Nebraska Football Recruiting: Top Positional Needs for 2011
Recruiting. It's the lifeblood of a college program. It's also one of the most teeth-gnashingly frustrating things for fans of a college program to follow. Throughout the season, and through the bitter cold of a January off-season, high school kids and college coaches engage in the Kabuki dance of soft verbal commits, hard verbal commits, de-commits, official and unofficial visits, and everything else that makes recruiting the circus that it is.
But it's important. The future of every college program depends in large part on how well college coaches can turn into salesmen and get those talented high school players to choose their school's ball cap. While recruiting isn't everything (see Callahan, Bill), having a bunch of good players to work with almost always beats the alternative.
So, with national signing day approaching, what are Nebraska's biggest positions of need?
No. 9: Safety
1 of 9
KEY LOSSES: Eric Hagg, DeJon Gomes
IMPACT RETURNING PLAYERS: Courtney Osborne (Jr), Austin Cassidy (Sr), PJ Smith (Jr)
CURRENT NU COMMITS: Daniel Davie, Daimion Stafford
In Nebraska's last season in the Big 12, Bo Pelini introduced the "Peso" defense, which consisted of a player that could play a "hybrid" linebacker/safety position to combat the spread offense from teams like Missouri. Hagg and Gomes provided tremendous senior leadership and playmaking ability, but all the returning players have seen significant playing time. It will not be a huge surprise to see Nebraska return to a more traditional 4-3 defense in their first year in the Big Ten, meaning a diminished need for depth at safety.
No. 8: Tight End
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KEY LOSSES: None
IMPACT RETURNING PLAYERS: Ben Cotton (So), Kyler Reed (Jr)
CURRENT NU COMMITS: None
Last year, Nebraska moved Mike McNeil from tight end to wide receiver in an attempt to get his size and speed more into play against defenses. It was a spectacular failure, as McNeil all but disappeared from the offense. His replacement, Kyler Reed, became Nebraska's primary downfield threat. Don't be surprised if NU tries the same experiment twice, moving Reed to WR, which would make tight end more of a position of need than it is currently.
No. 7: Cornerback
3 of 9
KEY LOSSES: Prince Amukamura
IMPACT RETURNING PLAYERS: Alfonzo Dennard (Sr), Ciante Evans (So), Anthony Blue (Sr)
CURRENT NU COMMITS: Charles Jackson
You don't lose a top-10 NFL draft pick like Amukamura and not have that position be a position of need. Still, Nebraska's biggest signing of the offseason might well be in convincing Dennard to return for his senior season. If Dennard would have left, NU would have a huge hole at both corners in terms of experience and playmaking ability. With Dennard's return, having only one new corner to break in becomes far less daunting for NU.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
No. 6: Linebacker
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KEY LOSSES: None
IMPACT RETURNING PLAYERS: Lavonte David (Sr), Will Compton (Jr), Sean Fisher (likely medical redshirt So)
CURRENT NU COMMITS: David Santos, Max Pirman
As was discussed earlier, Nebraska's entry into the Big 10 will likely require a modification of Pelini's "Peso" defense relying on quick, smallish hybrid safety/linebackers. Take one look at teams like Wisconsin and Iowa, and you'll know that quick and small at linebacker might not be a good idea. Fisher's return from a broken leg suffered just before the 2010 season helps tremendously, and don't be stunned to see phenom David moved into more of a hybrid role. But, rest assured, David's talents will keep him on the field regardless of NU's defensive scheme.
No. 5: Offensive Line
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KEY LOSSES: Keith Williams, Ricky Henry, DJ Jones
IMPACT RETURNING PLAYERS: Jeremiah Sirles (So), Jemarcus Hardrick (Sr), Mike Caputo (Sr), Marcel Jones (Sr)
CURRENT NU COMMITS: Ryne Reeves, Tyler Moore, Zach Sterup, Ryan Klachko, Givens Price
Hopefully, Nebraska's 2011 offensive philosophy will be a bit clearer, not asking NU's offensive line to mesh wildly divergent ideas (West Coast and read option). NU does have the advantage of two seniors that will be clear-cut starters going into spring camp (Caputo and Jones), including having Caputo's senior leadership at center. Nebraska already has a deep class of linemen restocking the pipeline, so while there are important holes to fill, NU looks to have sufficiently restocked to fill those holes.
No. 4: Wide Receiver
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KEY LOSSES: Niles Paul, Mike McNeil
IMPACT RETURNING PLAYERS: Brandon Kinnie (Sr), Quincy Enunwa (So), Curenski Gilleylan (Sr)
CURRENT NU COMMITS: Taariq Allen
Ah, the enigma that is Niles Paul. Paul has the speed and the physicality to be a dominant, down-the-field threat, and many NFL scouts are drooling over that potential. But throughout his career, Paul was plagued with an inability to make catches and a series of poor decisions (both on and off the field) that hindered his ability to threaten defenses.
But make no mistake, without Paul, NU's current crop of wide receivers lacks the speed and playmaking ability to scare opposing defenses. Such a lack of speed is why you could see Kyler Reed move to a slot receiver, as McNeil did after the 2009 season. If that happens, hopefully the quarterback position will enjoy more stability and help take advantage of Reed and the other receivers' skills.
No. 3: Kicker/Punter
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KEY LOSSES: Alex Henery, Adi Kunalic
IMPACT RETURNING PLAYERS: None
CURRENT NU COMMITS: None
Nebraska may be in for a very rude awakening about what life without the Skinny Assassin will be like in 2011. In my book, Henery was the team's MVP in both 2009 and 2010. The fact that punter and placekicker -- two critically important positions -- are listed on one slide tells you everything you need to know about the kind of contribution Henery made to the team.
NU had a prime kicking prospect, Niklas Sade, lined up and ready to take Henery's mantle on. But in early January, Sade decommitted. Now, NU is scrambling to find a top-notch replacement. It may be that Pelini's hubris of not redshirting Kunalic, but leaving him on the roster just for kickoffs, could come back to haunt him.
No. 2: Running Back
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KEY LOSSES: Roy Helu, Jr.
IMPACT RETURNING PLAYERS: Rex Burkhead (Jr)
CURRENT NU COMMITS: Aaron Green, Ameer Abdullah
Much like Henery, Nebraska fans are likely to discover just how much they will miss Helu in 2011. Burkhead is a solid, dependable, and dangerous tailback, but he lacks the elusiveness and speed to provide Nebraska with a home run threat and alter defensive strategies. Helu possessed those qualities in spades. Just ask Missouri, right after Helu broke the school's single-game rushing record against the Tigers.
The pick of Nebraska's recruiting class is five-star RB Aaron Green, and it is likely that his speed and ability could result in him seeing the field in his freshman year. Nebraska also has a commit from RB Braylon Heard, who has the potential to be just as dangerous as Green. But grade issues have kept Heard from becoming academically eligible, and it is looking less and less likely that he will be part of NU's 2011 class.
No. 1: Quarterback
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KEY LOSSES: Zac Lee
IMPACT RETURNING PLAYERS: Taylor Martinez (So), Cody Green (Jr)
CURRENT NU COMMITS: Jamal Turner, Bubba Starling
Let the controversy begin. How can quarterback be Nebraska's biggest position of need when NU has a dynamic playmaker like Martinez coming back? Once he recovers from his injuries, he should get back to being the dominant T-Magic we saw in the first half of 2010, right?
As the great Lee Corso would say, not so fast, my friend. Nebraska's second half slump can be primarily (but not entirely) laid at the feet of poor quarterback play, or more accurately, at the feet of a poor gameplan asking Martinez to do things he simply was not capable of doing. The mighty South Dakota State Jackrabbits outlined the plan to stop Martinez's electric runs, keeping him hemmed in and forcing him to either run up the middle or throw the ball. And without the threat of the run (which terrified Oklahoma State into allowing Martinez to throw for five touchdowns), Martinez became a liability on offense. Anyone watching Nebraska play Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Washington in the Holiday Bowl could come up with no other conclusion.
It's clear that NU wants a quarterback that can be a threat running and passing. Both Turner and Starling provide that threat, although the likelihood of Starling being on NU's roster in August depends on how many millions he's offered by a Major League Baseball team after the draft. Nebraska also has Brion Carnes, a redshirt freshman, who has spent the 2010 season on the scout team.
Will Martinez improve as a passer and a decision maker? Will his injury heal to get his T-Magic wheels back? Will he be more likely to improve with legitimate competition from Turner, Starling (maybe), and Carnes, something that the incredibly-likable but insufficiently-talented Green could not provide?
Quarterback is the question of the offseason for Nebraska. If NU gets the quarterback question right, there's no reason to think Nebraska cannot contend for a Big 10 and a national title. If NU gets it wrong, given the schedule it faces in 2011, an eight-win season could be a struggle. That's why the quarterback position is NU's biggest need in this recruiting class.
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