2011 Husker Recruiting Class Off To a Solid Start

No doubt the 2010 college football season has many a Husker fan chomping at the bit to begin as soon as possible.  It has been a long time since Husker football has been relevant in the Big 12, much less the entire country.

After the Huskers' first appearance in the Big 12 Championship game since 2006, the Husker faithful haven't been this excited for a season since 2007.  Even that season was masked by some concerns by many fans going in, and in pure reality, Husker fans haven't been really beaming with confidence rolling into a season since 2000. 

And was just a mere decade ago.

Utilizing a strong finish to the 2009 season, and some early aggression in the recruiting cycle in North Stadium in Lincoln, the Huskers are not only gaining momentum on the field, but off of it as well.

This is extremely exciting news for Husker fans.

If one were to be brutally honest with themselves, the recruiting for the Huskers over the past couple of seasons has left a little bit to be desired.  Especially early on in the recruiting cycle. 

Typically at this point in time in the recruiting cycle over the past couple of seasons, the Huskers have gained around 5 or 6 recruits in which 2 or 3 have been in-state kids and 2 or 3 have been out-of-state kids, including a one or two that could be called a bit of a reach.  Especially this early in the recruiting cycle.

Unless you were under a rock last year, a lot of hoopla surrounded the recruiting in Lincoln heading into the regular season.  I don't want to go into depth and beat that dead horse, but want to get to the real point of this entry.

Kudos to the staff in Lincoln for an incredible start to the 2011 recruiting cycle.

As it stands today on June 2, 2010, the Huskers have 9 solid recruits 'in the bag' (so to speak).  This has sparked serious conversations that the Huskers could well be on their way to landing a top 10 or 15 recruiting class.

Many have said this wasn't possible at Nebraska due to the recruiting woes that come with Nebraska's location in the 'middle of nowhere' without any solid recruiting bases within 250 miles of the Lincoln campus.

Now for reality.

Of the 9 commits the Huskers have landed, six of the nine prospects that have committed to Nebraska are outside of this proverbial inescapable 250 mile boundary that the Huskers aren't supposed to be able to compete with against the 'big boys' in college football.

Especially this early in the recruiting cycle.

Here is a list of the current commits the Huskers have 'supposedly' landed:

Dylan Admire:  OL - Overland Park, KS:  A solid pick up for the Huskers that adds to a solid foundation of OL that have trickled their way onto the Lincoln campus over the past three years.  While Dylan hasn't been 'rated' as of yet, speculation is that he'll likely be a highly ranked 3 Star recruit that could even end up with 4 star tout before all is said and done.

Aaron Bouzos: DB - La Mirada, CA:  Maybe not the most highly touted kid right now, but he fits the bill for his aggressiveness of coming up and hitting people and flowing hard to the point of contact.  While he hasn't received a lot of offers, it isn't exactly a coincidence that programs like Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and UCLA have expressed some type interest in his talents.  Likely another 3 star commit when all is said and done.

Ryan Clachko: OL - Springfield, IL: An extremely solid pickup that is a current four star on Rivals and a current member of their top 250 in the country.  This guy had at least thirteen known offers and is a solid addition to the newly forming 'pipeline' of Husker lineman yore. 

Tevin Mitchel: DB - Mansfield, TX:  Ranked as high as the #2 DB in the entire state of Texas, this guy currently sits just outside of the Rivals top 100.  Somewhat of a surprise commitment today for the Huskers, this was a kid in a big recruiting battle with Oklahoma and Notre Dame along with 17 other schools.  Nebraska isn't supposed to get kids of this caliber this early in the recruiting cycle.  A huge get this early in the cycle, and one that should carry some serious momentum forward for the Husker staff.

Tyler Moore: OL - Clearwater, FL:  The gem thus far in the Husker commits thus far that has some solid Husker ties to the program.  Once again, the Huskers pull in a commit from a portion of the country that they aren't supposed to land guys of this caliber, especially this early in the recruiting cycle.  The third cog in an already impressive OL class that only gets better with..........

Ryne Reeves: OL - Crete, NE:  Yet another 4 star rated player in this class that is another of the four players currently ranked in the Rivals Top 250.  This guy has stood his ground with the best of the best in camps in his Junior year, and projects to be one of the best OL in the entire 2011 class.  Along with other three OL recruits, this should easily put Nebraska as having one of the top ten OL classes in the entire country for 2011.

Daimion Stafford: DB - Chaffey CC - Rancho Cucamonga, CA:  A somewhat unknown commodity, I'm not sure that I can really doubt the pickup.  Standing tall at 6'1" and 210 pounds, Stafford has the frame that he can come in and contribute immediately for the Huskers in 2011. After the unheralded, yet solid, pickup of DeJon Gomes it is hard to doubt the staff with this effort.  He is also looking at legit 4.5 or under speed to go along with that size in the secondary.  Yet another pickup that will likely end up as a solid 3 star pickup.

Jamal Turner: QB - Arlington, TX: The final four star rated recruit thus far in the Husker class was an early adopter of the Husker coaching staff.  He also rounds out the currently top 250 ranked Husker prospects for 2010.  Simply put, this guy is one of the most exciting playmakers at the QB position in the entire 2011 recruiting class.  Along with Mitchell, Turner proves that the Husker staff can get in early and deep into the strong crop of Texas talent. 

Kevin Williams: DT  Holland, OH: An extremely solid get by the Huskers that is delving into Pelini's home state ties.  I'll be shocked if this kid doesn't end up becoming a 4 star prospect before all is said and done.  At 6'2" and 275 pounds, you already have to like the frame on the kid that won't need a whole heckuva lot of strength and conditioning training before he'll be able to contribute for the Huskers.  This guy earmarks the first solid DT get by the Pelini staff this early in the cycle, and yet another outside of the 250 mile zone that we aren't supposed to be able to compete nationally.  Especially this early in this early in the recruiting cycle.

All in all, Husker faithful should be proud of what this staff has been able to put together in Lincoln for the 2011 recruiting class.  Especially this early in the recruiting cycle that typically hasn't been this fruitful since..............well, almost ever.

With almost half of the class proverbially in the bag, the Huskers are off to a solid start.  If the season progresses as solidly as many Husker fans expect, it will no doubt provide some momentum towards a Top 10 rated class when all is said and done.

Kudos to coach Pelini and staff.  Keep that momentum a rolling.