I have been beating this horse to death (and received a lot of criticism on this forum) ever since joining this site. Great, not good or average, football teams are built from the inside out. Recruitng flash and dash guys will get you to a point, but to win championships, one must recruit and develop the line of scrimmage, both sides of the ball.I was doing my write-up for the signing class and caught something pretty glaring while doing my research. I looked back at the past 10 classes signed by Nebraska and who their OL recruits are and their average 247 composite rating for the class. Anything jump out at you?
2014 - .8955 (3)
2016 - .8948 (4)
2011 - .8883 (5)
2015 - .8826 (3)
2010 - .8803 (4)
2012 - .8753 (2)
2019 - .8709 (4)
2017 - .8594 (4)
2018 - .8581 (1)
2013 - .8513 (5)
I was floored to only see one class in the last decade be worse than our 2017, 2018, and 2019 offensive line class. Want further proof that Frost believes in Duval and their S&C department as well as their coaches ability to develop? Look no further than this 2019 class, where if it wasn't for Benhart, it would be ranked dead last in terms of OL talent according to 247 sports composite compared to the other 9 classes the past decade (with him it's still in the bottom 50%). Frost and his staff went after length and trust that if they get athletic frames into the Husker Power program, they can build a powerhouse. With Frost and the offense coupled with our strong walk-on program and the S&C program, this could get real fun to track.
Now, the glass is half full that ruins this entire thread is if Bland signs, the 2019 class jumps way up. Also, From the 2nd best class the last decade in 2016 you still have Raridon, Farniok and Wilson here, 2 of which are starters. The 2014 class is about as good as it gets, with Farmer, Gates, and Foster being a part of it (not sure why I put that, just thought it was interesting).
I can't wait to see what we turn these guys into. Feel free to point to this case study if we start having a dominant OL in the next couple years and what we may be able to do in spots like RB, QB, ILB, where we are getting guys with even higher floors like Wandale Robinson, Jackson Hannah, and Nick Henrich.
*note - guys like Cam Jurgens (who moved to OL from another position) or Willie Canty (who didn't make it) were not counted
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