This is a case where Nebraska is 100% trusting the relationship Whipple has with Watson, and his belief in his potential.
I think a guy like Kohl, who Frost had been targeting for a year is a better prospect. The latest intel had the Huskers as co-leaders with Iowa State.
I also think there were other guys that were offered since the new assistants were hired and were also much better prospects, like Avery Johnson and Christopher Vizzina. Maybe the staff had the inclination that they were too far behind a school like Arkansas for Johnson and that Vizzina was a pipe dream? Maybe they thought the Cyclones were gonna win out for Kohl?
QB recruiting is so different from other positions. Maybe they took Watson knowing Whipple likes him, and it allows them to spend the next 18 months giving Dylan Raiola their undivided attention?
Watson has a nice skillset. He has a pretty good arm and is really athletic. But he's listed at 5-11 on his basketball roster. So he's probably actually 5-10 in shoes.
The other major programs who offered like Michigan, Oregon and Tennessee, did so in the spring and summer of 2020. He had schools like Ohio State and West Virginia looking at him, but again, that was a while ago. Most of those schools have cooled on him because of his size. Here's a hard truth, the two other schools that were recruiting him as hard as Nebraska were Akron and Massachusetts.
There's a reason people can name the five guys who've overcome being under 6-0 and been elite players at the college level. And this kid isn't in the same stratosphere as guys like Vick or Murray in terms of athleticism.
It's going to be a whole new ballgame for him in the Big Ten. Can he find passing lanes? Can he anticipate throws through windows where he doesn't even see the receiver yet? There are some big questions here.
Whipple likes him, so that's the silver lining here. I personally have reservations that he can be an upper-echelon player because of the size limitations. I think he could be a serviceable player, but I'd be shocked if he developed into a guy that's All-Conference caliber. But like I said, that's based on his size. He has a really nice skillset. If he were 6-2+, I'd be much more excited about him.
I think a guy like Kohl, who Frost had been targeting for a year is a better prospect. The latest intel had the Huskers as co-leaders with Iowa State.
I also think there were other guys that were offered since the new assistants were hired and were also much better prospects, like Avery Johnson and Christopher Vizzina. Maybe the staff had the inclination that they were too far behind a school like Arkansas for Johnson and that Vizzina was a pipe dream? Maybe they thought the Cyclones were gonna win out for Kohl?
QB recruiting is so different from other positions. Maybe they took Watson knowing Whipple likes him, and it allows them to spend the next 18 months giving Dylan Raiola their undivided attention?
Watson has a nice skillset. He has a pretty good arm and is really athletic. But he's listed at 5-11 on his basketball roster. So he's probably actually 5-10 in shoes.
The other major programs who offered like Michigan, Oregon and Tennessee, did so in the spring and summer of 2020. He had schools like Ohio State and West Virginia looking at him, but again, that was a while ago. Most of those schools have cooled on him because of his size. Here's a hard truth, the two other schools that were recruiting him as hard as Nebraska were Akron and Massachusetts.
There's a reason people can name the five guys who've overcome being under 6-0 and been elite players at the college level. And this kid isn't in the same stratosphere as guys like Vick or Murray in terms of athleticism.
It's going to be a whole new ballgame for him in the Big Ten. Can he find passing lanes? Can he anticipate throws through windows where he doesn't even see the receiver yet? There are some big questions here.
Whipple likes him, so that's the silver lining here. I personally have reservations that he can be an upper-echelon player because of the size limitations. I think he could be a serviceable player, but I'd be shocked if he developed into a guy that's All-Conference caliber. But like I said, that's based on his size. He has a really nice skillset. If he were 6-2+, I'd be much more excited about him.