College Football Recruiting: Why They Choose Nebraska

What makes a highly-regarded high school prospect choose a certain program for his college football career?

Due to the myriad of ranking services, we are well aware of which institutions are successful at attracting top recruits, but what criteria makes a guy choose school “A” over school “B”?

The following slideshow pinpoints 10 major reasons why a potential signee would select the University of Nebraska over the slew of other programs vying for his services.

Nebraska’s football program offers the recruit a solid combination of past success, rising fortunes, tradition, clear career path mobility, facilities and exposure.

But perhaps the most integral factor in successful recruiting at Nebraska, or for that matter any other program, is the personal relationship that forms between the coaching staff and the signee.

The Huskers have recruited, according to Rivals.com rankings, top-25 rated classes in three of the five years since Bo Pelini took over the helm in 2008.

Since 2008, Nebraska has hauled in a top-15 rated group once (2011), top-25 classes twice (2010 and 2012) and top-30 rated groups twice (2008 and 2009).

The one key element that may be holding the Huskers back from completely capitalizing on their formidable recruiting foundation is recent championship play.

Under Pelini, Nebraska has scored nine-plus win seasons each of the last four years, but other than three Big 12 North division crowns, the Huskers haven’t reached pay-dirt.

Yes, nine wins or more is commendable but with no conference titles, no BCS appearances and a 2-2 record in bowl play, the Huskers are on the edge of being a front-runner, but not over it.

Nebraska is the type of program that has all the other key elements in place—to be made clear in the slides that follow—to be a top ten nationally ranked recruiter…if they can ascend to the next level on the field.

This reveals the very real dichotomy for all programs who aspire to be a member of the college football elite.

In order to win national championships you must recruit at the highest level, but to recruit at the highest level you need to win, or at least compete for, championships.

The Coaching Staff

According to a school directed survey of the Husker class of 2009, the No. 1 reason recruits chose Nebraska was the coaching staff.

Explanations as to why the staff was so important to recruits included, “I felt they really wanted me to come to Nebraska,” and “I totally felt comfortable around the whole staff—they made me feel right at home.”

These statements, along with the rank signees gave the impact of the coaching staff, both pay tribute to the significance of the relationship between coach and potential player in the recruiting process.

Furthermore, they give rock solid evidence that the coaching staff is one of major reasons “why they go to Nebraska.”

 

The Facilities

Nebraska’s facilities rival those of any major college football program in the nation.

The Cornhuskers’ athletic compound was upgraded in 2006 with the opening of the Tom and Nancy Osborne Athletic Complex, which is awe inspiring and represents cutting edge design.

With specially fabricated self-aerating solid maple lockers, a 40-foot-tall Nebraska waterfall and an obscene amount of custom workout machines and training facilities, the Huskers have access to every physical material they could ever need to produce a successful on-field product.

It seems almost impossible for a recruit not to be impressed with Nebraska’s facilities.

The Traditions

As you would expect, Nebraska’s storied football history has spawned a slew of traditions that could stir the heart of even the staunchest skeptic.

To begin with, you’ve got Memorial Stadium, the official site of Husker football since 1923—meaning that Nebraska has taken the same field for 89 years.

One of the original features of the stadium is four quotes, written by a philosophy professor, emblazoned on each of the four corners of the stadium.

“In Commendation of the men of Nebraska who served and fell in the Nation’s Wars” graces the southeast corner, while “Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed the glory” is featured in the southwest.

In the northwest corner are the words, “Courage; Generosity, Fairness; Honor; In these are the true rewards of manly sport” and finally in the northeast we find, “Their lives they held their country’s trust; They kept its faith; They died its heroes.”

This combination of honoring a Nebraska’s ultimate sacrifice to the national defense and heralding the principles for athletic competition is moving.

Nebraska also has the more recently conceived tradition of the “Tunnel Walk,” the time honored rousing spirit songs “Hail Varsity,” and “Dear Old Nebraska U,” and the rite of touching the lucky horseshoe before taking the field.

But perhaps the most lasting and well-recognized football tradition is that of the “Blackshirts,” which is the nickname for the Huskers defensive unit.

The institution dates back to 1964 when college football was transitioning to the two-platoon system. It began when a Husker assistant was sent to purchase different-colored practice jerseys in order to visually differentiate the offense from the defense.

The newly acquired black jerseys were given to the new starting defense and also became a means of inspiring second-teamers to aspire to the first unit.

The tradition stuck and now the “Blackshirts” have come to represent the methodology and meaning of what Nebraska defense is all about.

All in all, if a guy is looking for an opportunity to be a part of a tradition-rich program, Nebraska is a destination that truly only has a few competitors nationwide.

 

 

The Town

While the city of Lincoln, Nebraska certainly isn’t Austin, Texas or Los Angeles, it offers the football recruit a large enough town to access a wide array of services and entertainment.

Boasting a population of over 250,000, Lincoln is big for a “college town.” You don’t have to drive two hours to find a decent place to eat or shop, but you also don’t sacrifice the “university” feel associated with a smaller town.

According to the excellent CollegeProwler.com, Lincoln’s “nightlife” garners a relatively high “A-minus” ranking, while other recruit-centric categories such as “girls” receive a “B-plus” and local atmosphere rates a “B.”

As far as pointing potential celebrants to a specific location, Lincoln’s Red 9 club illustrates that though this is a town that is ensconced in the Great Plains, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have its fair share of cutting-edge entertainment.

Popular student areas in Lincoln are downtown and the entire O Street corridor.

 

 

Academics

Designated by the Carnegie Foundation as a Research University, the University of Nebraska offers over 140 undergraduate degree plans and then 68 masters and 58 doctoral programs.

In terms of graduation rates, the Huskers hold an upper-tier position in terms of major FBS football programs.

According to a report compiled by the Bootleg on Scout.com, which utilized the NCAA’s 2010 Graduation Success Rate scheme, Nebraska graduated 68 percent of its players in 2010.

Though this doesn’t compare with schools like Stanford (86 percent), Northwestern (95 percent) and Vanderbilt (89 percent), it is certainly on par with (or above) similar football-centric institutions such as Florida (67 percent), Ohio State (63 percent), USC (61 percent) and Florida State (64 percent).

Nebraska combines academic excellence with athletic distinction that is sure to attract recruits with a wide array of degree aspirations.

 

 

 

The Big Ten

Nebraska’s split with the Big 12 after the 2010 season represented the end of one storied era of football lore, and the beginning of another exciting chapter in Husker athletics.

Gone were traditional games with Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri but here to stay were new-found grudge matches with the likes of Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, Penn State and Ohio State.

At the end of the day you have to figure that for every bit Nebraska lost in the move they gained back, two-fold, in potential regional rivalries.

Of all the conference swappers of late, the Huskers may be the biggest long-term winners.

From a recruiting standpoint, playing a Big Ten schedule arguably trumps that of a Big 12 slate and ultimately provides a bigger stage for an athlete to perform on.

Yes, playing Texas and Oklahoma every other year or in a championship game is big time, but playing the meat of a Big Ten schedule and the shot at an even bigger title tilt is ultimately more glamorous.

 

 

 

The Big Red Nation

Consistently rated as one of the top fan bases in the country, the Big Red Nation and the atmosphere they create on game day is a recruiting gold mine.

Not only do Husker fans regularly fill Memorial Stadium to the brim, they travel very well, especially given the distance from Nebraska to many of its foes in the new Big Ten.

The beauty of the relationship between Cornhusker football and its die hard legion of fans is that it is a union that has no real rival.

Indeed, Nebraska is officially known as the Cornhusker State. Within its borders there are no other FBS teams or professional sports franchises of any kind to muddy the fanatical waters.

If you need further proof that the Big Red Nation is dead serious about their beloved team, keep in mind that this is a program that regularly averages 78,000 fans to its spring football game.

And this is in a stadium that seats 80,000.

This number makes Nebraska second only to Alabama in spring game attendance figures, but that fact needs to be quantified by saying that the Tide average 91,000 in a stadium that seats 101,000.

Which means it is logical to assume that if there were more seats, the Huskers would fill them.

As far as how this all effects recruiting efforts, we can look at the same self-conducted survey mentioned earlier and discover that the 2009 recruiting class ranked the “game day atmosphere” as the second reason why they chose…Nebraska.

 

 

The History of Success

In its 121 year history, Nebraska has captured five national championships, 46 conference championships, 47 final Top 25 rankings (since the polls began in 1936), three Heisman trophies, 107 first team All-American Awards and 53 consensus All-Americans.

These indicators of success can’t help but impress a recruit who is looking for a place where he can be a part of long history of excellence.

Though Nebraska does not currently enjoy the front-runner status of an Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas or even USC, this is a program that is logically positioned to win again, soon.

Realistically, this fact helps recruiting the guys who are not at the top tier of the 150 rankings, because Nebraska presents a situation for guys to play and contribute now to a program on the rise, not one that is already there.

 

The NFL Track Record

Since the draft NFL draft kicked off in 1936, Nebraska has had 331 players selected and 32 have gone in the first round.

These stats place the Huskers at No. 6 in all-time total draft picks, and tie them for No. 12 in all-time first round selections.

For recruits looking for an unobstructed, sure-fire way to the professional ranks, Nebraska is a clear choice with a proven track record.

 

 

The Administration

If you are attracted to rock solid, totally committed and character-based leadership, then Nebraska athletics is an ultimate destination.

It’s tough to beat AD Tom Osborne who, besides being 255-49-3 (including three national titles and 13 conference crowns) from 1973-97 as the Huskers head coach, was also a member of the United States Congress from 2000-06.

Osborne leads a team of administrators who have done well, especially in light of the scandal-ridden climate in collegiate sports, at keeping Nebraska on the straight and narrow.

Though no individual or institution is perfect, a fact that was boldly underlined by Paterno and Penn State in 2011, the Cornhuskers seem to run a program that a recruit can feel confident about in terms of staying clean and eligible.