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***One look I expect to see this week in the Missouri game will have Ndamukong Suh, Zach Potter and Steve Octavien has the three down linemen, with Lance Brandenburgh, Bo Ruud, Corey McKeon and Phillip Dillard working in at the three linebacker spots.
***Expect Phillip Dillard to start this week over Corey McKeon this week. He's consistently graded out better than McKeon and he's earned the job fair and square. I've been told he will start on Saturday.
***I think we might see Major Culbert some on Saturday, but part of me doesn't think we'll see him as much as we did last year, mainly because he hasn't been working with the defense on a daily basis this season. This game is too important to throw a guy out there in a key situation that hasn't been playing in the defense for more than two weeks.
***Shawn Watson wouldn't say for sure that Zac Lee has the strongest arm on the team, but his facial expression sure made it look like he did. Watson joked and said he better not answer that question because he'll have four other quarterbacks mad at him is he said Lee has the strongest arm.
***Look for my colleague of the Husker Sports Network Matt Davison to announce the starting line-ups on Saturday night for the ESPN broadcast. Each game on ESPN or ABC they have a different person do the starting line-ups before the game.
***For those that didn't see Big Red Wrap-up this week, Trevor Robinson really didn't give any new info as to where he's leaning between Nebraska, Notre Dame and Michigan. Robinson said he still hasn't visited South Bend or Ann Arbor, which I think is a good sign for NU.
***I get the idea Phil Elmassian and Kevin Cosgrove have a real good handle on how to defend and stop Missouri's spread offense. Elmo said during practice this week he has seen and defended this type of offense several times during his coaching career.
***Call me crazy, but I like Nebraska 41-38. I like the match-ups for NU in this game and I think Nebraska is a much more battle tested team that's do for a breakout game.
The inside scoop on Thomas
Houston athlete Michael Thomas is an intriguing prospect left on NU's board. He's got mid-double digit offers combined from some traditional football powers, as well as from some of the top academic schools across the country. Nebraska is in his official top seven or eight schools, but judging from the gushing comments he made to me about the Huskers' program if the NU staff really wants him they stand a good chance to land him.
As he said in the update: "Aw man, just the history from the Nebraska Cornhuskers is big. They're a prestigious school, they're in the Big 12...what's not to like about them?"
Michael took his first official to Northwestern, but he only gave the visit a '7' and there wasn't too much excitement in his voice when he recounted to me what he thought about the trip.
Mr. Thomas told me that they will use one of Michael's remaining officials to the Bay Area to kill two birds with one stone. He said, "We're talking about setting up dates with Cal and Stanford. I think Michael just wants to make one official visit in the area - probably to Stanford - and then go to Cal unofficially while we're there."
Besides Nebraska, Stanford will probably be a major player with Thomas all the way to the end. Thomas said, "I'd say that Stanford is still recruiting me the hardest. I mean they're still in the building stages of their program. Coach Harbaugh has them fired up and I like the direction they're heading. (Stanford QB commit) Andrew Luck from Stratford and I text every now then, and we talk every now then about Stanford."
This one could play out for a while because Thomas said that he wants to wait until after his season to take the rest of his officials. He's more focused on trying to get to districts.
What's the latest with Christopher
Another recruit who is also considering Nebraska and Stanford is DeVonte Christopher.
I spoke with DeVonte's coach Matt Jenkins on Wednesday and he said the high of the Nebraska official visit hasn't worn off for DeVonte. Coach Jenkins said, "I know DeVonte had a great time on the trip and he was impressed with coach Rudolph and coach Callahan. He said it was a first class trip all-around. He's still very, very excited about Nebraska. Nebraska is kind of pushing for a commitment, and DeVonte could make a decision in a short time from now."
A little more on Woods
A little bit more about D.J. Woods…
When I asked him if he was still hearing from any other schools since he committed to Nebraska he said: "Yes, almost every school that offered me is still trying to get in on me. I'm 100 percent all the way for Nebraska, though."
Woods will not be participating in any other sports for the first time in his high school career. He said, "I don't think so. I think I'm going to work out with a trainer to get ready to be a Big 12 receiver. I want to get ready for college football."
Henry is working hard
I spoke with Ricky Henry last night and he said that he's pretty confident that his academics will all be in order for him to make it to Nebraska. Ricky said, "It's going good. I've been staying on top of it. I've got a pretty good chance to make it because I did good in my summer school classes. I got Bs in both classes."
Henry's coach Chuck Parsons was even more confident than Ricky. He told me, "He's on pace to get out of here. He took some summer school this year, so he's back on track. As far as his grades, we have grade checks every three weeks, so we know where he's at. We take that pretty seriously here. We really do a good job of monitoring our freshman and sophomores and we have study table for them. We'll make sure he does whatever he has to do to get out of here and to Nebraska."
Look for more on Henry in an update on Friday.
Some notes on basketball recruits:
- In his update, Lufkin (Texas) Angelina C.C. power forward Dee Proby rated his Nebraska and West Virginia official visits an both '8' overall. I asked him even though he rated both an equal score, did he like one better than the other. It wasn't in the update, but his first response to me was, "I would have to say that I liked Nebraska a little bit more because of the coach thing. I saw how coach Sadler works and everything else, and how good it is there."
I was in the middle of typing it up, when a half hour after that Proby called me back. He said that he had thought more about it and wanted to change his answer to that question. His second response was then subsequently inserted into the update as he requested: "I would have to say that I like West Virginia a little bit more than Nebraska because of their facilities and gym, but in everything else they're the same. And I like Nebraska, too."
Proby will probably continue to shift back and forth between the two depending on how his Oklahoma State official turns out.
- Houston (Texas) St. Pius X power forward Dwight Miller's guardian Frank Rutherford should be familiar to those paying attention to NU hoops. Rutherford was also a mentor to forward Jeremy Barr who transferred from USC to Nebraska last year. He is no longer on the NU team. Interestingly, Miller told me he had just spoken to Barr on the phone about Nebraska a couple days ago. Barr was also originally from the Bahamas. Miller said, "He told me all about them and how much he liked it there."
It's too bad for Nebraska that it didn't work out for Barr in Lincoln, but he obviously has no ill feelings toward NU and its staff. Reading between the lines of what he told me, neither does Rutherford.
It wasn't in the update, but Rutherford also said about Miller and his plans: "I'm just getting back in town. I've been gone for the past couple months between the Bahamas and Europe. Whether Dwight will sign early or late, we're just starting now to put the pieces in place for that. Our mindset for him is that we'll probably let him take two or three early visits and save two for later should he end up taking them. He may even be an early signer, but we're still talking that out."
Is he solid?
This week was the first opportunity I had to talk to Nebraska defensive line recruit Darius Parish and I was a bit surprised to hear his take on the recruiting process. Though he maintains that he is committed to Nebraska I didn't get the feeling that his pledge is strong.
Parish told me that he and his uncle are still researching other school options and that he might take other visits, outside of his planned trip to Nebraska. When I asked him about his relationship with his recruiting coach, Ted Gilmore, he said, "It's pretty decent. I haven't talked to him in a while though. I've been pretty busy with football."
The good news for Nebraska fans is that Parish said that he'll likely wait until his visit to Lincoln before deciding whether or not to take any additional trips. Over the past few years, Nebraska has done a pretty good job of impressing visiting recruits. Something tells me that the blue-chipper from Wichita won't go home disappointed.
Your guess is as good as mine
I also had the pleasure of talking to Riley Reiff this week. I wish I could tell you where his mind was at right now (Nebraska or Iowa), but Reiff is a very quiet kid...tight lipped.
He was extremely impressed with the game environment for the Nebraska versus USC contest. Curiously, he hasn't been to an Iowa game this season. He said that he likely wouldn't take any more visits to either Lincoln or Iowa City until his season was over.
Reiff worked this past summer on the Nebraska campus at the Sheldon Art Gallery. He said he helped in "replacing the stones on the building".
He said, while down in Lincoln, he stopped by and talked to the coaches a few times and "got to know more about the program".
My gut tells me that Reiff will choose Nebraska in the end but it's hard to get an impression (one way or another) from talking to him.
Talented Junior
Joshua Adams definitely looks the part of a Division I superstar...on paper. He stands at 6-foot-4 and 200-pounds, has a 4.5-second 40-yard dash and boasts a 39 ½-inch vertical leap. The junior from Massachusetts also has an early offer from Nebraska. Is he interested in the Huskers?
According to Adams, Nebraska is in his top five picks right now but he needs to learn a bit more about the Husker program. He likes the offense the Callahan and company run down in Lincoln and thinks it would fit him well. However, Nebraska and everybody else will need to catch up to Boston College (the local favorite) who has gotten out to a pretty good early lead with him.
Adams said he'd watch all of his favorites in the 2008 season, to determine what their quarterback situations were like. He said it's important to him to be in school with a big-time quarterback that can get him the ball so it bodes well for Nebraska with Patrick Witt and Blaine Gabbert on board…
Random thoughts
I talked to one Husker commit this week and he assured me that he, and all of the other Nebraska commits that he talks to on a weekly basis, are all still very solid in their pledges to the 'Big Red'. He said, it's not about the Husker offense or defense does this year but how it projects out to the years that he is in Lincoln.
He added, however, that the only event that could really get him to rethink his pledge to Nebraska was a coaching change. By the way, this recruit regularly peruses the Red Sea Scrolls (and he's not the only one). A word of advice to Husker fans...and I'm sure this will probably fall mostly on deaf ears...recruits and recruit parents DO read the HuskerIllustrated.com boards. Be sure you think before you post.
More on Thompson
Sounds like the trip to Nebraska really impressed The Woodlands, Texas offensive lineman Brandon Thompson.
According to some of our guys on the ground in Houston, Thompson Nebraska is the team to beat before his trip this weekend to Purdue. Don't be surprised if he makes his decision just a couple of days into next week.
The funny thing is when I asked him if he was doing a press conference or anything of that sort, Thompson kind of just laughed and said no, "I'm not in to that stuff." So many people are asking about position and where he would start, but like a lot of other past line recruits, I reiterate that he could play at a number of different spots along the offensive line.
In-state visitors last weekend
I had a chance to speak with Omaha Central's 2008 prospect Shane Prater who is in town last weekend for the Iowa State game. He's got an offer from Air Force in football and then also a track offer for Minnesota. He said he'll be talking with his coaches about whether that offer will be for both track and football.
He said that Nebraska will be looking at him as the season goes along.
"They'll be looking at me based on my season," Prater said. "They've been sending letters and we pretty much talk once a week. Sometimes I talk with coach Dennis Wagner and coach Ted Gilmore sends me letters."
2009 offensive tackle Jon Lechner from Omaha Creighton Prep was also on hand for the Iowa State game as an unofficial visitor. Lechner says that he hasn't picked up his first offer yet, but he's getting mail from a lot of schools aside from Nebraska like "Notre Dame, Florida, Iowa, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Florida, Oregon and Kansas.
After taking in both the Ball State and Iowa State game on unofficial visits, Lechner says that he enjoyed his time in Lincoln but he plans to take his time with a decision.
"Those were the first college football games I've ever been to," Lechner said. "Before then I went to a couple spring games when I was little but that was it. (Last week) I stopped and talked to coach (Bill) Callahan for a couple of seconds. He stopped and talked to me for a second. He was just asking me how the season was going and just how we're doing.
"I mean, I'm just going to take my time. I'm going to try to take as many trips as I can. I'm pretty much open to anywhere."
Other visits he said he plans to take this year are to Iowa and Notre Dame for games.
Another 2009 offer out
We had confirmed this several weeks before, but I had a chance to speak with Stevenson (Ala.) North Jackson linebacker Tana Patrick.
Patrick is already off to a big start in recruiting with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Nebraska, and Ole Miss. He's also part of the Rivals.com 100 to Watch list for 2009.
Patrick seems to be pretty high on the SEC schools, though he says that no teams have stuck out. When I asked him about the schools recruiting him, like Nebraska, outside the SEC, he mentioned he hadn't watched them much, so he was going to have to learn about those programs.
He also says he'd like to stay close to home. While there are several other 2009 prospects on the radar already for Nebraska, I'd bet on Patrick staying in the South.
Who really cares about %s anyway?:
I hope you are not getting tired of the Simi Kuli and Justin Thompson focus in the Tunnel. You can look at the Needs List and the Recruiting Board and see that getting one or both of them are critical. I would not say that not getting either of them will spell doom for the class, but it would put a nice finishing touch on what is looking like the best class in quite awhile.
The week for both of them to travel to LSU to watch LSU play Florida has arrived. They leave tomorrow. That trip - at one time - was going to be taken by only Justin Thompson and the chances of him committing there were not that strong. I understand that the clear threat for Thompson for the Huskers will still be Cal and not LSU.
But strange things happen in recruiting. That is why arrows move up and down. Simi is now 'strongly' favoring one school from what I have been told. I just don't know who it is yet, but I suspect it is Florida. It appears that it is not NU. But…USC is an almost lock if they offer. That I am certain of. USC is probably waiting to see what happens with their high school targets or so I understand.
Some posters feel the % chances are strong for Simi Kuli. I have no clue where they get that idea. The chances were stronger earlier, but things change and they can change back after the visit for the A&M game. I sure would not be shocked.
My goodness...a 30% chance is a healthy % to bring with.
Let's consider this: Here is a recruit with offers from literally coast to coast. Here is a kid that is visiting the #1 ranked team right now and he has the #2 team on his heels and might be offering. I understand that it is just a matter of time for USC to offer. Here is a kid that is visiting OU - a team that is ranked higher than NU. Plus, let's throw in Oregon and Oregon State, who have a large number of Polynesian kids. Plus, do you suppose since Justin is a friend, Simi might end up considering Cal.
I have talked to him three times and have communicated with his coach frequently. I, sincerely, doubt any others have done that besides Brad Hoiseth.
Hope that he is a Husker and wait is all one can do.
Oh by the way, Cal and Oregon just visited El Camino to see both Kuli and Thompson.
Believe way higher than 30%. Those positives vibes might help. I just try to be realistic. He has not seen any school yet, but I honestly believe the % should go up 'after' the Oct. 20 visit. The reaction by recruits on seeing NU is unreal - fact.
El Camino and what they have done:
El Camino tripped on an early game - they were ranked #1 in the country, but they just beat Saddleback (#2 by one service and #5 by Brad Hoiseth).
Kuli did not play earlier in the year due to an injury. Well, Simi was player of the week against Saddleback (last game). He was in on 14 tackles, one sack, one TFL, five QB hurries and about killed the QB - knocked him out. He has gone from 20 snaps to 60 the next game and all but five against Saddleback. Simi now has 26 tackles, 2 ½ sacks, two TFL, and 11 QB hurries.
Thompson has been having a real good year too. He has 22 tackles, again 2 ½ sacks, 4 ½ TFL, and 13 QB hurries. I was told, "a monster on the inside."
Nebraska is next after LSU - they have their plane info and will be there for the A&M game.
New DT candidate and DB candidates
I know we all wonder where the Huskers will get those final DTs and DBs. I have been hunting and they are out there.
One I just talked to was Michael Guy, the father of Lawrence Guy, who is the 6-6, 280 pounder from Las Vegas. His update should be on the Front Page somewhere on Friday. I read the recent update and I thought NU was lost, as he never mentioned NU. Not true at all. Mr. Guy told me that Nebraska is "still in the running." I believe him.
Sure the kid makes the final decision, but the parent has a say. Mr. Guy comes from a military family - his dad was a colonel. He is the type that will make sure his son goes to the best school and academics are 'huge'. He will be looking up the academics…for sure.
I suspect that an in-home visit will be set up one day (assuming no commit sooner) and then we shall see. But Mr. Guy did mention weather to me, and I can tell you that I have a strong feeling that the Arizona schools are his favorites. The one update says Tenn. I would put 15 to 20% on him, but remember the peaks and valleys.
Last note: Look for updates on CB and S candidates over the next month or so. In fact, two have already been talked to and both like Nebraska and both are good JUCOs.
Kyle Martens, punter candidate
I believe the Huskers are at least reasonably serious about Kyle Martens. The question is will they offer him a scholarship with so few left. My guess is that if they do they will offer a greyshirt or ask him to walkon. He will have other options, so we will have to see how it all plays out.
I believe the Huskers are at least reasonably serious about Kyle or they would not have had Bill Lafleur, a kicking instructor, take the time watching him punt twice during Kyle's free time before and after the USC game. For those that are not familiar with Bill Lafluer: He helped NU last summer with the kickers.
This post was edited on 10/5 9:38 AM by John Talman
Duane 'Roz' Rossiter
HuskersIllustrated.com
Recruiting Publisher
"Honesty is necessary in holding things together." - Tom Osborne
***Expect Phillip Dillard to start this week over Corey McKeon this week. He's consistently graded out better than McKeon and he's earned the job fair and square. I've been told he will start on Saturday.
***I think we might see Major Culbert some on Saturday, but part of me doesn't think we'll see him as much as we did last year, mainly because he hasn't been working with the defense on a daily basis this season. This game is too important to throw a guy out there in a key situation that hasn't been playing in the defense for more than two weeks.
***Shawn Watson wouldn't say for sure that Zac Lee has the strongest arm on the team, but his facial expression sure made it look like he did. Watson joked and said he better not answer that question because he'll have four other quarterbacks mad at him is he said Lee has the strongest arm.
***Look for my colleague of the Husker Sports Network Matt Davison to announce the starting line-ups on Saturday night for the ESPN broadcast. Each game on ESPN or ABC they have a different person do the starting line-ups before the game.
***For those that didn't see Big Red Wrap-up this week, Trevor Robinson really didn't give any new info as to where he's leaning between Nebraska, Notre Dame and Michigan. Robinson said he still hasn't visited South Bend or Ann Arbor, which I think is a good sign for NU.
***I get the idea Phil Elmassian and Kevin Cosgrove have a real good handle on how to defend and stop Missouri's spread offense. Elmo said during practice this week he has seen and defended this type of offense several times during his coaching career.
***Call me crazy, but I like Nebraska 41-38. I like the match-ups for NU in this game and I think Nebraska is a much more battle tested team that's do for a breakout game.
The inside scoop on Thomas
Houston athlete Michael Thomas is an intriguing prospect left on NU's board. He's got mid-double digit offers combined from some traditional football powers, as well as from some of the top academic schools across the country. Nebraska is in his official top seven or eight schools, but judging from the gushing comments he made to me about the Huskers' program if the NU staff really wants him they stand a good chance to land him.
As he said in the update: "Aw man, just the history from the Nebraska Cornhuskers is big. They're a prestigious school, they're in the Big 12...what's not to like about them?"
Michael took his first official to Northwestern, but he only gave the visit a '7' and there wasn't too much excitement in his voice when he recounted to me what he thought about the trip.
Mr. Thomas told me that they will use one of Michael's remaining officials to the Bay Area to kill two birds with one stone. He said, "We're talking about setting up dates with Cal and Stanford. I think Michael just wants to make one official visit in the area - probably to Stanford - and then go to Cal unofficially while we're there."
Besides Nebraska, Stanford will probably be a major player with Thomas all the way to the end. Thomas said, "I'd say that Stanford is still recruiting me the hardest. I mean they're still in the building stages of their program. Coach Harbaugh has them fired up and I like the direction they're heading. (Stanford QB commit) Andrew Luck from Stratford and I text every now then, and we talk every now then about Stanford."
This one could play out for a while because Thomas said that he wants to wait until after his season to take the rest of his officials. He's more focused on trying to get to districts.
What's the latest with Christopher
Another recruit who is also considering Nebraska and Stanford is DeVonte Christopher.
I spoke with DeVonte's coach Matt Jenkins on Wednesday and he said the high of the Nebraska official visit hasn't worn off for DeVonte. Coach Jenkins said, "I know DeVonte had a great time on the trip and he was impressed with coach Rudolph and coach Callahan. He said it was a first class trip all-around. He's still very, very excited about Nebraska. Nebraska is kind of pushing for a commitment, and DeVonte could make a decision in a short time from now."
A little more on Woods
A little bit more about D.J. Woods…
When I asked him if he was still hearing from any other schools since he committed to Nebraska he said: "Yes, almost every school that offered me is still trying to get in on me. I'm 100 percent all the way for Nebraska, though."
Woods will not be participating in any other sports for the first time in his high school career. He said, "I don't think so. I think I'm going to work out with a trainer to get ready to be a Big 12 receiver. I want to get ready for college football."
Henry is working hard
I spoke with Ricky Henry last night and he said that he's pretty confident that his academics will all be in order for him to make it to Nebraska. Ricky said, "It's going good. I've been staying on top of it. I've got a pretty good chance to make it because I did good in my summer school classes. I got Bs in both classes."
Henry's coach Chuck Parsons was even more confident than Ricky. He told me, "He's on pace to get out of here. He took some summer school this year, so he's back on track. As far as his grades, we have grade checks every three weeks, so we know where he's at. We take that pretty seriously here. We really do a good job of monitoring our freshman and sophomores and we have study table for them. We'll make sure he does whatever he has to do to get out of here and to Nebraska."
Look for more on Henry in an update on Friday.
Some notes on basketball recruits:
- In his update, Lufkin (Texas) Angelina C.C. power forward Dee Proby rated his Nebraska and West Virginia official visits an both '8' overall. I asked him even though he rated both an equal score, did he like one better than the other. It wasn't in the update, but his first response to me was, "I would have to say that I liked Nebraska a little bit more because of the coach thing. I saw how coach Sadler works and everything else, and how good it is there."
I was in the middle of typing it up, when a half hour after that Proby called me back. He said that he had thought more about it and wanted to change his answer to that question. His second response was then subsequently inserted into the update as he requested: "I would have to say that I like West Virginia a little bit more than Nebraska because of their facilities and gym, but in everything else they're the same. And I like Nebraska, too."
Proby will probably continue to shift back and forth between the two depending on how his Oklahoma State official turns out.
- Houston (Texas) St. Pius X power forward Dwight Miller's guardian Frank Rutherford should be familiar to those paying attention to NU hoops. Rutherford was also a mentor to forward Jeremy Barr who transferred from USC to Nebraska last year. He is no longer on the NU team. Interestingly, Miller told me he had just spoken to Barr on the phone about Nebraska a couple days ago. Barr was also originally from the Bahamas. Miller said, "He told me all about them and how much he liked it there."
It's too bad for Nebraska that it didn't work out for Barr in Lincoln, but he obviously has no ill feelings toward NU and its staff. Reading between the lines of what he told me, neither does Rutherford.
It wasn't in the update, but Rutherford also said about Miller and his plans: "I'm just getting back in town. I've been gone for the past couple months between the Bahamas and Europe. Whether Dwight will sign early or late, we're just starting now to put the pieces in place for that. Our mindset for him is that we'll probably let him take two or three early visits and save two for later should he end up taking them. He may even be an early signer, but we're still talking that out."
Is he solid?
This week was the first opportunity I had to talk to Nebraska defensive line recruit Darius Parish and I was a bit surprised to hear his take on the recruiting process. Though he maintains that he is committed to Nebraska I didn't get the feeling that his pledge is strong.
Parish told me that he and his uncle are still researching other school options and that he might take other visits, outside of his planned trip to Nebraska. When I asked him about his relationship with his recruiting coach, Ted Gilmore, he said, "It's pretty decent. I haven't talked to him in a while though. I've been pretty busy with football."
The good news for Nebraska fans is that Parish said that he'll likely wait until his visit to Lincoln before deciding whether or not to take any additional trips. Over the past few years, Nebraska has done a pretty good job of impressing visiting recruits. Something tells me that the blue-chipper from Wichita won't go home disappointed.
Your guess is as good as mine
I also had the pleasure of talking to Riley Reiff this week. I wish I could tell you where his mind was at right now (Nebraska or Iowa), but Reiff is a very quiet kid...tight lipped.
He was extremely impressed with the game environment for the Nebraska versus USC contest. Curiously, he hasn't been to an Iowa game this season. He said that he likely wouldn't take any more visits to either Lincoln or Iowa City until his season was over.
Reiff worked this past summer on the Nebraska campus at the Sheldon Art Gallery. He said he helped in "replacing the stones on the building".
He said, while down in Lincoln, he stopped by and talked to the coaches a few times and "got to know more about the program".
My gut tells me that Reiff will choose Nebraska in the end but it's hard to get an impression (one way or another) from talking to him.
Talented Junior
Joshua Adams definitely looks the part of a Division I superstar...on paper. He stands at 6-foot-4 and 200-pounds, has a 4.5-second 40-yard dash and boasts a 39 ½-inch vertical leap. The junior from Massachusetts also has an early offer from Nebraska. Is he interested in the Huskers?
According to Adams, Nebraska is in his top five picks right now but he needs to learn a bit more about the Husker program. He likes the offense the Callahan and company run down in Lincoln and thinks it would fit him well. However, Nebraska and everybody else will need to catch up to Boston College (the local favorite) who has gotten out to a pretty good early lead with him.
Adams said he'd watch all of his favorites in the 2008 season, to determine what their quarterback situations were like. He said it's important to him to be in school with a big-time quarterback that can get him the ball so it bodes well for Nebraska with Patrick Witt and Blaine Gabbert on board…
Random thoughts
I talked to one Husker commit this week and he assured me that he, and all of the other Nebraska commits that he talks to on a weekly basis, are all still very solid in their pledges to the 'Big Red'. He said, it's not about the Husker offense or defense does this year but how it projects out to the years that he is in Lincoln.
He added, however, that the only event that could really get him to rethink his pledge to Nebraska was a coaching change. By the way, this recruit regularly peruses the Red Sea Scrolls (and he's not the only one). A word of advice to Husker fans...and I'm sure this will probably fall mostly on deaf ears...recruits and recruit parents DO read the HuskerIllustrated.com boards. Be sure you think before you post.
More on Thompson
Sounds like the trip to Nebraska really impressed The Woodlands, Texas offensive lineman Brandon Thompson.
According to some of our guys on the ground in Houston, Thompson Nebraska is the team to beat before his trip this weekend to Purdue. Don't be surprised if he makes his decision just a couple of days into next week.
The funny thing is when I asked him if he was doing a press conference or anything of that sort, Thompson kind of just laughed and said no, "I'm not in to that stuff." So many people are asking about position and where he would start, but like a lot of other past line recruits, I reiterate that he could play at a number of different spots along the offensive line.
In-state visitors last weekend
I had a chance to speak with Omaha Central's 2008 prospect Shane Prater who is in town last weekend for the Iowa State game. He's got an offer from Air Force in football and then also a track offer for Minnesota. He said he'll be talking with his coaches about whether that offer will be for both track and football.
He said that Nebraska will be looking at him as the season goes along.
"They'll be looking at me based on my season," Prater said. "They've been sending letters and we pretty much talk once a week. Sometimes I talk with coach Dennis Wagner and coach Ted Gilmore sends me letters."
2009 offensive tackle Jon Lechner from Omaha Creighton Prep was also on hand for the Iowa State game as an unofficial visitor. Lechner says that he hasn't picked up his first offer yet, but he's getting mail from a lot of schools aside from Nebraska like "Notre Dame, Florida, Iowa, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Florida, Oregon and Kansas.
After taking in both the Ball State and Iowa State game on unofficial visits, Lechner says that he enjoyed his time in Lincoln but he plans to take his time with a decision.
"Those were the first college football games I've ever been to," Lechner said. "Before then I went to a couple spring games when I was little but that was it. (Last week) I stopped and talked to coach (Bill) Callahan for a couple of seconds. He stopped and talked to me for a second. He was just asking me how the season was going and just how we're doing.
"I mean, I'm just going to take my time. I'm going to try to take as many trips as I can. I'm pretty much open to anywhere."
Other visits he said he plans to take this year are to Iowa and Notre Dame for games.
Another 2009 offer out
We had confirmed this several weeks before, but I had a chance to speak with Stevenson (Ala.) North Jackson linebacker Tana Patrick.
Patrick is already off to a big start in recruiting with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Nebraska, and Ole Miss. He's also part of the Rivals.com 100 to Watch list for 2009.
Patrick seems to be pretty high on the SEC schools, though he says that no teams have stuck out. When I asked him about the schools recruiting him, like Nebraska, outside the SEC, he mentioned he hadn't watched them much, so he was going to have to learn about those programs.
He also says he'd like to stay close to home. While there are several other 2009 prospects on the radar already for Nebraska, I'd bet on Patrick staying in the South.
Who really cares about %s anyway?:
I hope you are not getting tired of the Simi Kuli and Justin Thompson focus in the Tunnel. You can look at the Needs List and the Recruiting Board and see that getting one or both of them are critical. I would not say that not getting either of them will spell doom for the class, but it would put a nice finishing touch on what is looking like the best class in quite awhile.
The week for both of them to travel to LSU to watch LSU play Florida has arrived. They leave tomorrow. That trip - at one time - was going to be taken by only Justin Thompson and the chances of him committing there were not that strong. I understand that the clear threat for Thompson for the Huskers will still be Cal and not LSU.
But strange things happen in recruiting. That is why arrows move up and down. Simi is now 'strongly' favoring one school from what I have been told. I just don't know who it is yet, but I suspect it is Florida. It appears that it is not NU. But…USC is an almost lock if they offer. That I am certain of. USC is probably waiting to see what happens with their high school targets or so I understand.
Some posters feel the % chances are strong for Simi Kuli. I have no clue where they get that idea. The chances were stronger earlier, but things change and they can change back after the visit for the A&M game. I sure would not be shocked.
My goodness...a 30% chance is a healthy % to bring with.
Let's consider this: Here is a recruit with offers from literally coast to coast. Here is a kid that is visiting the #1 ranked team right now and he has the #2 team on his heels and might be offering. I understand that it is just a matter of time for USC to offer. Here is a kid that is visiting OU - a team that is ranked higher than NU. Plus, let's throw in Oregon and Oregon State, who have a large number of Polynesian kids. Plus, do you suppose since Justin is a friend, Simi might end up considering Cal.
I have talked to him three times and have communicated with his coach frequently. I, sincerely, doubt any others have done that besides Brad Hoiseth.
Hope that he is a Husker and wait is all one can do.
Oh by the way, Cal and Oregon just visited El Camino to see both Kuli and Thompson.
Believe way higher than 30%. Those positives vibes might help. I just try to be realistic. He has not seen any school yet, but I honestly believe the % should go up 'after' the Oct. 20 visit. The reaction by recruits on seeing NU is unreal - fact.
El Camino and what they have done:
El Camino tripped on an early game - they were ranked #1 in the country, but they just beat Saddleback (#2 by one service and #5 by Brad Hoiseth).
Kuli did not play earlier in the year due to an injury. Well, Simi was player of the week against Saddleback (last game). He was in on 14 tackles, one sack, one TFL, five QB hurries and about killed the QB - knocked him out. He has gone from 20 snaps to 60 the next game and all but five against Saddleback. Simi now has 26 tackles, 2 ½ sacks, two TFL, and 11 QB hurries.
Thompson has been having a real good year too. He has 22 tackles, again 2 ½ sacks, 4 ½ TFL, and 13 QB hurries. I was told, "a monster on the inside."
Nebraska is next after LSU - they have their plane info and will be there for the A&M game.
New DT candidate and DB candidates
I know we all wonder where the Huskers will get those final DTs and DBs. I have been hunting and they are out there.
One I just talked to was Michael Guy, the father of Lawrence Guy, who is the 6-6, 280 pounder from Las Vegas. His update should be on the Front Page somewhere on Friday. I read the recent update and I thought NU was lost, as he never mentioned NU. Not true at all. Mr. Guy told me that Nebraska is "still in the running." I believe him.
Sure the kid makes the final decision, but the parent has a say. Mr. Guy comes from a military family - his dad was a colonel. He is the type that will make sure his son goes to the best school and academics are 'huge'. He will be looking up the academics…for sure.
I suspect that an in-home visit will be set up one day (assuming no commit sooner) and then we shall see. But Mr. Guy did mention weather to me, and I can tell you that I have a strong feeling that the Arizona schools are his favorites. The one update says Tenn. I would put 15 to 20% on him, but remember the peaks and valleys.
Last note: Look for updates on CB and S candidates over the next month or so. In fact, two have already been talked to and both like Nebraska and both are good JUCOs.
Kyle Martens, punter candidate
I believe the Huskers are at least reasonably serious about Kyle Martens. The question is will they offer him a scholarship with so few left. My guess is that if they do they will offer a greyshirt or ask him to walkon. He will have other options, so we will have to see how it all plays out.
I believe the Huskers are at least reasonably serious about Kyle or they would not have had Bill Lafleur, a kicking instructor, take the time watching him punt twice during Kyle's free time before and after the USC game. For those that are not familiar with Bill Lafluer: He helped NU last summer with the kickers.
This post was edited on 10/5 9:38 AM by John Talman
Duane 'Roz' Rossiter
HuskersIllustrated.com
Recruiting Publisher
"Honesty is necessary in holding things together." - Tom Osborne
