Nebraska Football: Mike Riley Steps Up Big in Final Recruiting Weekend

It was another big weekend for Nebraska head coach Mike Riley and his staff. As the Huskers prepare for national signing day, this was exactly what the 2015 class needed.

Going up against new Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, Riley was faced with the very real possibility that Nebraska could lose three commits to the Wolverines. The Huskers already lost one in defensive end Reuben Jones, who originally committed to Nebraska last November. On Jan. 24, he chose Harbaugh instead.

The Huskers could have lost both defensive end DaiShon Neal and tight end Matt Snyder in similar fashion. Harbaugh and Michigan were making a strong case for both; they even sent a letter of 42 reasons to attend Michigan to Snyder.

Riley's staff didn't back down, though. Instead, the Huskers stepped in and won those recruiting battles.

Reaffirming commitments from players Harbaugh wanted wasn't Riley's only victory this weekend. He and his staff also secured new commits who can fill the void at important positions.

Who are those commits? They are defensive end Alex Davis, linebacker Antonio Reed, wide receiver Lavan Alston and long snapper Jordan Ober, per Brian Christopherson of the Lincoln Journal Star.

Considering Nebraska has needed to fill specific spots at defensive end and linebacker, it couldn't have worked out much better. It's also clear, per Mike Schaefer of Huskers Illustrated, that Riley and his staff did not downplay what they can do for recruits like Alston.

“I feel the three heads involved in that—the offensive coordinator coach Danny Langsdorf, coach Mike Riley and coach Keith [Wiliams]—are all involved in that individually,” Alston told Schaefer. “I think I’m a perfect fit for this offense. They know how to put athletes in space. They can get their athletes the ball. They know how to run. I think we’re going to do great things here."

That wasn't all that sold Alston on Nebraska; his decision had a lot to do with the coaches themselves.

"I love all those coaches, man. They're very genuine, they're very real," Alston said, per Christopherson. "They all have knowledge for years. I can learn a lot from them."

Alston wasn't the only recruit that felt this way.

"I had an idea of what Nebraska had to offer, but the final step to me was getting a chance to talk to these coaches," Davis said, per Christopherson. "Once I did that, it was very good."

And the weekend's hard work has paid off in more ways than one. The Huskers jumped four spots to No. 30, according to 247Sports' Composite Team Rankings. Nebraska also moved up to No. 4 in the Big Ten rankings.

The final weekend before national signing day could have taken any turn. For Riley and his staff, it was as good a return as Husker fans could have hoped for: The 2015 class now boasts four early enrollees and 16 hard commits.

It was clear by the time the weekend ended that Riley's staff was pleased with the results. They took to Twitter to express just that:

Riley and his staff should be pleased. The weekend put Nebraska in a good position come national signing day with players who can make immediate impacts at key positions, like Alston at wide receiver and Davis at defensive end.

With a little time left, there's still the potential for Riley to snag a few more players. Regardless, his staff made sure that the final weekend to recruit was a solid one.

It was exactly what the Huskers needed.

Rankings and player information courtesy of 247Sports.