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The buzz heading into Wake Forest
***Contrary to what others have reported, ESPN College Game Day still hasn't officially decided if they'll be in Lincoln for next weekend's USC game. If Nebraska loses to Wake Forest, Game Day will probably go to Tennessee vs. Florida…in fact people in Florida think they have the inside road to get the show. If Nebraska wins at Wake, it's a near lock that they'll be here, but nothing will be official until Sunday night.
***Down on the Nebraska sidelines last week, I had to give Mike Keller (former Michigan linebacker) a hard time about Michigan getting beat against Appalachian State. Mike laughed about it and said "thankfully I'm a Husker fan today and not a Wolverine fan."
***My gut feeling is Quentin Castille's role will continue to grow and Cody Glenn's will get smaller. Castille has more upside and he's less of a liability because he's not injured.
***If NU's veteran wide receivers continue to drop balls, don't be surprised if guys like Menelik Holt and Niles Paul get more reps as the season goes on.
***Talking to some local high school coaches, they tell me that Omaha Central's Ronnell Grixby is the real deal through two weeks…it's a shame things didn't work out with him and Nebraska. This guy is a Division I running back and somebody will get a good player if they take him. Central is 2-0 and Jay Ball really has this team playing right now.
***It's literally a coin flip on if we'll see defensive tackle Ty Steinkuhler play Saturday at Wake Forest. Part of me doesn't think NU should risk him for the remainder of the season.
***Prediction…I like Nebraska 31-17…NU won't take very many chances, they'll play sound fundamental football and leave Winston-Salem with a win.
Inside Meredith's decision
A little more background about Cameron Meredith's commitment to Nebraska. The Huskers are very lucky that Cameron didn't end up at USC or Oklahoma instead. Cameron did very well at the SC camp this summer, but he separated his shoulder at the camp and never did get that Trojan offer.
It wasn't in the update, but when I asked Cameron for his thoughts on not being offered by SC he said, "I don't know…I'd kind of already been blessed with so many other offers that it didn't really matter. I was just wondering what they were thinking. I'd say I was a little bit upset at first, but it didn't really bother me for long. God's blessed me with other offers, and the Nebraska offer is just as good as USC's. Oklahoma's is too."
Sean Stevens recently spoke with Cameron's mother, Katherine, and in the following quotes she gives more clues as to why they chose Nebraska and not Oklahoma. I've also spoken with Katherine on numerous occasions over the past couple of months and a finer lady you will not meet. It's easy to see why Cameron is such a high-character young man.
Katherine Meredith told Sean:
"We visited Oklahoma, Oregon, Nebraska, Washington, Washington State, Colorado, and went to junior days at Cal, USC, and UCLA. I'd say Nebraska and Oklahoma definitely stood out the most. What I liked the most was the small, 'college town' flavor and I definitely loved (Oklahoma) coach (Bob) Stoops and I loved coach Callahan and the coaching staff for both programs. The facilities at both places were very impressive. Both programs really took the time to show us around and educate us and I was very, very impressed with both.
"We went to Oklahoma when Cameron was a sophomore, so the situation was a little bit different. Coming back from Nebraska we had a full three days of touring and saw everything from the nutrition performance center, strength and conditioning, academic support and we stayed in town for four days so we got a feel for it. It was very friendly. At Nebraska we met more of the coaching staff. At Oklahoma we only got to meet coach Stoops and coach (Kevin) Wilson. People were very friendly in Lincoln. I liked Lincoln - the small town flavor and the friendliness of the fan base."
Although Mr. Meredith was unavailable, Mrs. Meredith relayed her husband's thoughts to us.
"He didn't go to Oklahoma with us. He had to leave that trip early. We had visited UT (Texas) and (Texas) A&M, and he had to go on for business so it was just Cameron, myself and his older brother. (Mr. Meredith) was not expecting much from Nebraska. He understood the Nebraska football legacy and tradition of the program, but I think he was concerned about Cameron being in the cold weather and thought it might be a little too small for Cameron. Cameron likes good food, likes to dine at restaurants, and he's very particular. He's pretty savvy for his age. He'll try all kinds of ethnic foods and he's well-traveled. It was definitely a concern, but when he got there he just knew.
"It was like going on a date with somebody, he just knew that this was the place for Cameron. He felt comfortable with the idea of leaving Cameron in Nebraska because he felt that they would truly nurture him and raise him and bring him up into an outstanding player. We felt good about it. He didn't know what to expect, but once we got there he felt like 'yeah, I'm comfortable leaving my son here'. I really believe that they will give him all of the support that he needs and develop him into not only a good person off the field but also as a football player."
Mrs. Meredith summed up the parents' thoughts.
Williams coming to town?
"We really liked coach Callahan. We were really impressed with him and the entire coaching staff. I have great respect for the Coaches and recruiters who put so much time and effort into winning over young men. It must be such a difficult job dealing with so much rejection. Recruiting is such big business, the pressure must be enormous. Their efforts are appreciated and do not go unnoticed."
Like fellow D-end commit Cameron Meredith, Josh Williams is supposed to be in town next week for the big USC game. When I asked Josh if he planned to attend any more Husker games this season he said, "Well, I'm actually looking forward to going to Austin when (Nebraska is) coming down and playing at Texas. I have to talk to my mom about any other Nebraska home games."
More from Iowa
The Nebraska staff was able to get the commitment of the top recruit in Iowa for the 2008 class in Dan Hoch, but doing that for the 2009 class will be much more difficult. Keenan Davis is a very heavy Iowa lean. When I asked him his thoughts about Nebraska he said, "I don't know too much about them. I haven't been invited to any of their games yet."
According to Davis' coach Tony Lombardi, his receiver recruit has been invited to games at Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan. He then added, "The word is that Michigan wants Keenan to come to their game so they can offer him. Of course, there may be a new staff there next year after their opening loss."
Coach Lombardi is an interesting story. He started coaching in 1987, and he has been a defensive coach at such places as Wisconsin, Minnesota and Eastern Michigan. He even coached in the short-lived XFL where he was the defensive coordinator for the Chicago team. When he had children, he decided to coach at the more stable high school level in order to raise his family with a better sense of normalcy.
He knows NU head coach Bill Callahan from when coach Callahan was at the University of Illinois. Coach Lombardi said, "I also Kevin Cosgrove and I knew Jay Norvell. Jay's brother played for me. I certainly have a lot of respect for Nebraska's staff."
There's no place like home?
Two high school prospects from the state of Kansas plan to make unofficial visits to Lincoln on September 15 to watch the Huskers take on the USC Trojans. Chris Harper, a four-star athlete out of Wichita plans to be at the game as does Kyler Reed out of Overland Park.
Harper is still interested in the Huskers, though he's not sure how much interest the 'Big Red' still has in him. "I really don't know what position Nebraska wants me to play," Harper said. "I haven't talked to their coaches in a while. I'm not sure what their plans are."
Harper's plan, at least for now, is to give the quarterback position a try in college. In his team's opener last Friday, he ran 15 times for 190 yards and four touchdowns and was two for two in passing for 34 yards. A few schools seem open to the idea of letting him line up behind center. Missouri, Kansas State and Illinois are all telling him that they want him to call the signals at their respective schools.
In the end, I predict that Harper will turn down the likes of Notre Dame (recruiting him very hard) and others in order to fulfill his dream of playing quarterback in college. I think he ends up at Kansas State as the successor to Josh Freeman.
As far as Reed, I believe if Nebraska wants him badly enough, they will get him. Reed also had a spectacular opening game performance last week. He grabbed five receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns. He added a third touchdown on a 35 yard run and passed (35 yards) for a fourth. Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas State and Northwestern make up his top four schools.
All of the aforementioned schools other than Nebraska are recruiting Reed primarily as a receiver. The Huskers like him on the defensive side of the ball, though they have told him it's his choice as to which position he starts out at in Lincoln.
He told me, "Nebraska has always been my favorite team. That's why I'm big on them. With Kansas and Kansas State, I like the coaches a lot. With Northwestern, it's the academics."
Again, if Nebraska wants Reed and has room for him in this class, I believe they'll get him.
Will his commitment stick?
Gerell Robinson has been committed to Arizona for several months. Will that commitment stick? It's hard to say as he really likes the Wildcat coaches and is familiar with many of the players on the team. However, he is also serious about visiting Nebraska and a couple of other schools before formalizing his decision with a signed letter of intent in February.
I think he will make a visit to Lincoln. It's just going to be later in the fall (rather than the original plan of September 14). Jonas Gray and Blaine Gabbert talked to him about coming in for a visit later...as most of the coaches focus on Sept. 14 will have to be on the game against USC.
Right now, I'd put the odds at Robinson remaining a Wildcat to be about 65 percent. There is still a decent shot for another school to come in and steal him away.
Hoch hopes to add one more to the line
Dan Hoch doesn't know for certain that Trevor Robinson will rejoin Nebraska's recruiting class but he thinks there's a good chance it will end up that way. He said that the "vibes" he got from Trevor while talking to him at the Nevada game were that the standout from Elkhorn was likely to come back into the Husker fold.
He also told me that the coaches want "all four of us to learn the guard and tackle positions". When asked who he was referring to, he replied, "me, Bryce Givens, Baker Steinkuhler and Trevor."
Is it just wishful thinking?
Top 5 Most Likely to Commit
1. Trevor Robinson
2. Leonard Johnson
3. Kenny Demens
4. Aldon Smith
5. Simi Kuli
When is Demens visiting?
With Sept. 1 being another contact period where coaches can make one phone call a week to prospects, I had a chance to talk with Kenny Demens.
Demens, the four-star linebacker, has had a chance to talk with coaches from several schools, including his top three of Michigan, Michigan State, and Nebraska with coach Kevin Cosgrove.
"It wasn't anything unexpected," Demens said about the calls. "It was more laid back conversation, how everything is going with the season and the football team. You know, whether I am coming up for official visits, it was more like that."
Though he was supposed to visit Michigan State last weekend, Demens says that he wasn't able to make it. However, he will be visiting Michigan most likely unofficially this weekend for their game against Oregon and then Michigan State, also unofficially, the next weekend.
Nebraska, the other school in his current top three, is currently on his mind for one particular weekend.
"Nebraska, I think I want to get out for the Oklahoma State game," Demens said. "Then there also might be an official visit with West Virginia, but I don't know about that yet."
Demens said he’s looking at waiting to take his official visits later in the season, pushing his decision back towards the end of the year. He says that the reason for pushing things back had a lot to do with him not being ready.
"It's just the fact that I knew deep down inside that I wasn't sure," he said. "I had originally wanted to commit on Sept. 4, which was the first day of school, but I knew that I wasn't going to be ready. So I pushed it back. I was really confused at the time and I still am. So I figured I would weight everything out. That way I can fully get the atmosphere on game day and for the school as a whole."
Juniors grabbing first offers
The scholarship offers for juniors are going out quickly and early on as usually the case.
We've been able to confirm quite a few early on like Cedar Hill, Texas offensive tackle Thomas Ashcraft, Jenks, Okla., defensive back Gabe Lynn, Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Washington receiver Keenan Davis, and several others.
Lynn, who I had the chance to speak with this week, certainly looks the part on film. After watching his clips that are on Rivals.com, he wasn't kidding around when he says that he can cover as a corner but hit like a safety. Another thing that I found interesting is that he's already been to Lincoln once and then is heading up again for the Southern Cal game.
Yes, with his brother, Phillip Dillard, being at Nebraska, it certainly gives him more than one reason to come up for early unofficial visits, but that certainly won't hurt the Huskers' chances early on in his recruiting process.
As far as some other prospects like Ashcraft, it's certainly going to be an uphill battle I think, but Nebraska's coaches have certainly done a good job with top prospects that may have been leaning in another direction.
Etc.
I know you guys are always wondering about commits stats, so I decided to do some digging over the last week and see what I could find. I'm also going to try to do this weekly and over the weekend give you as many stats from the NU commits' games as I can.
Some pretty impressive numbers were from linebacker Shaun Mohler who had nine tackles and 2.5 sacks. Interestingly enough, this was against Tyson Hetzer's team. Hetzer had three receptions for close to 40 yards.
Jonas Gray probably had the biggest night with 32 carries for 206 yards and one touchdown in a close loss. Gray told Rivals.com confirmed again for us after his game that he is coming in for the USC game and we'll begin getting you the rest of the news on the other official visitors as the weekend goes on. It's obviously going to a big game not just in uncommitted players, but in committed prospects as well.
I was watching CSTV the other night and it had the Tom Lemming' Next Generation on. The moderator asked him which freshmen would be standouts across the nation. He named about six or seven and one was Niles Paul. He said that he loved him and had "great hands and 10.7 100M speed." I found it interesting that he thought the 10.7 time was really impressive, as he would probably have been a 10.5 in Texas. The reason: More track is run in Texas. "They need somebody that can spread the defense and that is Niles Paul."
It sort of surprised me in that the Huskers have so many before him, but after giving it some thought and who was there, it did make sense. If you can believe Tom Lemming, you might look for Niles Paul to get more action. Niles has one catch so far.
By the way, I realize some don't care for Lemming - around the fan base and around Rivals, but Tom Lemming has been doing this for 29 years and some respect must go his way - in my opinion anyway.
The same show he flipped through who he thought were the top 10 2008 players. Guess who was No. 5 on his list. If you picked Gabbert, you were right. Only one of two QBs he had on that short list. Wow, is he high on him. I jotted down some of the comments and watched some film he had there - impressive to say the least.
Moderator is from St. Louis, so he was anxious to see what Lemming had to say. Here is how it went:
"I think he is the best pure passer in the country." He said that he has a cannon for an arm and great command and a leader. He talked about Blaine's speed - not overwhelming, but good enough to get away from trouble - "He runs close to a 4.6, so he can run himself out of trouble."
He said that Gabbert is the first QB that coach BC has had to give him his first legit Heisman candidate. The moderator asked him if he thought he was the best recruit to go to NU since Callahan was there and he said yes, "without a doubt." And he said he was better than Beck and ...Josh Freeman on potential and production.
Guess who he had as #4. Arthur Brown. He said that he will start immediately. Well, we can forget him.
By the way, Lemming had about 4-5 RBs in his top 10 and #2 overall for him is one the Huskers offered – Darrell Scott, who Lemming says is going to go to CU.
His #1 player is the only QB he has rated higher than Blaine. It is Terrelle Pryor, who is Rivals' #1 QB too. BUT he said that Blaine is the best pure QB right now in the nation. He did say that Pryor has the huge upside - like a Vince Young. The film shown shows that Pryor is an amazing athlete - no question. I would take Gabbert, though, as he has a better chance of leading a team to a NC.
This post was edited on 9/6 8:26 PM by Roz
Duane 'Roz' Rossiter
HuskersIllustrated.com
Recruiting Publisher
***Contrary to what others have reported, ESPN College Game Day still hasn't officially decided if they'll be in Lincoln for next weekend's USC game. If Nebraska loses to Wake Forest, Game Day will probably go to Tennessee vs. Florida…in fact people in Florida think they have the inside road to get the show. If Nebraska wins at Wake, it's a near lock that they'll be here, but nothing will be official until Sunday night.
***Down on the Nebraska sidelines last week, I had to give Mike Keller (former Michigan linebacker) a hard time about Michigan getting beat against Appalachian State. Mike laughed about it and said "thankfully I'm a Husker fan today and not a Wolverine fan."
***My gut feeling is Quentin Castille's role will continue to grow and Cody Glenn's will get smaller. Castille has more upside and he's less of a liability because he's not injured.
***If NU's veteran wide receivers continue to drop balls, don't be surprised if guys like Menelik Holt and Niles Paul get more reps as the season goes on.
***Talking to some local high school coaches, they tell me that Omaha Central's Ronnell Grixby is the real deal through two weeks…it's a shame things didn't work out with him and Nebraska. This guy is a Division I running back and somebody will get a good player if they take him. Central is 2-0 and Jay Ball really has this team playing right now.
***It's literally a coin flip on if we'll see defensive tackle Ty Steinkuhler play Saturday at Wake Forest. Part of me doesn't think NU should risk him for the remainder of the season.
***Prediction…I like Nebraska 31-17…NU won't take very many chances, they'll play sound fundamental football and leave Winston-Salem with a win.
Inside Meredith's decision
A little more background about Cameron Meredith's commitment to Nebraska. The Huskers are very lucky that Cameron didn't end up at USC or Oklahoma instead. Cameron did very well at the SC camp this summer, but he separated his shoulder at the camp and never did get that Trojan offer.
It wasn't in the update, but when I asked Cameron for his thoughts on not being offered by SC he said, "I don't know…I'd kind of already been blessed with so many other offers that it didn't really matter. I was just wondering what they were thinking. I'd say I was a little bit upset at first, but it didn't really bother me for long. God's blessed me with other offers, and the Nebraska offer is just as good as USC's. Oklahoma's is too."
Sean Stevens recently spoke with Cameron's mother, Katherine, and in the following quotes she gives more clues as to why they chose Nebraska and not Oklahoma. I've also spoken with Katherine on numerous occasions over the past couple of months and a finer lady you will not meet. It's easy to see why Cameron is such a high-character young man.
Katherine Meredith told Sean:
"We visited Oklahoma, Oregon, Nebraska, Washington, Washington State, Colorado, and went to junior days at Cal, USC, and UCLA. I'd say Nebraska and Oklahoma definitely stood out the most. What I liked the most was the small, 'college town' flavor and I definitely loved (Oklahoma) coach (Bob) Stoops and I loved coach Callahan and the coaching staff for both programs. The facilities at both places were very impressive. Both programs really took the time to show us around and educate us and I was very, very impressed with both.
"We went to Oklahoma when Cameron was a sophomore, so the situation was a little bit different. Coming back from Nebraska we had a full three days of touring and saw everything from the nutrition performance center, strength and conditioning, academic support and we stayed in town for four days so we got a feel for it. It was very friendly. At Nebraska we met more of the coaching staff. At Oklahoma we only got to meet coach Stoops and coach (Kevin) Wilson. People were very friendly in Lincoln. I liked Lincoln - the small town flavor and the friendliness of the fan base."
Although Mr. Meredith was unavailable, Mrs. Meredith relayed her husband's thoughts to us.
"He didn't go to Oklahoma with us. He had to leave that trip early. We had visited UT (Texas) and (Texas) A&M, and he had to go on for business so it was just Cameron, myself and his older brother. (Mr. Meredith) was not expecting much from Nebraska. He understood the Nebraska football legacy and tradition of the program, but I think he was concerned about Cameron being in the cold weather and thought it might be a little too small for Cameron. Cameron likes good food, likes to dine at restaurants, and he's very particular. He's pretty savvy for his age. He'll try all kinds of ethnic foods and he's well-traveled. It was definitely a concern, but when he got there he just knew.
"It was like going on a date with somebody, he just knew that this was the place for Cameron. He felt comfortable with the idea of leaving Cameron in Nebraska because he felt that they would truly nurture him and raise him and bring him up into an outstanding player. We felt good about it. He didn't know what to expect, but once we got there he felt like 'yeah, I'm comfortable leaving my son here'. I really believe that they will give him all of the support that he needs and develop him into not only a good person off the field but also as a football player."
Mrs. Meredith summed up the parents' thoughts.
Williams coming to town?
"We really liked coach Callahan. We were really impressed with him and the entire coaching staff. I have great respect for the Coaches and recruiters who put so much time and effort into winning over young men. It must be such a difficult job dealing with so much rejection. Recruiting is such big business, the pressure must be enormous. Their efforts are appreciated and do not go unnoticed."
Like fellow D-end commit Cameron Meredith, Josh Williams is supposed to be in town next week for the big USC game. When I asked Josh if he planned to attend any more Husker games this season he said, "Well, I'm actually looking forward to going to Austin when (Nebraska is) coming down and playing at Texas. I have to talk to my mom about any other Nebraska home games."
More from Iowa
The Nebraska staff was able to get the commitment of the top recruit in Iowa for the 2008 class in Dan Hoch, but doing that for the 2009 class will be much more difficult. Keenan Davis is a very heavy Iowa lean. When I asked him his thoughts about Nebraska he said, "I don't know too much about them. I haven't been invited to any of their games yet."
According to Davis' coach Tony Lombardi, his receiver recruit has been invited to games at Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan. He then added, "The word is that Michigan wants Keenan to come to their game so they can offer him. Of course, there may be a new staff there next year after their opening loss."
Coach Lombardi is an interesting story. He started coaching in 1987, and he has been a defensive coach at such places as Wisconsin, Minnesota and Eastern Michigan. He even coached in the short-lived XFL where he was the defensive coordinator for the Chicago team. When he had children, he decided to coach at the more stable high school level in order to raise his family with a better sense of normalcy.
He knows NU head coach Bill Callahan from when coach Callahan was at the University of Illinois. Coach Lombardi said, "I also Kevin Cosgrove and I knew Jay Norvell. Jay's brother played for me. I certainly have a lot of respect for Nebraska's staff."
There's no place like home?
Two high school prospects from the state of Kansas plan to make unofficial visits to Lincoln on September 15 to watch the Huskers take on the USC Trojans. Chris Harper, a four-star athlete out of Wichita plans to be at the game as does Kyler Reed out of Overland Park.
Harper is still interested in the Huskers, though he's not sure how much interest the 'Big Red' still has in him. "I really don't know what position Nebraska wants me to play," Harper said. "I haven't talked to their coaches in a while. I'm not sure what their plans are."
Harper's plan, at least for now, is to give the quarterback position a try in college. In his team's opener last Friday, he ran 15 times for 190 yards and four touchdowns and was two for two in passing for 34 yards. A few schools seem open to the idea of letting him line up behind center. Missouri, Kansas State and Illinois are all telling him that they want him to call the signals at their respective schools.
In the end, I predict that Harper will turn down the likes of Notre Dame (recruiting him very hard) and others in order to fulfill his dream of playing quarterback in college. I think he ends up at Kansas State as the successor to Josh Freeman.
As far as Reed, I believe if Nebraska wants him badly enough, they will get him. Reed also had a spectacular opening game performance last week. He grabbed five receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns. He added a third touchdown on a 35 yard run and passed (35 yards) for a fourth. Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas State and Northwestern make up his top four schools.
All of the aforementioned schools other than Nebraska are recruiting Reed primarily as a receiver. The Huskers like him on the defensive side of the ball, though they have told him it's his choice as to which position he starts out at in Lincoln.
He told me, "Nebraska has always been my favorite team. That's why I'm big on them. With Kansas and Kansas State, I like the coaches a lot. With Northwestern, it's the academics."
Again, if Nebraska wants Reed and has room for him in this class, I believe they'll get him.
Will his commitment stick?
Gerell Robinson has been committed to Arizona for several months. Will that commitment stick? It's hard to say as he really likes the Wildcat coaches and is familiar with many of the players on the team. However, he is also serious about visiting Nebraska and a couple of other schools before formalizing his decision with a signed letter of intent in February.
I think he will make a visit to Lincoln. It's just going to be later in the fall (rather than the original plan of September 14). Jonas Gray and Blaine Gabbert talked to him about coming in for a visit later...as most of the coaches focus on Sept. 14 will have to be on the game against USC.
Right now, I'd put the odds at Robinson remaining a Wildcat to be about 65 percent. There is still a decent shot for another school to come in and steal him away.
Hoch hopes to add one more to the line
Dan Hoch doesn't know for certain that Trevor Robinson will rejoin Nebraska's recruiting class but he thinks there's a good chance it will end up that way. He said that the "vibes" he got from Trevor while talking to him at the Nevada game were that the standout from Elkhorn was likely to come back into the Husker fold.
He also told me that the coaches want "all four of us to learn the guard and tackle positions". When asked who he was referring to, he replied, "me, Bryce Givens, Baker Steinkuhler and Trevor."
Is it just wishful thinking?
Top 5 Most Likely to Commit
1. Trevor Robinson
2. Leonard Johnson
3. Kenny Demens
4. Aldon Smith
5. Simi Kuli
When is Demens visiting?
With Sept. 1 being another contact period where coaches can make one phone call a week to prospects, I had a chance to talk with Kenny Demens.
Demens, the four-star linebacker, has had a chance to talk with coaches from several schools, including his top three of Michigan, Michigan State, and Nebraska with coach Kevin Cosgrove.
"It wasn't anything unexpected," Demens said about the calls. "It was more laid back conversation, how everything is going with the season and the football team. You know, whether I am coming up for official visits, it was more like that."
Though he was supposed to visit Michigan State last weekend, Demens says that he wasn't able to make it. However, he will be visiting Michigan most likely unofficially this weekend for their game against Oregon and then Michigan State, also unofficially, the next weekend.
Nebraska, the other school in his current top three, is currently on his mind for one particular weekend.
"Nebraska, I think I want to get out for the Oklahoma State game," Demens said. "Then there also might be an official visit with West Virginia, but I don't know about that yet."
Demens said he’s looking at waiting to take his official visits later in the season, pushing his decision back towards the end of the year. He says that the reason for pushing things back had a lot to do with him not being ready.
"It's just the fact that I knew deep down inside that I wasn't sure," he said. "I had originally wanted to commit on Sept. 4, which was the first day of school, but I knew that I wasn't going to be ready. So I pushed it back. I was really confused at the time and I still am. So I figured I would weight everything out. That way I can fully get the atmosphere on game day and for the school as a whole."
Juniors grabbing first offers
The scholarship offers for juniors are going out quickly and early on as usually the case.
We've been able to confirm quite a few early on like Cedar Hill, Texas offensive tackle Thomas Ashcraft, Jenks, Okla., defensive back Gabe Lynn, Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Washington receiver Keenan Davis, and several others.
Lynn, who I had the chance to speak with this week, certainly looks the part on film. After watching his clips that are on Rivals.com, he wasn't kidding around when he says that he can cover as a corner but hit like a safety. Another thing that I found interesting is that he's already been to Lincoln once and then is heading up again for the Southern Cal game.
Yes, with his brother, Phillip Dillard, being at Nebraska, it certainly gives him more than one reason to come up for early unofficial visits, but that certainly won't hurt the Huskers' chances early on in his recruiting process.
As far as some other prospects like Ashcraft, it's certainly going to be an uphill battle I think, but Nebraska's coaches have certainly done a good job with top prospects that may have been leaning in another direction.
Etc.
I know you guys are always wondering about commits stats, so I decided to do some digging over the last week and see what I could find. I'm also going to try to do this weekly and over the weekend give you as many stats from the NU commits' games as I can.
Some pretty impressive numbers were from linebacker Shaun Mohler who had nine tackles and 2.5 sacks. Interestingly enough, this was against Tyson Hetzer's team. Hetzer had three receptions for close to 40 yards.
Jonas Gray probably had the biggest night with 32 carries for 206 yards and one touchdown in a close loss. Gray told Rivals.com confirmed again for us after his game that he is coming in for the USC game and we'll begin getting you the rest of the news on the other official visitors as the weekend goes on. It's obviously going to a big game not just in uncommitted players, but in committed prospects as well.
I was watching CSTV the other night and it had the Tom Lemming' Next Generation on. The moderator asked him which freshmen would be standouts across the nation. He named about six or seven and one was Niles Paul. He said that he loved him and had "great hands and 10.7 100M speed." I found it interesting that he thought the 10.7 time was really impressive, as he would probably have been a 10.5 in Texas. The reason: More track is run in Texas. "They need somebody that can spread the defense and that is Niles Paul."
It sort of surprised me in that the Huskers have so many before him, but after giving it some thought and who was there, it did make sense. If you can believe Tom Lemming, you might look for Niles Paul to get more action. Niles has one catch so far.
By the way, I realize some don't care for Lemming - around the fan base and around Rivals, but Tom Lemming has been doing this for 29 years and some respect must go his way - in my opinion anyway.
The same show he flipped through who he thought were the top 10 2008 players. Guess who was No. 5 on his list. If you picked Gabbert, you were right. Only one of two QBs he had on that short list. Wow, is he high on him. I jotted down some of the comments and watched some film he had there - impressive to say the least.
Moderator is from St. Louis, so he was anxious to see what Lemming had to say. Here is how it went:
"I think he is the best pure passer in the country." He said that he has a cannon for an arm and great command and a leader. He talked about Blaine's speed - not overwhelming, but good enough to get away from trouble - "He runs close to a 4.6, so he can run himself out of trouble."
He said that Gabbert is the first QB that coach BC has had to give him his first legit Heisman candidate. The moderator asked him if he thought he was the best recruit to go to NU since Callahan was there and he said yes, "without a doubt." And he said he was better than Beck and ...Josh Freeman on potential and production.
Guess who he had as #4. Arthur Brown. He said that he will start immediately. Well, we can forget him.
By the way, Lemming had about 4-5 RBs in his top 10 and #2 overall for him is one the Huskers offered – Darrell Scott, who Lemming says is going to go to CU.
His #1 player is the only QB he has rated higher than Blaine. It is Terrelle Pryor, who is Rivals' #1 QB too. BUT he said that Blaine is the best pure QB right now in the nation. He did say that Pryor has the huge upside - like a Vince Young. The film shown shows that Pryor is an amazing athlete - no question. I would take Gabbert, though, as he has a better chance of leading a team to a NC.
This post was edited on 9/6 8:26 PM by Roz
Duane 'Roz' Rossiter
HuskersIllustrated.com
Recruiting Publisher
