I know this one stings a lot of Husker fans. It has got to be an extreme rarity that an in-state kid with offers to schools like Wisconsin, Iowa, Virginia Tech, Kansas State, Iowa State, Duke and UCF not only does not have a Nebraska offer - but has basically been told in June that the staff doesn't plan on recruiting him at all.
But much like the recruitment of past in-state kids, you can't look at this with a broad stroke. It's always easier (and lazier) to look back with 20-20 hindsight after the fact. Look at it from a roster management perspective, which is a extension of scholarship allotment.
Heading into this 2018 class, the staff wanted a NG and two (3-4) DE's in this class. They (John Parrella) identified Masry Mapieu last summer as a guy who could play the 1-technique (ala Vincent Valentine) in the old 4-3 and it just so happens that he seems a perfect fit as a 0-technique (NG) in the new 3-4. The team has turned down a consensus four-star kid and someone with much better looking film (Calvin Avery) because of their commitment to Mapieu and staying true to their board and plan for where they want their scholarships to go.
This leads us to the DE spot. I personally feel that Bryson Williams could be a 3-technique DT in a 4-3 or play the 5-technique as a DE in a 3-4. Parrella and other coaches have seen Williams in-person. They clearly like other guys more for this position. They like Tate Wildeman a lot and want to finish this class out with either Judge Culpepper or Daniel Carson - both four-star talents IMPO, and better prospects than Williams FWIW. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they maneuvered their board and found a way to take both if they both wanted in eventually.
The question I guess I have is, would anyone rather they just took Williams over Carson or Culpepper because he is a highly recruited (for a in-state kid) kid? Do you trust this staff, basically Parrella and Diaco to trust their eyes and end up with Wildeman and Culpepper or Carson and watch Williams end up at Iowa, Kansas State or Wisconsin? I know its a bummer, but I personally think its a no brainer to trust Diaco and Parrella. Those two have proven to be great evaluators of talent. Diaco knows what he wants in his system.
IMPO its unfair to look back down the line and cry about why Williams wasnt a part of this class. Of course this only happens if Williams has a better career than ANY of the guys taken instead of him. I think most everyone would do exactly what the coaches are doing. They are sticking to their board and trusting their eyes. They've already made a decision to move on from Avery - which I know must have been very difficult - and are doing the same with Williams. When you're recruiting at a level the Huskers are right now, and are targeting the sort of kids they currently are after, you make tough decisions. With a top 10-15 class in the works, they're clearly doing it right.
Not even a preferred walkon offer?
