.) linebacker `Quayshawn Nealy yet. He has 15 offers at this point, and he won’t be taking any official visits until after his season. Three schools look to be shoe-ins for officials.
“Yes sir, Ole Miss, South Florida and Purdue are the schools that I want to visit so far. I relate to Ole Miss’s recruiting coordinator well, and I like how their defense is run. My other linebacker on our team is committed to Purdue and he tells me how great everything is there. I like South Florida because it’s close to home.”
When asked where Nebraska stands with him Nealy replied: “They‘re okay, but not that high on my list right now. I have met coach Mike (Ekeler), probably at the beginning of this month, and he seems like a nice guy.”
Nealy said that he has watched some of the college football teams recruiting him, but Nebraska wasn’t one of them.
“Yes I do watch. I’ve seen Ole Miss play a couple of times, and they’ve looked pretty good so far. I’ve seen Purdue play. They fight hard, but they’ve got to finish. And even though USF’s starting quarterback was out, they had a great win over Florida State.”
(Mike)
Husker legacy growing fast
Many may not know the name Alex Lewis, but it should be a recruit name you get to know.
The Phoenix (Ariz.) Mountain Pointe offensive tackle has had quite the growth spurt and now his recruitment is taking off. He’s the son of former Nebraska All-American and NFL center Bill Lewis. Like his father and many others in his family, he’s gotten big - quickly.
“Well before his junior year, he grew 7 inches in 9 months,” his father explained. “So last year as a junior, he played at 6-4 and about 210 pounds. That’s how it goes when kids grow that quickly. Then this year he grew up a couple more inches and he’s right at 6-6, 245 pounds. His coordination came back and he can certainly run a lot better than I ever could.”
Alex says his doctor says he could still put on up to “four” more inches.
“My dad, when he was my age, he was much smaller at like 6-4, 220,” Alex said. “Then like in two years he was 6-7 and gained about 60 pounds. Our family has a long history of growing later.”
Lewis was actually in attendance at Nebraska’s camp the last few summers. Now that he’s put on tons of size, he’s getting heavy interest every week from not just the Huskers, but the likes of Colorado, Michigan State, and UNLV. At the request of the Nebraska coaching staff, Lewis and his father will be unofficially visiting Lincoln for the Oklahoma game.
Both Alex and his father don’t know how serious things are with the Big Red, but they’re being patient with the process. So far he’s just been on one unofficial visit to UNLV.
Keep an eye on Alex and the complete story I’ll have on him early next week.
(John)
Extra stuff
*** Got a message from four-star junior college tight end Chase Harper within the last 48 hours. Nothing has changed in terms of him making a decision. Yet I also don’t know of any other visits that have been set up. Really something could happen at any possible moment quite honestly. I don’t think you can stick a timeframe on it.
***After a brief chat with top 2011 running back target Aaron Green this week, the plan is still to try and visit Nebraska for the Oklahoma game - like we’ve said, because his cousin Austin Hill will be there.
That seems to be the game with the most recruiting buzz that everybody, including commits like Gabbert, are all trying to get in for. No question it will be the biggest weekend of the year even if a few guys who have hinted at trying to be in town, don’t make it.
*** For those still wondering, there is just one official visitor in running back Giovanni Bernard this weekend with the early start time. I haven’t heard of any others and as far as I know, the Bernard visit is still on. I haven’t heard anything otherwise from him or his coach, family, etc.
Oklahoma is a huge weekend. I’m going out on a limb right now and predicting a commit (yes I’ve been wrong before) - Jay Guy. It’s such a huge weekend all the way around for the Huskers. I just don’t see Guy choosing anybody but Nebraska, especially considering the other two in his final group of schools are in California. Word has always been he’ll stay closer to home. Nebraska is certainly closer than California, from how his family is looking at it.
And on Bernard, from what I know, don’t anticipate a quick commitment this weekend. I think he’ll wait for a while, but he’s the type of running back Nebraska will wait on. He’s that good and I’m sure being the lone official visitor, he’ll receive his fair share of cheers when he walks into Memorial Stadium with the rest of the recruits on Saturday.
*** Who’s on the rise according to Rivals.com? Well Harold Mobley might be. There is some new film that’s circulating around and Mobley is playing quarterback ? yes quarterback.
One analyst that saw it told me, “Good looking athlete that was playing QB in this game. Not a QB in any sense, but did move around really well. Threw a decent ball when he had to, but not exactly a spiral either. Team was much better when he was at the QB spot compared to the other guy.”
*** One other thing. Just checking around the country this week, it’s pretty amazing how many defensive end targets that are still left on the board that want to visit Lincoln. Who are they? All of these guys are still doing interviews saying that they’d like to visit Lincoln before their processes are over or have set one up already. Kony Ealy, Owamagbe Odighizuwa, David Perry, etc....
Perry just told me today that he'll be at Miami this week/weekend, and then he'd still like to visit Nebraska. Huskers got his attention in a big way with their defensive performance at Virginia Tech.