Bleacher Report - Articles by Jeff Williams

Nebraska Cornhuskers AD Tom Osborne Gauges Bo Pelini's Economic Impact

Jeff Williams — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:23:39 -0400

Tom Osborne is learning quite a few things as athletic director at the University of Nebraska.

In a conversation with Tom Shatel, he discusses the current economic state and how it affects the Huskers:

"Nebraska’s been affected by the downturn in the economy, but not to the degree that other states have," Osborne said. "We’re not totally recession proof but for some people, one of the last things to go will be their football tickets."

He also justifies Bo Pelini’s raise as the least expensive option:

"The most expensive thing you can do is lose a good coach and his staff and go through a whole shakedown period in finding somebody, losing a recruiting class and so forth."

In a separate interview with Steve Sipple, TO addresses Bo’s progress with his on-field ‘discussions’:

“I think Bo recognized it himself,” Osborne said. “It wasn’t horrible. But on the other hand, he realized that people are watching. Mothers are watching. Fathers, too. You saw a pretty marked shift from the first two or three games to the last six or seven. I thought that was very positive.”

Husker News and Notes

Mike Caputo is one of the surprises of the Spring, says Steve Sipple.

Quarterback Zac Lee isn’t playing to win over fans, he’s playing to make progress:

"I don’t think you react to it any different than you would another game or practice or anything like that," Lee said. "Just because in the end it’s another practice—it’s a big scrimmage—and you’re just trying to work on things and continue to get better."

Ted Gilmore wants Will Henry to get ‘mean’ and Shawn Watson wants to see ‘consistency.’

Menelik Holt grows into the No. 1 receiver role.

Father Robert Mayta is a part of Nebraska Football.

Indians Catcher and Baylor Alum Kelly Shoppach got a box full of Husker gear from Indians Fan Bo Pelini.

Matt Davison Is Taking on Bullies

Jeff Williams — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:37:50 -0500

Steve Sipple talks with Matt Davison about his work against bullying

“I’ve not been a saint in my life,” the former Nebraska standout wide receiver says. “Have I made mistakes? Absolutely. Was I a perfect kid? Nope. But one thing that always touched my heart was how kids treated other kids. I just always had a soft spot for kids who were maybe a little slow, who weren’t good athletes, who maybe were a little overweight, kids that a lot of people made fun of.

“You know, I just hated that.”

Davison plans to conduct summer camps across the state in which he will provide guidance and instruction in both football and life. He’ll also make presentations to high school teams and school assemblies.

Tim Griffin Is in Love: Nebraska's Memorial Stadium

Jeff Williams — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:18:49 -0500

From Tim Griffin’s blog entitled "5 Things I Love about the Big 12"

Crisp fall afternoons at Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium: I can’t think of a better atmosphere to watch a game than at the "Sea of Red" at Memorial Stadium for a Cornhusker game.

There’s a palpable buzz that you can feel getting out of your car when you arrive to the stadium. And it only seems to get better the closer you get to the stadium.

Shoot, I can almost smell the grilling sausages as I write this. The Cornhuskers’ Tunnel Walk still is one of the most spectacular entrances in all of sports. And it still gives me goosebumps when I see how Nebraska fans applaud for both teams as they leave the field of play after a game.

Well said Griffin.

Bo Pelini's Job is More Secure Than Bob Stoops'

Jeff Williams — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:28:37 -0500

According to CoachesHotSeat.com , Mike Sherman and Dan Hawkins should be very concerned about their jobs in 2009.

Here is a graph comparing the Big 12 Coaches rankings as of Feb. 2009 and compared to 12/08/08

Hot Seat Rankings For Big 12 Coaches
Coach	Natl. Ranking, 2/09	Natl. Ranking 12/08
1. Mike Sherman, Texas A&M	1	5 (2)
2. Dan Hawkins, Colorado	5	6 (3)
3. Bill Snyder, Kansas State	23	22 (4)
4. Art Briles, Baylor	44	70 (5)
5. Paul Rhoads, Iowa State	55	N/A
6. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State	84	101 (9)
7. Mark Mangino, Kansas	95	80 (6)
8. Mike Leach, Texas Tech	101	109 (10)
9. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma	108	115 (12)
10. Gary Pinkel, Missouri	109	100 (8)
11. Bo Pelini, Nebraska	111	94 (7)
12. Mack Brown, Texas	117	113 (11)

Patrick Witt Responds to Ridiculous Rumors That He Tried to Sabotage Cody Green

Jeff Williams — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 10:02:39 -0500

Patrick Witt responds to ridiculous rumors that he tried to sabotage Cody Green:

"After Witt officially announced on Sunday that he was leaving the Huskers, internet chat rooms started rumors on why. Monday afternoon, many were convinced the rumors of Witt trying to sabotage freshman quarterback Cody Green were true. The chat rooms and message boards had Witt teaching Green the wrong signals.

"Witt has declined an interview request on the subject but does send this text message to Matt Perrault, the host of the 'Big Show' on Big Sports 590, our sister radio station. The text states:

"'Ha ha, I heard that rumor too. We don’t use any signals, so I don’t see how that would even be possible. Plus, Cody Green was in Zac’s group, not mine.'"

It is a shame that people have to trash Patrick Witt for leaving the Husker program.

Put yourself in Witt’s shoes: You come to Nebraska to be coached by Bill Callahan, and a new coach comes in with a defensive mindset and favors a mobile QB.

Witt decides to stick around after the coaching change but feels that Nebraska is looking for a QB with a different set of skills than your own.

So you transfer. It happens. Witt isn’t a Pelini or a Shawn Watson guy.

I actually think Witt leaving can be a positive for the Husker program. It makes the QB competition less crowded and allows the three remaining QBs to get more reps in practice.

While at Nebraska, he got a 4.0 in the classroom and had a minor scrap with the law due to being drunk, but overall, he represented UNL well during his time here.

Give him credit for also staying with the program for the first year of the Bo Pelini Era.

So let him transfer. I think this will work out well for both parties involved.

Shatel: Huskers to 'Go Green' for Backup QB Spot?

Jeff Williams — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:28:31 -0500

Tom Shatel says Patrick Witt’s departure might open the door for Cody Green to be the backup:

With Witt gone, Green has a chance to further benefit from graduating in December and starting his Husker career early. His former coach at Dayton (Texas) High, Jerry Stewart, said Green will "just do what he always does, just take it in stride."

"The biggest issue to him is to be accepted by his coaches and his teammates, " Stewart said. "Outside of that, he’ll let everything fall where it falls."

So far, Green’s personal accounts of the early transition to Lincoln have all been positive, Stewart said. Now Green could find himself working as the primary backup to Lee by the end of the spring, one injury from taking over the starting job.

Stewart said Green’s demeanor shouldn’t change, even if his chances to make an earlier contribution have improved — one of the factors that initially lured him to NU.

But don’t forget about Kody Spano

"Ever since the bowl game, he’s been eagerly awaiting to have a shot to compete for it," Kyle Spano said. "He was very eager about just being able to learn the system and being able to absorb as much of the situation.

"Kody is down to earth as anybody. He was in a very competitive situation in high school, replacing Jevan Snead (former Texas recruit now at Mississippi). Of course it’s two different atmospheres. But in my belief, I think he’s a kid who handles pressure well."

While Taylor Martinez is prepping to be a QB

Martinez has been throwing this winter and doing quarterback-specific workouts. Martinez will arrive in the summer.

Patrick Witt Leaves Nebraska Football

Jeff Williams — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:22:33 -0500

Steve Sipple doesn’t sound too surprised that Patrick Witt has left the program:

According to sources close to the situation, the sophomore-to-be firmly believed he wouldn’t receive a fair shake in the quarterback competition. Witt feared the coaching staff strongly favored junior-to-be Zac Lee.

There was another issue, one that ultimately spelled doom for the relationship.

According to a source close to the Nebraska program, Witt and his father sought assurance from Husker coaches that the coaches would name the starting quarterback at the end of spring practice. That way, if Witt wasn’t named starter, he presumably could arrange to transfer, or at least evaluate his situation.

Nebraska coach Bo Pelini declined to address the matter Monday. But the source said Pelini informed the Witts that it was highly unlikely (read: forget it, guys) that he would release Patrick from his scholarship if Patrick made such a request at the end of spring drills.

Pelini apparently loathed the idea of Witt going through spring practice while considering a transfer. So, Pelini forced Witt’s hand before spring drills even began.

Nebraska Cornhuskers New 2009 Recruiting Prospect RB David Oku

Jeff Williams — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 06:33:57 -0500

College Football recruiting experts are buzzing right now.

The speculation centers around this simple question:

Why did highly regarded RB David Oku transfer from an Oklahoma high school to a Nebraska high school with three months left before graduation?

More details on the developing David Oku story from yesterday’s HuskersGameday post.

There’s no doubt that a Huskers backfield with Rex Burkhead and David Oku would be a terrific 1-2 punch in 2009 behind Roy Helu and Quentin Castiille.

Any foreseeable problems? Hell yes.

First of all, Rex Burkhead was told that he would be the sole RB recruited in from the 2009 class. Signing Oku might rub Burkhead the wrong way. Throughout the entire shady history of college football recruiting, has any player ever transferred to an OUT-OF-STATE high school after the football season has finished?

No matter how talented Oku might be, do we really want a cat like David Oku on the Huskers roster? Oku is acting like a privileged prima donna right now.

There’s no denying that David Oku has ridiculous skills (as demonstrated by these videos below). However, his sense of entitlement scares the living crap out of me. Best case scenario is that the Huskers sign Oku next week, and Burkhead and Oku act as a "Thunder & Lightning" combo for NU through 2012.

David Oku Highlights from 2007:

David Oku Highlights From 2008…

David Oku Enrolls in Lincoln East, Husker Nation Goes in a Frenzy

Jeff Williams — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 23:06:15 -0500

Top-rated prep RB David Oku has enrolled in Lincoln East to reportedly ‘be closer to his girlfriend.’

This has fueled speculation that David will sign with the Huskers.

The 5'10", 186-pound Oku, rated by Rivals as the nation’s No. 1 all-purpose back for his play at Carl Albert High School, has not signed a letter of intent. He is reportedly considering Tennessee, Auburn, Mississippi, Syracuse and Nebraska , though the Huskers have not actively recruited Oku for some time.

NU signed two running backs in Rex Burkhead and Dontrayevous Robinson earlier this month on National Signing Day.

Nebraska initially offered Oku a scholarship, but cooled on him after he pledged to the Tennessee.

UPDATE: David Oku speaks

"Coming here also gives me extra classes that my other school [Carl Albert High School in Midwest City, Okla.] wouldn’t offer me," he added.

He does have a girlfriend who goes to UNL, but he said he moved here because he thought the school would better prepare him for college.

"It had nothing to do with an emotional thing with a girlfriend. … That had nothing to do with it. I’ve heard the craziest things, that she’s pregnant and all this. No, no. I came here because of school."

On the topic of football, he said his coming here shouldn’t lead people to think he’s signing with Nebraska. All indications are that Nebraska has halted its recruiting of running backs for this class.

Nebraska Husker News and Notes for Feb. 23, 2009

Jeff Williams — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:55:39 -0500

Husker News and Notes

* Joe Ganz is the new Matt Davison:

Ganz had four public appearances last week, which brings the former Nebraska quarterback’s total to 14 since early January. Not bad when you consider Ganz is almost on pace to match the ever-popular Matt Davison’s deluge of appearances right after he completed his eligibility at NU in 2000—not that anyone ventures to officially track these things.

At any rate, Davison estimates he made 30 to 40 appearances in the five months right after his senior season, before he turned his attention to trying to make it in the NFL. I mention Davison’s name mostly because he remains in heavy demand as a speaker.

Nebraska’s Joe Ganz (12) throws to Nebraska’s Todd Peterson in first quarter of the Colorado game on Friday, Nov. 28, 2008. (LJS File)

* For the first time during winter conditioning, Mike McNeill is 100 percent:

Two years ago, McNeill was coming off shoulder surgery and was inactive. Last year, the tight end was fighting some minor dings and smarting from an unproductive redshirt freshman season.

Things are different now.

"This is the first winter I’ve been 100 percent," McNeill said. "I can just do more."

Rising five days a week for 6:30 a.m. running and drills is easier when healthy. Three afternoons of lifting are more tolerable when there’s some production behind you or promise ahead.

* Roy Helu Jr. is seeing dedication from his teammates:

Five weeks into an eight-week stretch of strenuous workouts, the players are working harder than ever, Helu said.

"We’ve seen good leadership and sacrifice," said Helu, the rising junior poised to take over the top I-back spot next fall. "We saw it last year, how the senior class would lead by example. That was the type of people they were. They left their legacy definitely with our class and the seniors coming up this year."

Patrick Witt Leaves the Nebraska Huskers Program

Jeff Williams — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:48:07 -0500

Nebraska Cornhuskers QB Patrick Witt has decided to leave the program.

Patrick was set to compete this spring for the starting QB position with new recruit Cody Green, Kody Spano, and Zac Lee.

One can assume this has everything to do with the competition at QB and feeling among the Witt family that Patrick would be better served at a different program.

The 6'4" freshman from Wylie, TX was 6-8 for 45 yards in 2008. In the Gator Bowl, he was in for one controversial play where Witt appeared to fumble the ball but the play was overturned. The play would've given Clemson great field position in the fourth quarter.

In fairness to Witt, a more conservative play should have been called.

This now means the 2009 Nebraska Cornhuskers belong to Zac Lee:

Zac Lee: The man to lead the 2009 Huskers to the Big 12 Title

Bo Pelini on College Football Live: "We're Not Satisfied"

Jeff Williams — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:08:27 -0500

Bo Pelini appeared on ESPN’s College Football Live today.

Here are some clutch quotes :

"We just have to continue on with what we’ve started. That means the work ethic, the discipline—all the things we talked about when we got here.”

"We’re not anywhere near where we want to be. We’ve made a little bit of progress. I think we’ve improved, but we have a long ways to go … and we have to stay focused on the process so we keep this thing going in the right direction."

How important is it to improve the Black shirts to the level that fans grew accustomed?

"We’re not going to be satisfied until we’re up there at the top. We made some progress on defense, and we had some good games. We also played some games when we got our tails kicked. We don’t want to have any of those.”

"We’ve made progress. Our kids understand more of what this system entails and how to play within this system. But we have a long way to go to get to the standard that we want to play defense at, and that’s at the highest, highest level there is."

What does it tell you that 80,000 fans are expected to be on hand for the spring game? "Well, I mean, I don’t know if any other place in the country will ever get that. Our fans are excited. I know within the first 12 hours, we sold over 45,000 seats for that game. It just shows how passionate our fans are and how supportive.

"It’s great for us. (Recruits) come in here and see that kind of atmosphere, and they see that kind of passion associated with your program. It makes them want to be a part of it."

Husker News and Notes for Feb. 20

Jeff Williams — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:58:20 -0500

The Huskers will be increasing season ticket prices for the 2009 season. Season ticket holders will pay $54 per ticket for seven home games ($378 total). In 2008, Nebraska season ticket holders paid $416 for a season ticket for eight games, or $52 per ticket.

For the seventh consecutive year, Nebraska students will not see an increase in their season ticket prices. UNL students will pay a total of $147 for seven games, or $21 per game, and UNL faculty and staff will pay $51 per game ($357 total).

HuskerVision will be getting an upgrade. Two new HuskerVision replay boards will be added on the northwest and northeast towers.

The screens are the same size as those on the south towers, measuring 21’ high and 24’ wide. The addition will give Memorial Stadium five replay boards and allow nearly every fan a clear view of a HuskerVision screen.

Additionally, HuskerVision will be upgraded to a high-definition format during the summer, further enhancing one of college football’s best in-game video presentations.

"Our fans should really enjoy the new features planned for Memorial Stadium," Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne said. "We have heard from fans who were concerned about not having a clear view of the replay screens and we have addressed that. The high-definition format will really add to what HuskerVision does, and we expect that we will also add ribbon boards to the façade of the East and West balconies for the 2009 season."

Mike Matya takes a look at Brent Qvale. He totaled 61 pancake blocks as a senior while leading his team to a state playoff berth and a 7-4 record. So far in his basketball season, he is averaging 21.8 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks. Williston is currently ranked No. 3 in North Dakota’s largest class with an 11-5 record.

Now that the dust has settled, Tim Griffin says Mike Leach has to rebuild his team.

Shawn Bodtmann’s coach, fierce Nebraska critic Mike DeAntona, was fired at the end of the 2008 season.

Husker News and Notes for 2-18-09

Jeff Williams — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:12:17 -0500

Husker News and Notes:

Future Husker Brandon Kinnie has joined his Junior College Basketball team. No truth to the rumor Shawn Watson’s blood pressure is rising.

Cook said Kinnie joined the team only after Fort Scott football coach Jeff Sims talked with the Nebraska staff.

"He had asked to play about two weeks before," Cook said. "At first I said, ‘No, you already have your future. We don’t want you to get hurt or have anything bad happen to you.’"

Kinnie played basketball last season, averaging 13 points and four rebounds a game. But that was after redshirting in football his first season at Fort Scott.

Zach Potter looks to improve draft status at the NFL Combine this weekend.

The former Nebraska defensive end believes that his testing results at the NFL Combine will stack up favorably. Potter and five of his former Nebraska teammates will be going before NFL personnel for testing, examinations and interviews as the annual combine starts today in Indianapolis.

With Nebraska government enact legislation dealing with agents, the AP says don’t expect change.

An agent jeopardizes an athlete’s eligibility and puts the athlete’s school at risk of NCAA sanctions when the agent offers inducements to secure that athlete as a client.

The problem, some say, is that coaches often don’t want to turn in agents because that suggests they had knowledge of something amiss. And student-athletes don’t want to turn in agents because that could signal that they were complicit in something nefarious.

Remembering Bill "Thunder" Thorton.

Husker News and Notes for 2-17-09

Jeff Williams — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:14:42 -0500

Husker News and Notes

The Nebraska-Colorado will most likely stay on Black Friday in 2009.

Nebraska has played on ABC on that Friday since 1990, but has had a bye week leading into the game. That is not the case this year. NU plays at home against Kansas State on Nov. 21, meaning the Huskers would have a short week before a Nov. 27 game at Colorado.

2010 Recruiting Class: Minnesota Prep DT prospect Beau Allen has an offer from the Huskers.

Steve Sipple has a few ideas to spruce up the Red-White Spring Game

As for the green jerseys for quarterbacks, they’ve usually made sense to me, especially when there’s a clear-cut starter. This year, odds are there won’t be a clear-cut No. 1 by mid-April. So let’s see how Patrick Witt, Zac Lee, Cody Green, and Kody Spano react when “live bullets are flying,” to steal a Bill Callahan phrase.

Let the public take a peek at the leading QB candidates unprotected against a stout defense.

The young quarterbacks would benefit from the pressure of an intense game-like experience, and the fans would get their 10 bucks’ worth (actually, a quick glance at stubhub.com shows a wide range of prices for individual tickets—$48 apiece all the way to $2,600 apiece in the club level).

Tim Griffin ranks the Huskers 4th in his Big 12 Power Rankings

4. Nebraska–The Cornhuskers got a big shot of momentum after their impressive comeback victory in the Gator Bowl. Ndamukong Suh will be back, but the Cornhuskers have to find a replacement for Joe Ganz at quarterback. Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson’s work in turning out serviceable players at the position at Colorado and Nebraska lessens some of those concerns. But it still wouldn’t surprise me to be seeing heralded incoming freshman Cody Green to be starting at the position by early November—maybe even with the North Division title on the line.

Husker News and Notes

Jeff Williams — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:18:26 -0500

Husker News and Notes

Six Huskers are gearing up for the NFL Combine this weekend:

Here are the Huskers’ six invitees, with their Scouts, Inc., position rating in parenthesis (Scouts, Inc., is the service used by ESPN).

– Cody Glenn , OLB, 6-0, 235 (No. 27)

– Marlon Lucky , RB, 6-0, 215 (No. 21)

– Lydon Murtha , OT, 6-7, 310 (No. 25)

– Zach Potter , DE, 6-7, 277 (No. 31)

– Matt Slauson , OG, 6-5, 320 (No. 12)

– Nate Swift , WR, 6-2, 200 (No. 62)

2009 Spring Game ticket sales stand at 63,000 so far.

Nebraska Basketball gets dominated by Missouri in the second half.

Catching up with Jason Peter.

Big Red Network looks at the difficulties of being a college coach.

EveryDayShouldBeSaturday continues their unhealthy obsession with Lil Red.

Husker News and Notes for 2-15-09

Jeff Williams — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 14:56:38 -0500

Husker News and Notes

Tickets are still available for the 2009 Red-White Spring Game but don’t procrastinate. The Spring Game was sold out 10 days before the game last year.

Steve Sipple looks at Nate Swifts as he gears up for the NFL Combine and the NFL Draft, and sees him being labeled as a ‘possession receiver’

“I get tired of people saying Nate’s a possession guy, he’s this, he’s that,” Bo Pelini has said. “He’s just a heck of a football player. He’s a leader, he’s a competitor, he’s everything you want in a player.”

Said Swift : “To me, a possession receiver is a guy who comes in on third down to make the catch over the middle or on a 10-yard route on the outside to get the first down,” he said. “I wouldn’t say that was me (at Nebraska).”

Nebraska hosts Junior Day , a new trend in college football

Jeremy Crabtree, national recruiting analyst for Rivals.com, said “Junior Days” began cropping up about five years ago, starting at Texas.

“Mack Brown tried to get a leg up in the state of Texas,” Crabtree said. “And as you know, college football often is imitative. You started seeing it at places like Texas A&M, Southern Cal, Oklahoma, and Florida. Now it’s a very big part of the recruiting process.

“Some schools make a big deal out of it, and others keep it low key. But you’re going to keep seeing it.”

Megan Rogers, coordinator of Nebraska’s on-campus recruiting, said the Huskers are considering having another “Junior Day ” sometime before the April 18 Red-White Spring Game. As for the Spring Game, Rogers said, the Huskers will play host to at least 50 prospects.

I’m not here to talk about the past, but someone by the name of Kevin Cosgrove breaks his silence about the 2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers Defensive performance. Anyone else think this guy still wets the bed?

On NU’s statistical rankings in 2007: “I don’t know, I didn’t even look at it, because the way things went down there, it was done before the season was even over. We all knew we were fired before that.”

Cosgrove used the 2005 team, which led the nation in sacks, as an example of his success: “In 2005, we led the nation in sacks, and tackles for loss. You have to put a lot of pressure on quarterbacks to do that, don’t you?… We led the nation, not the conference. I think that’s an accomplishment.”

On whether the 2007 season at NU tarnished his overall track record: “Well, I’m not going to make any excuses for what happened there, but if you look at my past, we’ve had many successes on the teams I’ve been with. If I do remember, I think we won Big 10 Championships on four of the teams I’ve coached, and I won a Big 12 North Championship on a team I coached, so I think my record will speak for itself. If I’m going to be judged on one year in this profession, it seems like the people in blogs will do it, not my peers. That’s just the way it is.”

Cosgrove criticizing the NU fan base for being negative, and himself for listening to it: “When I was at Wisconsin , working for Barry (Alvarez) we never even knew that stuff existed. I never saw anything negative; the only thing I ever saw was positive. Then I went to Nebraska, and I started looking at the negative stuff, and that was probably the worst thing I ever did. It was the worst thing our team ever did, because our players started reading it. They were not only beating up me, but the players, and that’s a bad thing when that happens. That’s their team, they’re beating up the kids, and that’s not right.”

Catching up with Mike Rozier and his football-playing son JaMichael Rozier .

Tickets are Still Available for the 2009 Nebraska Spring Game

Jeff Williams — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 02:11:45 -0500

FROM NU MEDIA RELATIONS :

Tickets for the 2009 Red-White Spring Game first went on sale last Wednesday, Feb. 4. The game will be played on Saturday, April 18 and kickoff is at 1 p.m .

Nebraska fans may purchase tickets on-line at Huskers.com , by phone at 1-800-8-BIG-RED , or in person at the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Offic e, located in the Stadium Drive Parking Garage. Reserved tickets are $10 each. No television is planned for the game.

For the first time, Nebraska will be selling nearly all of Memorial Stadium on a reserved ticket basis for the spring game. Last year fans could purchase reserved tickets in the East and West Stadium, and after a positive response Nebraska officials have expanded the reserved seating for 2009. Due to the reserved seating throughout the stadium, all individuals must have a ticket for the game with the exception of children under the age of one.

Only a handful of sections designated for specific groups will be withheld from the reserved ticket sales. Nebraska fans are also reminded that there were no walk-up sales for the 2008 spring game, and if all reserved tickets are sold in advance of this year’s game, there will again be no ticket sales on the day of the game. More than 22,000 tickets were sold on the first day of sales last year, and 25,000 reserved tickets sold out in less than a week.

All seats for last year’s spring game were sold 10 days before the contest.

Nebraska Lands 61 Football Players on Big 12 Honor Roll

Jeff Williams — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 02:04:18 -0500

Big XII academic accolades were earned by over the half the team during the Fall 2008 semester. Way to get it done in the classroom, fellas! More details from NU Media Relations:

The Nebraska football program recently had 61 football players named to the 2008 Big 12 Commissioner’s Fall Academic Honor Roll. The honor roll recognizes those student-athletes who earned a 3.0 grade-point average or better during the fall semester.

The impressive total by Coach Bo Pelini’s football team was part of 324 Nebraska student-athletes who were named to the honor roll during the fall semester. Leading the way among the football honorees were eight players who had a perfect 4.0 grade-point averages during the fall semester.

Those student-athletes included Austin Cassidy (undeclared), Sean Fisher (undeclared), Aaron Gillaspie (management), Dan Glassman (biological sciences), Victory Haines (mathematics), Sam Meginnis (undeclared), Todd Peterson (nutrition, exercise and health science) and Patrick Witt (finance).

Nebraska Husker News and Notes for Feb. 13, 2009

Jeff Williams — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:06:28 -0500

Husker News and Notes

Journal-Star profile on ex-Husker Garth Glissman.

As a result of moving the Nebraska-Missouri game to Thursday night, Missouri will get extra exposure on ESPN:

In exchange for playing the teams’ Big 12 opener Oct. 8—five days later than originally scheduled—Mizzou will get two more games televised nationally by ESPN in the first five games, Pinkel said.

Missouri expects its game Sept. 26 at Nevada to be moved to a Friday night slot, and the Sept. 5 opener against Illinois is also set to be televised, Pinkel said at a recruiting function in St. Louis.

Question on Rivals:

From Ernie in Arlington, Texas: While this is only the second year under coach Bo Pelini, do you see Nebraska winning the Big 12 North? I know the North has nowhere near the talent of the top South teams, but other than maybe Kansas and Colorado, who else has a shot?

The ‘Huskers made impressive strides in their first season under Pelini. They improved from five victories in ‘07 to nine in ‘08, including a Gator Bowl win over Clemson. They also had close losses to Virginia Tech and Texas Tech, so optimism is understandably high in Lincoln.

In this decade alone, we’ve seen the giant steps that programs can make in a coach’s second year. Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, Ohio State’s Jim Tressel, and Florida’s Urban Meyer won national championships in their second seasons. Alabama improved by five victories, to 12-2, in its second year under Nick Saban.

Rice posted a school-record 10 victories this past season—its second under David Bailiff. UCF posted eight wins in its second season under George O'Leary, after going winless in his first season. North Carolina doubled its victory total, from four to eight, in Butch Davis' second year. In '07, Minnesota managed one victory in Tim Brewster's first season; this past season, the Gophers won seven.

Nebraska made significant improvement on defense last season. That will continue as Pelini gets more players to fit his system. But the ‘Huskers need to replace starting quarterback Joe Ganz, and their top two receivers from last season. A new quarterback and unproven receivers is not a recipe for success in the offense-oriented Big 12.

Nebraska will be a factor in the Big 12 North. The 'Huskers may finish as high as second. But Kansas has returning quarterback Todd Reesing and receiver Dezmon Briscoe, who is one of the most explosive players in the nation, so I have to go with the Jayhawks.

Andy Staples on Bo Pelini’s 2009 recruiting class:

As you learned from reading SI.com’s State of Recruiting project, geography might be the toughest recruiting challenge facing Cornhuskers coach Bo Pelini and his staff. The state of Nebraska doesn’t produce a ton of players, and that’s why 14 of Nebraska’s 20 signees come from Texas and California.

One of those, Plano, Texas back Rex Burkhead, chose the Huskers over Texas A&M and Texas Tech. Fellow Texan Cody Green—a quarterback from Dayton—had offers from those schools and from Oklahoma State, but committed to Nebraska in September and enrolled in January.

Nebraska Husker News and Notes for Feb. 11, 2009

Jeff Williams — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 09:19:55 -0500

Husker News and Notes

Former Husker great Ahman Green has been cut by the Houston Texans but wants to continue to play. That is, of course, if anyone wants a 31-year-old running back with 250,000 miles on the odometer.

Former Husker Andre Jones finds himself in trouble with the law:

Andre Jones, 25, was arrested in August on allegations he stole a 50-inch plasma-screen TV two months earlier. The case was dismissed to pretrial diversion in September.

But late last month, prosecutors renewed the criminal case and sought a warrant for his arrest after diversion didn’t work out.

They also sought a warrant on an allegation that came out last month that he’d forged a signature on a $20,000 loan.

In the earlier incident, police alleged Jones stole a 50-inch Pioneer TV worth about $2,800 from the basement of a home where he’d been staying in June.

IMG Marketing contract has given the Athletic Department financial stability:

IMG has grown into much more than that, and with its long-term deal with Nebraska, the company is much more than a radio network.

Among Witty’s biggest responsibilities are:

* Hiring talent and taking care of all technical aspects that allow for a network and the ability to put the games on the air.

* Coming up with sales plans to generate revenue. Those can range from selling advertising spots during games to corporate sponsorships that are promoted through on-air plugs or visual displays on the replay boards at Memorial Stadium and the scorer’s table at the Devaney Sports Center and NU Coliseum.

Mark Schlabach has the Huskers 19th in his pre-preseason rankings:

19. Nebraska Cornhuskers

In his first season as Nebraska’s coach, Bo Pelini went a long way toward restoring the pride in the Cornhuskers’ defense. Nebraska will have to worry more about its offense going into the 2009 season after losing quarterback Joe Ganz, tailback Marlon Lucky, and receivers Todd Peterson and Nate Swift. Patrick Witt and Zac Lee will battle to replace Ganz, and Roy Helu looked like Nebraska’s best running back at times during the 2008 season.

Seven starters should be back on defense, including Ndamukong Suh, who returned to school instead of entering the NFL draft. The Big 12 schedule might set up nicely for the Cornhuskers, who will play Texas Tech and Oklahoma at home and won’t play Texas during the regular season.

Nebraska-Missouri to Be an ESPN Thursday Night Game

Jeff Williams — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 08:49:39 -0500

Husker News and Notes:

Husker TV Schedule:

The 2009 Nebraska-Missouri game has been selected by ESPN as a Thursday night game, the Huskers first since 2003.

Nebraska will face Mizzou in an 8 p.m. contest Oct. 8th in Columbia as part of the network’s Thursday Night Football coverage. The scheduling of the game works nicely for NU, which has a bye week preceding the game. The Cornhuskers will have 12 days to prepare for the Tigers, instead of 14.

NU last appeared on Thursday night in 2003 with a win over Southern Mississippi. In 2006, then-athletic director Steve Pederson turned down an opportunity to play a game at Houston on Thursday night.

Bo Pelini's “Moneyball” recruiting gamble

Jeff Williams — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:00:26 -0500

Earlier today, we linked up to an article in the World-Herald detailing the Huskers’ new recruiting strategy of giving greater consideration to recruiting athletes from traditionally strong high school programs.

The theory goes like this: Players from dominant high school programs understand the work necessary during the season and offseason to ease the transition to college. In addition, the Huskers hope the winning ways of their recruits will infect the hallways and meeting rooms at Memorial Stadium.

"The thing you know you’re going to get with these kids is that they’re going to have great work ethic, character, probably good grades, and a lot of them will be able to handle the grind — what it means to be a college football player," said Jaydon McCullough, coach at Plano (Texas) High School.

The fact that the Huskers have actually coordinated a recruiting strategy and are accounting for ‘character’ in their player evaluations, is a nice break from the Callahan ‘Tom Lemming propped-up, JUCO-loving, five-star recruit-chasing’ recruiting classes, where many a four-Star recruit have never even contributed.

Think about this : If Bo Pelini has more success in finding players who might be slightly less talented but stick it out all four or five years, the Huskers will already be a better team. That’s also why the walk-on program is so key for building depth.

Here are some ways players from winning high school programs are benefiting college programs:

Higher Standards
Accustomed to external pressures like Buddy Garrity
Accustomed to playing a longer season and into the playoffs

It also helps with players in clutch situations. No doubt, the Huskers have fallen short on the ‘clutch’ scale in the last few years, but having players who have already played in big games, and state championship games in Texas, Florida, and California are classified as ‘big games’, helps the Huskers deal with the pressures of college football.

Pelini and Crew are also doing the right thing long-term by going after high school players and not JuCo’s. While JuCo’s are valuable additions, the core of the program has to be in the hands of lifelong Cornhuskers that are ‘fully invested' in the Husker program.

Players aren’t dumb, and they’re certainly not immune to emotions. When a coach brings in a couple of JuCo’s at one position, that can create internal friction and additionally, JuCo’s are ’stigmatized’ within college football teams.

Think: Joe Ganz and Sam Keller.

Among the many reasons the Huskers had such a disastrous 2007 is due to the gross negligence in the coaching staff in promising the starting job to Sam Keller.

Now, I don’t have any ‘proof,’ of this. But I also don’t have a failed drug test by Mark McGwire in 1998 but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t juicing.

Although the Husker Company Line in 2007 was ‘the contest is neck-and-neck,’ did you ever really think that Callahan didn’t talk down his current QB’s when selling Nebraska to the Keller Family?

He totally wanted to make a splash too with sportswriters who would then brand him a ‘genius’ when Keller took the Huskers offense to the next level.

Lesson Learned: Cody Green might not be the savior. He’s got to earn it and Bo Pelini knows it. The Huskers are excited to have a four-star recruit from Texas, but expectations need to be tampered down. It’s very doubtful he will lead the Huskers to the 2009 Big XII North.

The savior might end up being Taylor Martinez who was given little chance to compete at QB but might work his way into the starting line-up due to grit. That’s basically what Joe Ganz tried to pull on Sam Keller.

Look at the past two QB’s who were successful at Nebraska: Zac Taylor and Joe Ganz. Both had to beat out higher-rated talent to ultimately become two of the most effective offensive players for Nebraska this decade.

Wasn’t Harrison Beck suppose to be a Heisman finalist this year?

2005 Thinking: How many Husker fans though Harrison Beck and Marlon Lucky were going to carry Nebraska to the promise land this year? Every single one of them.

2007 Thinking: Wasn’t Sam Keller going to be All-Big 12? Once Sam comes in, those passes Taylor missed on will be complete.

Let’s just not crown Cody Green the starting QB in 2009. I really would like him to be redshirted. I don’t think there is anything wrong with waiting a year to play (unless you are talking about getting with a woman). But then again, if they are good enough to play as a freshman, they better be the next Tebow or you better have a lot stronger units on your football team.*

Baylor started Robert Griffin which paid off because he might be the next Tebow .

Tyrod Taylor started (a red shirt true freshman ) for Virginia Tech and VT was able to make up for his mistakes with a stout defense .

Nebraska is going to need a steady hand at QB next year. Losing Ganz is a step back but we have a chance, a decent chance, to win the Big XII North in 2009.

*Denotes ‘Huskers Gameday Maxim'

Nebraska Husker News and Notes for Feb. 6, 2009

Jeff Williams — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 09:28:06 -0500

Husker News and Notes

Shawn Bodtmann unloads on Nebraska in the Scranton Times:

“It was hard, because I had my mind set on going to Nebraska, ” Bodtmann said. “It was a dream for me. I’m just moving forward, and I have accepted it.”

On Jan. 15, former West Scranton coach Michael DeAntona was informed by Nebraska assistant coach Mike Ekeler that Bodtmann’s scholarship had been pulled.

A day later, Mr. Ekeler offered Bodtmann a grayshirt, meaning he would not join the team but could enroll at Nebraska on scholarship in January 2010.

“I was pretty shocked,” Bodtmann said. “I thought it over that night, and I just asked him some more questions and took some time to think about it. I wanted to accept the grayshirt, and I asked him what the next step would be.

“But he indicated to me that I should look closely at other options because the opportunities at Nebraska weren’t good.”

It has been rumored that Bodtmann avoided contact with the Nebraska coaching staff after his visit, leading the school to pull its scholarship offer. Bodtmann denies those rumors.

“I never ignored any calls,” he said. “In fact, I was calling them two or three times a week and wasn’t getting an answer. I even sent coach Ekeler a text in December, feeling that I was out of the loop.”

Brian Christopherson explores critics of the 2009 Recruiting Class:

College football writer Stewart Mandel of SI.com seemed to be Nebraska’s biggest critic, describing this Husker recruiting class as his “biggest disappointment.”

Wrote Mandel: “You know the formula: Hot, young coach takes over at tradition-rich program and puts together a monster class in his first full recruiting year. In fact, it happened the last time the Huskers changed coaches—Bill Callahan landed a top-five class in 2005.

“However, that wasn’t quite the case for Bo Pelini, whose first full class was solid (top 30) but hardly spectacular. The lone ‘star’ is QB Cody Green (Dayton, Texas)—and even he was ranked just 173rd by Rivals.”

It’s worth noting that the 2005 class Mandel mentions averaged 3.33 stars per player, according to Rivals.com. The 2009 Husker class is not far behind in that category, averaging 3.25 stars per player, but had nine fewer players. The 2005 class also had 11 players with four stars and two with five stars (Marlon Lucky and Zackary Bowman). The current class has five four-star players and none with five stars, according to Rivals.

Mitch Sherman finds themes with the 2009 Recruiting Class:

Shortage of Nebraskans. Pelini said the Huskers have not lost interest in recruiting their home state. And likely, the record-low two in-state signees this year is an anomaly.

The Huskers signed Pensick and C.J. Zimmerer and bypassed a few prospects headed to Division I schools, notably Tyrone Sellers (Kansas) and Jon Lechner (Ohio).

The walk-on class is filled with Nebraskans, and the Huskers are off to a good start for 2010 by gaining an early pledge from offensive lineman Andrew Rodriguez of Aurora, Neb.

Bo Pelini: response from recruits is "good not great."

Don’t expect the Spring Game to be televised.

Shawn Watson wants an increased role in recruiting.

Nebraska has found recruiting success in California:

Nebraska had four assistant coaches patrolling California—Ron Brown in San Diego, Marvin Sanders in Los Angeles, Carl Pelini on the Los Angeles outskirts, and Ted Gilmore in northern California. Bo Pelini said he obviously "made my treks through there."

Their work netted NU the services of quarterback/safety Taylor Martinez, linebacker Eric Martin, tight end J.T. Kerr and cornerbacks Dejon Gomes, Lazarri Middleton, and Dijon Washington.

Nebraska Cornhusker News and Notes: 2009 Football Recruiting Class Edition

Jeff Williams — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 09:25:45 -0500

Nebraska Cornhusker Football News and Notes: 2009 Recruiting Class Edition

List of the 2009 Recruiting Class including Walk-ons.

Which Husker coach recruited the best?

Steve Sipple says it's a tie between Carl Pelini, John Papuchis, and Mike Ekeler

Pelini, a defensive coordinator/line coach, gets the edge in my opinion. He played a leading role in recruiting at least five of the players. That’s particularly impressive considering many head coaches limit coordinators’ recruiting duties, especially during the season.

Of course, it helps matters that Carl shares coordinator duties with his brother, head coach Bo Pelini.

Mitch Sherman on Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead

Taylor Martinez, the quarterback at Corona (Calif.) Centennial High School, handed Temecula Chaparral its only two losses last fall in a 14-game season.

"I’m telling you, that kid has something special," Chaparral head coach Tom Leach said. "It’s a can’t-miss situation for Nebraska. You are very, very lucky that he’s coming out there."

Rex Burkhead, a running back, was arguably the top prep player in the football hotbed of Dallas-Fort Worth. The Dallas Morning News crowned him the region’s offensive player of the year.

Spring Game tickets are a hot item

Tickets for the April 18 Spring Game went on sale yesterday, and as of 3:30 p.m., 44,000 tickets have already been accounted for.

Antonio Bell gets "props" for persistence

"Antonio was so close the last time," [Bo] Pelini said. "He kind of had a bad start when he started high school and he had to overcome it. He just missed it. He decided to take a couple of classes and take the tests again and he became eligible."

"Obviously, if we didn’t believe he could do it we couldn’t have stayed with him. He’s a great kid. He’s gone through a lot and I’m happy for him. He’s here and he’s doing well."

The only drama yesterday surrounded DeAndre Byrd, who ended up at a Junior College

In addition, there were rumors Jason Pierre-Paul and Myles Wade would join the class, but they ended up committing to other schools.

Steve Sipple: Bo Pelini doesn’t believe in recruiting hype

Pelini would rather chew tinfoil than chew the fat about a bunch of high school kids (and a couple junior college transfers) who haven’t played a down at Nebraska.

The Huskers recruited heavily in Texas and California

The Secondary was a need that got addressed

“We were a little thin going into last year,” [Bo] Pelini said. “When we came in here, the numbers were down, especially at the cornerback position. Next year, we’re going to lose four safeties. It’s an area we needed to address.”

Sam McKowen on the Husker recruiting class

The rankings don’t really matter after today. Stars become meaningless on the field. What does matter is this: Did Pelini grab guys who fit his system? And does that system ultimately work?

We know Pelini’s brand of football jibes with Bill Callahan’s guys. He proved that with a 9-4 campaign in 2008. Now, can he cultivate talent of his own into the kind of football team that wins the Big 12 North, the Big 12 as a whole, and the national championship?

Tom Shatel is loving the hype-less recruiting style of Bo Pelini

The Nebraska coach had done this one year ago, at his first signing day news conference. It was an eye-opener for everyone who expected the new coach to gush about each recruit individually as if he were the next Tim Tebow.

But some had written it off as Pelini’s first year and that he didn't really knowing how to play the "signing day game"

Would he do it again? Would he refuse to add to the most overrated day in sports?

Yes.

Perfect.

Cole Pensick profile

Ty Kildow profile

C.J. Zimmerer profile

Abilene High School Coach Steve Warren on Chris Williams

“It got to the point around here where he would make so many big plays [that] it just got to be normal,” says Abilene football coach Steve Warren . “Everyone knew Chris Williams was going to make a jaw-dropping hit at some point in the game. And if not one, then more than one.”

Sipple: Jason Pierre-Paul may still be in the picture for NU

Jeff Williams — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:58:01 -0500

Even though Jason Pierre-Paul declared his intention for USF, Steve Sipple is reporting that Nebraska may still be in the picture . Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Jason Pierre-Paul is a Bull.

Cole Pensick is a Husker :

“I think they’re getting a true Husker,” said Northeast head coach Dave Svehla . “I mean, they’re getting a kid whose heart and soul always has been at Nebraska. He’s always wanted to play for Nebraska. They’re getting a kid who possesses a strong work ethic — he’ll do anything coaches ask him to do down there.”

Still no word on Taylor Martinez.

Nebraska Signing Day News and Notes

Jeff Williams — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:13:12 -0500

Husker News and Notes

Four-star JUCO DT prospect Myles Wade will delay signing until he visits Lincoln.

Wade is committed to Texas Tech, but he wants to check out Nebraska before signing with anyone.

The big man does have some academics to take care of to make sure he’s eligible, but certainly the door is open for a huge late recruiting pick-up for the Huskers.

Wade told Rivals that Washington is also still in the mix along with NU, and obviously Tech. He plans to sign with someone next week.

UPDATE: All signs point to Wade signing with Texas Tech.

DeAndre Byrd will be going to a junior college, not Nebraska.

Twenty-one players are expected to sign with Nebraska.

Allen Wallace on the 2009 Nebraska Recruiting Class: Just a good all-around class.

Lincoln East receiver Tyson Clark will walk on.

The Red White game goes on sale today at Huskers.com or 1-800-8-BIG-RED.

Steve Sipple asks: How does Nebraska pitch itself?

Nebraska Huskers News and Notes for Feb. 3, 2009

Jeff Williams — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 09:04:42 -0500

Husker News and Notes

Bo Pelini has offered Louisiana prep lineman Jordan Allen an offer to be a part of the 2010 recruiting class:

West Monroe defensive lineman Jordan Allen spent this past weekend at LSU’s annual Junior Day and walked away with his second offer before starting a single game his senior year.

On top of LSU, the 6'8", 248-pound lineman also has an offer from Nebraska and head coach Bo Pelini—former LSU defensive coordinator.

Cody Green handles the pressure of being "the man" of the 2009 Recruiting Class:

Husker coach Bo Pelini, speaking last month about Green, said the quarterback just has to do his best to block out all the hype. Just control what he can control and know there are going to be rocky times in the first months.

“You can’t worry about all the influences and all the fanfare and expectations or anything like that,” Pelini said. “You just do what you’re supposed to do and work to be the best you can be every single day. Everything else takes care of itself in time.”

Eric Martin may be the final addition to Nebraska’s recruiting class.

BigRedNetwork takes on the Shawn Bodtmann controversy.

Husker News and Notes Feb. 2, 2009

Jeff Williams — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:35:12 -0500

Husker News and Notes

California prep linebacker Eric Martin commits to the Huskers’ 2009 Recruiting Class :

“I talked to my family ,” Martin said about Sunday night’s conversation with those close to him. “We were looking at as far as depth chart, as far as [playing time], how I fit in with the coaches, stuff like that… To be honest, they thought Nebraska was going to be the last choice .

“I told them why I was committing to Nebraska. I liked the other schools too, but Nebraska is more of a football environment and would help me to get where I needed to go .”

Martin said he had already “made it clear” to the Husker coaches before this weekend where he was planning to sign. He said that he still plans to call the Nebraska coaches this evening to let them know of his final decision.

The nation’s No. 26 rated inside linebacker prospect explained in depth more reasons why

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Nebraska was his pick.The coaches had a lot to do with his decision to commit to the Big Red.

“They showed me a lot of love ,” he said about the Husker staff. “Them being my first offer—that was a risk they took. I wasn’t the greatest academic student, so they made a big risk in offering me. They took that risk. The payout is big now. They’re getting me and I get a chance to play .”

Academically, Martin says that not only has he improved on his grades but his SAT score.

“I’m fine with that ,” he said about getting qualified for Nebraska . “I’ve gotten my grades up a lot. I’m not really worried about it. I did well on the SAT.”

Eric Martin on Bo and Carl Pelini

“He doesn’t act like a normal head coach. They will actually talk to their players and say what’s up. Some head coaches, they’ll say like two words to you and they leave. You meet Carl and Bo , and they’ll talk with you and have fun with you. I like the attitude.”

L’Damian Washington chooses Missouri.

Brian Christopherson profiles Rex Burkhead.

Recruits want to play for winners.

Nebraska Husker News and Notes for Feb. 2, 2009

Jeff Williams — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:02:43 -0500

Husker News and Notes

California prep linebacker Eric Martin commits to the Huskers' 2009 Recruiting Class.

“I talked to my family,” Martin said about Sunday night’s conversation with those close to him. “We were looking at as far as depth chart, as far as [playing time], how I fit in with the coaches, stuff like that... To be honest, they thought Nebraska was going to be the last choice.

“I told them why I was committing to Nebraska. I liked the other schools too, but Nebraska is more of a football environment and would help me to get where I needed to go.”

Martin said he had already “made it clear” to the Husker coaches before this weekend where he was planning to sign. He said that he still plans to call the Nebraska coaches this evening to let them know of his final decision.

The nation’s No. 26 rated inside linebacker prospect explained in depth more reasons why Nebraska was his pick.

The coaches had a lot to do with his decision to commit to the Big Red.

“They showed me a lot of love,” he said about the Husker staff. “Them being my first offer—that was a risk they took. I wasn’t the greatest academic student, so they made a big risk in offering me. They took that risk. The payout is big now. They’re getting me and I get a chance to play.”

Academically, Martin says that not only has he improved on his grades but his SAT score.

“I’m fine with that,” he said about getting qualified for Nebraska. “I’ve gotten my grades up a lot. I’m not really worried about it. I did well on the SAT.”

L’Damian Washington chooses Missouri.

Brian Christopherson profiles Rex Burkhead.

Recruits want to play for winners.

Tags: 2009 Recruiting Class, Brian Christopherson, Eric Martin, Husker News and Notes, L'Damian Washington, Missouri, Rex Burkhead