Family ties run deeper to Nebraska, though. His cousin, Steve Raymond, played for the Huskers in the 90s, and Shurtleff knew his heart was in Lincoln even as his recruiting picked up at other schools.
Raymond came out of Gering and had played with Matt Davison, Nebraska's associate athletic director for football. The cousin put in a word for Shurtleff. The Huskers checked into Shurtleff and saw enough they liked to offer him about two weeks before early signing day.
It was a Thursday or Friday when the big moment came. Shurtleff was sitting in his last class of the day trying to study for a Spanish III final. A text popped up. It was from Kenny Wilhite, director of high school relations. It was the offer to walk on.
"It rocked me because that had been a childhood dream ever since I could remember," Shurtleff said. "I didn't have words to say. I went to my coach right away, and he was just as excited for me. Because everybody that knows me knows that that's all I've ever wanted."
He said the Huskers plan to start him out as an outside linebacker when he arrives in the summer.
"Obviously I'm not like a big four-star or five-star recruit or anything, but I would say I'm long and fast, and one of my best attributes is that I'm a student of the game," Shurtleff said.
Besides, he likes the way Scott Frost talks about building a walk-on program he's now a part of. And he knows the success stories, including a recent one from a wide receiver.
"Kade Warner, that's a great story there."
23+13=33 Must be new math.Twenty three recruits and thirteen walk ons and this class isn’t finished. Thirty three new faces looking to find a place on the two or three deep. Competition is going to be fierce and possibly a third of them will be on campus in January. Frost and company are earning their salary and more importantly they’re loving every minute . It’s not work it’s passion...Go Big Red!
Passion makes less work of any job. We should all be so lucky.Twenty three recruits and thirteen walk ons and this class isn’t finished. Thirty three new faces looking to find a place on the two or three deep. Competition is going to be fierce and possibly a third of them will be on campus in January. Frost and company are earning their salary and more importantly they’re loving every minute . It’s not work it’s passion...Go Big Red!
My excitement got the best of me...taught history not math.23+13=33 Must be new math.
Could be 40 new freshmen plus the number of redshirt freshmen would make a very young roster. I wonder if any other BIG TEN roster would be as young.23+13=33 Must be new math.
Minny was younger than us last year. So they are probably the closest.Could be 40 new freshmen plus the number of redshirt freshmen would make a very young roster. I wonder if any other BIG TEN roster would be as young.
Saw this on the OWH home page: https://www.omaha.com/neprepzone/re...cle_db13a300-9cea-56e7-a077-3cc571a428f4.html