As we move away from another school year, I start to think about the new kids that are about to commit the rest of their lives to become Huskers. It’s at worst a time waster as a lot of times kids commit to Nebraska without ever setting a foot in a classroom in Lincoln. At best though, it’s a lot of fun to look back and see which kids really panned out and had great careers at Nebraska.
I generally follow recruiting and invariable, I have a favorite kid from each class that I get very excited when we recruit that player and even more excited when that kid commits to Nebraska. I started following recruiting about 15 years ago. Probably the first recruit that I really paid any attention to was LeKevin Smith, mostly because we was relatively highly rated and Nebraska was fighting a lot of other big time programs for his commitment. LeKevin ended up going on and having a solid career for Nebraska. That’s not always the case for every kid that ends up coming to Lincoln. Often times, kids wash out for one reason or another, coaching change, injury, homesickness, and too many other reasons to list.
It got me thinking, who are some the kids that ended up coming to Nebraska that I really wanted to be Huskers? Let's go back into a time machine and see…
2004 – Nate Swift
Nate was a big commitment for Nebraska at the time. He was a really good high school wide receiver out of Minnesota. Nebraska was coming off Frank Solich being fired at the time and I remember thinking, if Bill Callahan is going to throw the ball more, we will really need this kid. Nate didn’t disappoint and was one of the bright spots of the Callahan era. Had Nate not committed, I’m not sure how dire things could have been during the Callahan tenure, but I sure know I was glad he was here.
2005 – Chris Brooks
Chris was part of Bill Callahan’s first full recruiting class at Nebraska. At the time, he was probably the most sought after wide receiver to come to Nebraska that I could ever remember. Chris came in with a lot of fanfare, as this class was considered a top ten class in the country by many recruiting services. While Chris’s career probably didn’t end up the way he wanted it to, he was a great kid while he was here and even had a cup of coffee with the Indianapolis Colts. Sometimes, as we will see later on, the best high school kids don’t always end up being great. Thems the breaks, unfortunately, but at the time, I was really excited about Chris.
2006 – Seth Jensen
Bear with me on this one, as many of you probably never heard of Mr. Jensen. He never ended up playing at Nebraska to my knowledge, but when he committed I thought, wow, Suh and this kid will dominate for Nebraska in a couple of years. But alas, as with all things recruiting, Jensen was part of the 50% of each class that washes out. I just remember stealing a kid out of Colorado always makes me smile.
2007 – Tie, Prince Amukamara, Jared Crick
I loved Prince’s film when he was in high school, I actually thought he would wind up at running back at Nebraska and I thought he was going to be one of the greatest of all time. I was REALLY excited when he committed to Nebraska because we were up against a lot of Pac-12 schools at the time and I just knew we needed him. Of course he didn’t play running back and ended up being a top NFL draft pick at corner back and still plays in the NFL, so what do I know.
Crick, was probably going to be a Husker no matter what, but I just liked the kid early on. A lot of people questioned if he was worth an offer coming from Cozad, but he just seemed like a tough kid and very athletic. He was both tough and athletic for Nebraska and is now in the NFL going to the Denver Broncos. I imagine Texas fans still get a little sick in their stomach thinking about how Crick, Suh, Amukamara and the Blackshirts threw Colt McCoy around like a rag doll. I know it makes me happy!
2008 – Will Compton
Another transition year, this time to the Bo Pelini transition, it was more about the players that almost were Huskers than it was about the ones that actually arrived on campus. Blaine Gabbert was set to be a Husker, but things didn’t work out as he was one I followed that year. As the writing on the wall was cast in stone and a new coach was coming in, I knew Gabbert was a goner, but I really wanted Compton to come to Nebraska. Any time you can steal a Tiger out of Missouri’s back yard is a good day and a fake tattoo on then coach Mike Ekeler’s arm with Compton’s name on it may have sealed the deal. Either way, Will was a fun Husker for me and has had a really solid career with Washington in the NFL. Still very happy he became a Husker.
2009 – Rex Burkhead
I wanted Rex to be a Husker so bad, I couldn’t believe he actually came to Nebraska. He was such a high school legend in Texas, I thought eventually the Longhorns would come in with an offer and steal him away. It never happened though and Rex was one of my favorite Huskers in the last 20 years. He was so tough and gave everything he had to the University. Still one of my favorite people, he was a big cog in the TeamJack machine and still is while playing for the Bengals in the NFL. Rex is what Nebraska people want to be like, and he has represented us very well, in whatever he has chosen to do.
2010 – Chase Rome
It was at this time, I started to figure out after watching Ndamukong Suh dominate for Nebraska that a big time defensive tackle was the way to go toward being dominate in the Big Twelve. Little did I know that we would be out of the conference in less than 3 years and that Chase Rome would take his ball and head to Memphis? This one still burns as I felt like beating teams out for Rome, like Missouri and Florida, this kid was a can’t miss. Unfortunately, like all things, this was another of that high side that never pans out at their chosen school.
2011 – Charles Jackson
I love Charles, I love that he has fought back from some devastating injuries and has made some outstanding special teams plays for Nebraska. Charles was one of the highest rated recruits from the Pelini era and I really wanted him to become a lock down cornerback in the mold of Prince and Alfonzo Dennard, but so far it was not to be. Injuries have been such a damper to his on field career, but despite that, Charles has made the most of his college experience and I’m still thrilled that he is a Husker.
2012 – Tie, Tommy Armstrong and Paul Thurston
When Tommy committed I was really excited because Taylor Martinez was going to still be T-Magic and Armstrong could sit and wait and watch and be ready to go when his time came. Problem is, Taylor went down with an injury and Tommy had to step up and play when he probably wasn’t ready. He still has a year left and has played some exciting football at Nebraska. I hope he leaves with at least one conference championship game. He was big time get for the Huskers at the time and you have to remember, the great Oregon Ducks offense thought he could play there. That tells you all you need to know about how big a deal it was when he committed.
Thurston was one of the big uglies that I thought the Huskers really needed to continue the pipeline. He was highly ranked and was big get out of Colorado. Injuries and some bad luck didn’t help Paul’s career out much, but he did start a bowl game and played in some big games for Nebraska. We wish him luck as he finishes out his career at Colorado State. He was a big get during the Pelini era.
2013 – Johnny Stanton
“What a huge deal”…at least I thought that at the time. We had just gotten Tommy Armstrong and now we are getting the poor man’s version of Tim Tebow! Unfortunately for Johnny he tore his ACL as a senior in high school and he never made a move to win the starting job in Lincoln. I still think had he not torn his knee up he could have been a player for the Huskers. He is now at UNLV and hopefully he can find some success in Las Vegas.
2014 – Freedom Akinmoladun
Getting this commitment near the 4th of July couldn’t have been any more fitting. We were recruiting Freedom as a tight end, but everyone kind of had a hunch he was probably at least going to be given a shot at defensive end. Freedom had a solid redshirt freshman season and is a great athlete. Should he avoid injuries, he has a chance to do something special this year for the Huskers.
2015 – Stanley Morgan
Stanley had awesome high school highlights and fits into that area that Nebraska hasn’t historically been able to fill at wide receiver, at least not with high profile talent. Morgan was able to play in 2015 and make some plays early for Nebraska. So far, this is one position player that looks like he will work out.
2016 – Lamar Jackson
I never thought we would get Lamar to come to Nebraska, but with a strong relationship with defensive backs coach Brian Stewart, it became a reality that he sign with the Huskers. Jackson was the number one high school safety in the country with some recruiting sites. If he comes close to living up to half of that, he will hopefully have a solid career for the Huskers.
Moving forward…
So these are some of the recruits that I really wanted to become Huskers. This season’s class is probably off to the strongest start since Tom Osborne roamed the sidelines and just started heating up again this month with summer camps. Who are some of your favorite recruits of all time? Let us know.
