Nebraska Football: 2015 Recruits Cornhuskers Must Land

Bo Pelini and his staff are hitting the road during the bye week. With only a few shorts month left to recruit, the coaches are seizing the opportunity to visit recruits.

Offensive coordinator Tim Beck and defensive coordinator John Papuchis will stay in Lincoln, according to 247 Sports' Michael Bruntz (subscription required).

"The coordinators and myself are in," Pelini said, per Bruntz. "Some coaches, we’re hitting some specific guys. The rest of the coaching staff will be out, but coaches will be back by Friday night."

Right now, Nebraska sits at No. 39 on 247 Sports' recruiting team rankings. With 12 verbal commits, the Huskers are looking to fill out two primary areas—wide receiver and linebacker. 

"For the amount of scholarships we have to offer, I think we are in good shape," Pelini said, per Bruntz. "The wide receiver position and linebacker, those are the two biggest concerns, we have right now that we need to get shored up."

With national signing day getting closer every week, who does Pelini need to ensure a commit from? Out of a long list of possible recruits, five players stand out for what they could bring to the Nebraska football team.

Linebacker Saleem Brightwell

A big focus for Nebraska in the 2015 recruiting class is the linebackers position. Saleem Brightwell could be one to fill the void the Huskers need to fill.

As of now, Brigthwell is not committed to any school. He is narrowing his choices, though. According to the Lincoln Journal Star, Brightwell told NewJersey.com that he's now between Michigan State, Nebraska, Missouri and Pittsburgh.

If Pelini and his staff can convince Brightwell to commit to Nebraska, he would bring a lot to the table right away. According to NJ.com, Brightwell currently has 61 tackles, which includes nine for loss and five sacks.

"I'm not sure about all of my visits yet, but I'm going to be setting some up," Brightwell told NewJersey.com, per the Lincoln Journal Star. "I want to make sure I visit all of those schools."

Only time will tell where Brightwell lands, but he'd be a major get for the 2015 recruiting class if Nebraska can make it happen.

Wide Receiver Stanley Morgan

Nebraska has made an offer to 37 wide receivers. That's all the proof needed to show how important this position is for the 2015 recruiting class.

With the departure of senior Kenny Bell (and potentially Jamal Turner), the Huskers are feeling the pressure to fill the void they'll leave behind. One of those players is New Orleans' Stanley Morgan.

Morgan hasn't committed to any school as of yet, but he did make a visit to Nebraska on Sept. 27. He also is expected to make a decision as early as Nov. 7.

His list of offers is impressive, too. Clemson, Ohio State, Michigan State, UCLA, Ole Miss and more all want Morgan to commit. As of now, his only official visit was to Nebraska, as Brian Christopherson of the Lincoln Journal Star pointed out.

The Huskers need a wide receiver like Morgan. He would help continue building a strong passing game for Nebraska, alongside upperclassmen like Taariq Allen, Sam Burtch, Jordan Westerkamp, Brandon Reilly and Alonzo Moore.

While a recent shoulder injury will keep him out of his two final high school games, per NOLA.com, there's no reason not to keep pursuing Morgan. As long as he stays healthy, he's still as much of a top prospect as he was before.

Husker fans should keep a close eye on Twitter over the Huskers' bye weekend. A "boom" from the Nebraska coaching staff may mean the Huskers secured a commit from Morgan.

Wide Receiver Adrian Miller

If the Huskers are unable to secure a commitment from wide receiver Stanley Morgan, they'll need someone else to fill the void. Even if Morgan selects Nebraska, it wouldn't hurt to have a pair of top wide receiver recruits.

That's what makes Dallas, Texas native Adrian (A.D.) Miller so intriguing. As of now, he's committed to Illinois and has been since July. That might seem like reason enough to leave him be but there's reason to believe Miller is not completely solder on the Fighting Illini.

First, he made an official visit to Nebraska on Nov. 1. Second, he's also made visits to quite a few programs, like Arizona State and Texas Tech. That alone leads one to believe his commitment to Illinois is not as strong as the Illini probably hope it is.

The Friday before visiting Nebraska, Miller caught five passes for 86 yards and a touchdown in his high school's win over Bishop Dunne, per the Lincoln Journal Star.

It's a long shot, but adding Miller to Nebraska's roster would make the need for wide receivers less daunting for the Husker staff.

Running Back Kendall Bussey

Athlete Kendall Bussey has already committed to Nebraska. In fact, he's been a commit since February 1, 2014. That doesn't mean the Huskers can stop recruiting him.

The 5'8"198 lb. athlete could make an immediate impact in the departure of I-back Ameer Abdullah. While he'll have players like Imani Cross and Terrell Newby ahead of him to start on the depth chart, Bussey could quickly earn playing time if he continues playing at the level he has been in high school.

Similar to Abdullah, Bussey is busy breaking records. According to Garrett Galuszka of NOLA.com, the Louisiana native became the fastest player to reach 1000 rushing yards in Newman High School history. He also has 30 touchdowns this season alone.

Bussey has been to Nebraska a few times and was back in Lincoln for the Purdue game, per Bryan Munson of BigRedReport.com.

“I had a great visit,” he said. “I know that I have been up to Nebraska either four or five times now, but this was my first game. It really was a great trip. I loved the gameday atmosphere.”

From this point forward, it's going to be all about maintaining the relationship. The Huskers look to be doing just that, but Bussey is a player Nebraska cannot let slip away.

Defensive Back Eric Lee

247Sports.com

Like running back Kendall Bussey, defensive back Eric Lee is also already committed to Nebraska. He's also been committed since Feb. 1, just like Bussey.

At this point, it seems like Lee is pretty set on Nebraska. He made an unofficial visit on Aug. 30, followed by an official visit on Sept. 20. He even responded to fans on Twitter asking if he could suit up already for Nebraska. At this point, the Huskers simply need to keep the relationship with Lee strong.

Lee can absolutely bring a lot to Nebraska's roster. His high school performance this season is proof. In the first round of the Colorado Class 5A playoffs, Lee "caught a touchdown, ran for a touchdown and intercepted a pass in Valor Christian's 48-12 win against Horizon," per the Lincoln Journal Star.

Mike Schaefer of 247 Sports (subscription required) believes Lee is one of the recruits least likely to flip commitments. However, as anyone who follows recruiting knows, there are no guarantees until pen has been put to paper.

Lee must be on the roster come February, and if the Huskers keep it up, he will be.