Mills is N! Signed his LOI today

[ShortSideOption]

Another thing that has me questioning Fonua or Bivens is the fact Ryan Held is a beast and you know he'll get talent. DeWitt still has question marks. Maybe they take the OLB knowing Held will just sign another couple guys next class that are Rahmir Johnson caliber recruits?

This is where i'm leaning right now. Held and this offense is having zero issues getting RBs and duck 'R' talents, most of them four stars. Our OLB room is hurting, and quite honestly we aren't getting the same caliber kid as Held is. So we have a higher likelihood to be "wrong", so maybe we need more numbers there? All that said, you are spot on in my opinion that I don't think Fonua can unseat Domann or Ferguson, the only thing is, those guys are injury-prone.

I would like to think Fonua isn't our only OLB option, but we need at least one there.

 

[Bleed Red]

Maybe NU just feels Bivens is the better football player and having him for 4 years trumps Fonua for 2? Having the flexibility to move offensive weapons around, maybe give a RB to more WR time, etc might be a better use of the 2019 scholarship in the minds of the staff. I think if they absolutely had to have an OLB, they would fall back to Asante and call it good.

I know for this year it would be nice to have another OLB in the room, but i do think this staff thinks 3-4 years down the road more than anyone has at NU in a very long time.

 

[Hosskerz]

Has anybody heard if Dixon is getting things figured out? I see no mention of him along with Ferguson, DoMann, and Tanner? Or has that ship sailed?

Also, I wasn’t overly impressed with anything I seen out of Tanner last year but being a true Frosh, I didn’t expect an all American. My hope is with a full year learning the D and in the weight room he can make some huge strides this year.

If Dixon gets right and with the full year for Tanner, I would think the top 4 at OLB would be set.

 

[Beareye]

With a limited number of scholarships available, any JUCO player that we bring in needs to be someone that figures to be an immediate contributor. Mills seems to fit that bill, as does Bland (if he ends up signing with NU). I don't know enough about Fonua to project where he would fit in on our depth chart at OLB. If he would likely just be the 5th or 6th guy (third team) in the OLB rotation, then I would probably pass. If we think he's a starter or top backup, then take him.

 

[djlhuskerfan]

I guess if it was my decision, I would take Bivens over Fonua. Jucos can be risky but some come in and contribute right away. With a redshirt Bivens would be two years behind Mills and Washington

 

[djlhuskerfan]

dup.

 

[36Blast]

I guess if it was my decision, I would take Bivens over Fonua. Jucos can be risky but some come in and contribute right away. With a redshirt Bivens would be two years behind Mills and Washington

I agree. I dont even know if Fonua is a fit here and as a Juco...you need an immediate contributor at such a critical spot. I'm all in on Bivens. He gives us that bigger back that will be missing when Mills departs and there are rumors of the staff wanting to use him at the Y as well.

Dixon is still in the mix here, but I've always questioned his size playing OLB in a 3-4. Maybe he's a hybrid or used more in sub packages. Not sure.

 

[N2FL]

This is where i'm leaning right now. Held and this offense is having zero issues getting RBs and duck 'R' talents, most of them four stars. Our OLB room is hurting, and quite honestly we aren't getting the same caliber kid as Held is. So we have a higher likelihood to be "wrong", so maybe we need more numbers there? All that said, you are spot on in my opinion that I don't think Fonua can unseat Domann or Ferguson, the only thing is, those guys are injury-prone.

I would like to think Fonua isn't our only OLB option, but we need at least one there.

Few things...

We'll find out real quick if Bivens has the green light to commit. If he does, I think it happens this weekend. I know you have said you think the room is too full, but I really like Bivens' film and I think he'd be a good pickup.

I think the staff has five more spots to fill (NPG is N and Bland is out) and want four of them to be taken by a WR, OLB, CB and DT. I think Bivens falls into the "too good to pass on" category.

I think we're going to see Charles Njoku (likely) or Demariyon Houston take the designated WR spot. Both four-stars who bring a little something different to the table. Either would be huge additions.

I think they get Matthew Pola-Mao for their class NG and move Piper to o-line. I have a feeling they take Soni Fonua as their OLB because NPG, MPM and he would be a great beginning of a polynesian presence on the team.

If they could get DJ James, wow. He's a four-star talent IMPO.

 

[N2FL]

Maybe NU just feels Bivens is the better football player and having him for 4 years trumps Fonua for 2? Having the flexibility to move offensive weapons around, maybe give a RB to more WR time, etc might be a better use of the 2019 scholarship in the minds of the staff. I think if they absolutely had to have an OLB, they would fall back to Asante and call it good.

I know for this year it would be nice to have another OLB in the room, but i do think this staff thinks 3-4 years down the road more than anyone has at NU in a very long time.

Saying they could fall back on Asante implies they could have him. He's one of the hottest defensive players in the country heading into February. He's gotten offers from Florida State, Tennessee, Miami, Virginia Tech, TCU, UCLA, North Carolina and Maryland in the last few weeks. I don't think Nebraska is on his shortlist.

 

[djlhuskerfan]

Few things...

We'll find out real quick if Bivens has the green light to commit. If he does, I think it happens this weekend. I know you have said you think the room is too full, but I really like Bivens' film and I think he'd be a good pickup.

I think the staff has five more spots to fill (NPG is N and Bland is out) and want four of them to be taken by a WR, OLB, CB and DT. I think Bivens falls into the "too good to pass on" category.

I think we're going to see Charles Njoku (likely) or Demariyon Houston take the designated WR spot. Both four-stars who bring a little something different to the table. Either would be huge additions.

I think they get Matthew Pola-Mao for their class NG and move Piper to o-line. I have a feeling they take Soni Fonua as their OLB because NPG, MPM and he would be a great beginning of a polynesian presence on the team.

If they could get DJ James, wow. He's a four-star talent IMPO.

gee I cant remember the last time we had to pass on a really talented player because we didn't have room. Times are changing

 

[N2FL]

I guess if it was my decision, I would take Bivens over Fonua. Jucos can be risky but some come in and contribute right away. With a redshirt Bivens would be two years behind Mills and Washington

JMPO, but I think the staff knows they could have Fanua if they wanted. I think they're trying for a bigger fish like Steven Parker or Dylan Jordan before "settling" for him, for lack of a better word. Fanua wouldn't be a bad pickup, really, just wouldn't be my first choice. But he'd be a guy that helps bolster your attempt to build a polynesian pipeline in Lincoln and likely is at worst a top backup. Also, with perhaps 30 guys in this class, having another juco would help space out the scholarships.

 

[N2FL]

gee I cant remember the last time we had to pass on a really talented player because we didn't have room. Times are changing

Honestly, I could justify taking both Njoku and Houston at WR. That room, like RB, is still getting built up too. Like I said in an earlier post, I could see giving the "extra" available scholarship to a different position just because Held will always maximize his class spots with four-star guys who are great schematic fits. If they passed on Bivens, you know he'd make up for it in the '20 class.

I don't think taking both WRs is in their plans, but if it were me, it's something i'd consider. It generally takes a WR a year or so to get going as it is, so getting those guys in the system would be a plus.

 

[Beareye]

Saying they could fall back on Asante implies they could have him. He's one of the hottest defensive players in the country heading into February. He's gotten offers from Florida State, Tennessee, Miami, Virginia Tech, TCU, UCLA, North Carolina and Maryland in the last few weeks. I don't think Nebraska is on his shortlist.

Not a bad offer list for a 2*... Or maybe he's gotten a ratings bump by now

 

[TnHusker87]

JMPO, ... Also, with perhaps 30 guys in this class, having another juco would help space out the scholarships.

@N2FL — you’ve answered a lot of questions that I had just on this page & series of posts. I was wondering about using JUCO’s to balance the following recruiting classes.

 

[Bleed Red]

Saying they could fall back on Asante implies they could have him. He's one of the hottest defensive players in the country heading into February. He's gotten offers from Florida State, Tennessee, Miami, Virginia Tech, TCU, UCLA, North Carolina and Maryland in the last few weeks. I don't think Nebraska is on his shortlist.

Or is Asante on NU's shortlist? That may go both ways. I guess you know what the NU board looks like better than me.

Probably should have said "could fall back" and not "would fall back".