Nebraska Football: The Balance Between Recruiting and Coaching

Let's rewind to 2007. 

The Nebraska defense was the eighth worst in all of college football.  The Huskers went on a five-game losing streak, starting with a 41-6 beatdown by the Missouri Tigers.  Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel ripped Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove, calling the lack of adjustments on Cosgrove's part "high school stuff." 

The disastrous season in which the Cornhuskers, who were ranked 14th in the preseason, went 5-7, cost Bill Callahan his job.  The defense gave up 49, 41, 45, 36, 76, 28, and 65 points in its seven losses, and also gave up 31 and 40 points in two other wins. 

Against Texas, the Huskers yielded 290 rushing yards to a single player, Jamaal Charles, on just 33 carries.  I would argue that Callahan's reluctance to fire the incompetent Cosgrove played a large part in his axing, but the point is, he was fired because the defense resembled Swiss cheese.

Then came Bo Pelini.

Within two years, the Husker defense went from giving up 37.9 points per game to giving up a nation-leading 10.4 points per game.  They were finally worthy of the fearsome title again: the Blackshirts.  The meteoric rise of Ndamukong Suh, a virtual unknown before the arrival of the new coaching staff, further solidified Pelini's status as a defensive mastermind.

As if it was ever in question before that.

But this incredible turnaround begs the question: How did Pelini do it?

None of the Huskers' three recruiting classes under Pelini have been highly ranked.  The bulk of Pelini's classes are usually composed of 3-star players, complemented by a handful of 4-star players (according to Rivals.com).  The only 5-star player in Pelini's three classes was Baker Steinkuhler.  By contrast, most of Bill Callahan's classes were littered with 4-star players, and often added a 5-star player or two.  The most touted class in Callahan's tenure was 2005, in which he had two 5-star players and 11 4-star players.

But many of those players never panned out.  Big names such as Harrison Beck, Leon Jackson, Chris Brooks, Marlon Lucky, Zackary Bowman, Ola Dagunduro, Rodney Picou, and Justin Tomerlin either never played or were largely disappointing.

So why does Pelini have so much more success than Callahan ever did?

First, Pelini, as well as his assistants, have a natural gift at recognizing talent.  The Huskers have developed a reputation for finding the diamond in the rough.  Let's look at the current Husker defense:

Of the 12 players who received Blackshirts, nine were just 3-star recruits coming out of high school, including five of the six defensive backs who compose the best secondary in the nation.  These players had hidden potential that many coaches did not see.

More importantly, however, once Pelini collects his talent, he knows how to coach them.  He develops raw talent into star talent. 

One famous example is Suh, a guy who was a part of the 2005 recruiting class that looked to be just another bust until the coaching switch.  Within two years, Suh developed into the greatest defensive tackle in college football since Reggie White.  You may recall that guys like Prince Amukamara, Jared Crick, Eric Hagg, Pierre Allen, Rickey Thenarse, Anthony West, and Austin Cassidy weren't Pelini's recruits.  Once Pelini arrived, however, many of these players (most of them rated three stars) developed into ferocious contributors on the Blackshirt defense.

When Pelini took over, all of these players took on a completely different personality when on the field.  They went from a passive, ineffective style of defense to a ball-hawking, contact-hungry style.  Cosgrove taught these players to knock the ball away.  Pelini taught them to get aggressive, turn back to the ball, and intercept it or punch the ball out as they tackle the runner.

In addition, many of Pelini's own recruits, such as Alfonzo Dennard, Dejon Gomes, Eric Martin, LaVonte David, Cameron Meredith, P.J. Smith, Alonzo Whaley, Will Compton, and Sean Fisher have quickly developed into formidable talents in their own right.  These players have had the advantage of not having to re-learn a new defense after spending multiple years in a different defense.

Pelini has been able to infuse the talent of his own recruits and the last remaining Callahan recruits, creating a defense as good as any in the nation.  In particular, this secondary is the most impressive in the nation, and very well may be the greatest secondary in Nebraska football history. 

Yes, folks, these guys are that good. 

Ironically, four of the five starters likely to be drafted this year (Amukamara, Gomes, Hagg, and Dennard), all former 3-star recruits, will probably be drafted before the only former 4-star recruit (Thenarse).  All five are good enough to be drafted in the first four rounds of the NFL draft, and three of them, in my mind, are good enough to be drafted in the first round.

On the offensive side of the ball, Nebraska has a former 3-star recruit starting at quarterback, running back (depending on whether Roy Helu or Rex Burkhead starts the game.  Rex was a 4-star recruit in 2009), and wide receiver, and the majority of the linemen in the regular rotation are former 3-star recruits. 

This young offense has a bright future, despite the relative lack of highly rated, heavily hyped high school athletes (which may change this year if star running back Aaron Green commits to Nebraska.  Don't get me wrong, I would love to get a guy of Green's caliber).

Nebraska has also had huge success in the Junior College department recently.  Two of the Huskers' defensive starters, Dejon Gomes and LaVonte David, are former JuCo recruits, and Nebraska's leading receiver, Brandon Kinnie, was also a former JuCo recruit. 

The Huskers have begun building a pipeline out of Fort Scott Community College in Kansas, from which Kinnie, David, and offensive tackle Jermarcus Hardrick all hail.  Pelini has been especially successful recognizing big-time talent among JuCo recruits, as Gomes and David (a first-year starter who leads the team in tackles) both have All-Conference abilities.

Nebraska's coaching staff is one of the best in the nation when it comes to recognizing hidden talent, and developing that talent into championship-caliber players.  This combination bodes very well for Nebraska in the coming years. 

Even without highly ranked recruiting classes, Nebraska will not often have to rebuild.  Instead, they will be one of those teams that will be able to reload year in and year out. 

Nebraska is built for another run at dominance.  Let's hope the Huskers live up to that potential.  It starts this week against Kansas State in Manhattan.