Nebraska Football Recruiting: 7 Things the Huskers Are Hoping for on Signing Day

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It's like Christmas in February. National Signing Day is when college football fans get to see a list of players coming to their school, complete with star rankings and grainy footage and chock full of hope for the seasons to come. Those class lists, combined with the depth charts from the previous season, will keep football fans satisfied—at least until April when the spring games start.

So, before Recruiting Santa arrives, let's at least take a look at what Nebraska's wish list looks like. (Insert your own gag about whether Bo Pelini is on the "naughty" or "nice" list here.)

Another Peat Appearance

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Andrus Peat is arguably Nebraska’s No. 1 recruiting target, and most reports have him choosing between NU, Stanford and USC. Peat, a dominating offensive line prospect, is the highest-profile recruiting fight Nebraska is engaged in going to Signing Day, and having Andrus join his brother Todd in Lincoln would help NU’s perception, not to mention beefing up an offensive line that struggled with depth in 2011.

Filling a Lavonte David-Sized Hole

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Michael Rose leads the field of linebackers coming to Lincoln in an attempt to fill Lavonte David’s shoes. Rose knows the pressures coming in, and Nebraska does have at least some promise in returning starters at linebacker like Will Compton. But if NU hits a home run with Rose, many of Nebraska’s potential problems on defense get solved.

Tommy Stays True

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Nebraska fans were disappointed with Devin Fuller chose UCLA over Nebraska. The dual-threat quarterback was long a Rutgers target, but when Greg Schiano surprised the football world by taking the Buccaneers head coaching job, many thought NU’s chances to land Fuller went up.

Apparently not. Which makes quarterback commit Tommy Armstrong (pictured above) all the more important. Say what you will about Taylor Martinez’s development, but it cannot be fairly argued that he’s had much competition. At the very least, if Armstrong arrives and can provide that competition for Martinez, both players will improve.

Westerkamp Was Worth the Work

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It’s almost cliché that wide receivers are high-maintenance divas. So it’s probably not surprising that Nebraska’s recruitment of Jordan Westerkamp was not free of drama. But, ultimately, NU held off Notre Dame to keep its wide receiver target. It will be up to Westerkamp to have that work bear fruit on the field.

Size Does Matter

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With three freshman running backs competing for time behind Rex Burkhead last season, it seems odd that a running back commit would be news. But Imani Cross—6’1”, 220 pound Imani Cross—has a different look to the three backs behind Burkhead last year. Adding a power element to NU’s running game could help improve a downhill running attack that looked effective at times for Nebraska.

Nebraska's Walk-on Tradition Continues

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You could point to a lot of different things as reasons for the downfall of Bill Callahan. But his assault of the walk-on program at Nebraska certainly set things off on the wrong foot when he arrived in Lincoln. Nebraska fans love their walk-ons, and this year has a number of promising players. Headlined by Brandon Reilly, NU’s walk-on class may help make up for a smaller-than-normal scholarship recruiting class.

Last Impressions Aren't Lasting

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If final impressions are lasting impressions, then Nebraska fans will be hoping recruits were too busy with holiday festivities to watch NU’s bowl outings the last couple of years. The mental no-show at the Holiday Bowl and the unraveling in the Capital One Bowl were not exactly postcards for a well-oiled machine ready to compete for titles.

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