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Rhule and Cook have the right idea.

To be clear, I’m not saying S&C guys are a dime/dozen. There are quality guys. And the other. HCMR has his guy — that’s good enough for me. And he said Raiola is his guy to coach them up — that’s also good enough for me. I’m making a couple of points, so far not very clearly: 1) kids come more ready and better trained/coached than ever.. but with some exceptions a 21-year-old o-lineman is almost always preferable to a 19-year-old, for all the obvious size/strength/rep/experience reasons, and it takes time to get the right guys on the field together, especially two-deep; 2) NU has had a huge disconnect recruiting, developing, coaching, and scheming its o-lineman the last two decades, sometimes embarrassingly so; 3) whatever “build-a-lineman” advantage NU had years ago is gone now, sadly; and 4) recruit the best players you can at all positions, obviously, but for better or worse, the o-line room always will have a strong regional feel — every program, no matter where, because of numbers and other factors, including that it’s some kind of unwritten rule that big, tough country kids grow up to be o-linemen at state U, in numbers.

Nice post and all pretty much true.
 

Good inside info. I think the problem with Issac was that he was such a tweener. He fits very well in a 3-3-5 defense.

They slow played Harrison Phillips badly. He didn't get a Nebraska offer until after he had visited Stanford and was offered.
The you owe us mentality is mentally ill. We love our homers, and they took advantage of us as well imo. When we didn't get them, it must have been bad, again imo.
 
Good inside info. I think the problem with Issac was that he was such a tweener. He fits very well in a 3-3-5 defense.

They slow played Harrison Phillips badly. He didn't get a Nebraska offer until after he had visited Stanford and was offered.
100%. Just dumb human behavior. Treat every recruit well. Be direct. Be honest.
 
Pelini slow played guys hoping theu would walk on. So they walked across the border. Local coaches used to Comme t that they never saw our coaches. Callahan did not even look at Nebraska kids. Riley.was not here long enough to tell. Frost had a mixed bag of results but put no effort into Omaha.
Geesh. If Riley wasn’t here long enough to tell……how can you claim Rhule is. The bottom line is Rhule will be like any other coach. He will not waste a scholarship on a questionable player just because he’s from Nebraska. He will go for the best that he’s able to get. Picking a Nebraska guy over a Texas guy will only make a difference it talent, attitude and skills are equal.
 



I remember when Luke Gifford was going through the recruiting process. He really wanted to play at Nebraska but was being slow played by the coaches. His Dad Sam who is a buddy of mine, basically said look, he's every bit as good as these other guys you are recruiting, he's a Nebraska kid that will run through a wall for you, what in the world are you waiting for? Similar situation with Isaac Gifford. If I remember right, they gave Isaac a Grey Shirt his 1st year then put him on scholarship. I know all Nebraska raised recruits don't always pan out but you typically don't have to worry about their desire to work their tails off. I'm biased because of my friendship with the family, but wouldn't you take a couple Gifford Boys with every recruiting class?
I agree with you on this one because I’m also aquaintences with the Gifford family. I’m kind of wondering if the ability to afford to walk on didn’t play a part. Sam has been pretty successful financially. ;) ;) ;)
 
Geesh. If Riley wasn’t here long enough to tell……how can you claim Rhule is. The bottom line is Rhule will be like any other coach. He will not waste a scholarship on a questionable player just because he’s from Nebraska. He will go for the best that he’s able to get. Picking a Nebraska guy over a Texas guy will only make a difference it talent, attitude and skills are equal.
What local kid has he offered that is "questionable"? He has offered a lot of local kids. So quit covering yourself in platitudes. Name one. Many thought Lloyd was a waisted scholarship. He has proved that wrong.
 
What local kid has he offered that is "questionable"? He has offered a lot of local kids. So quit covering yourself in platitudes. Name one. Many thought Lloyd was a waisted scholarship. He has proved that wrong.
There are a bunch. I WILL NOT name them as it serves no purpose to disparage individual players. I rarely criticize players. Coaches and irrational posters are another story. But I will add. Many on this board call every recruit a great get…..until they aren’t.
 
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It seems to me that Matt Rhule is learning something Coach Cook has known for years. Before you look elsewhere, take a look at home.

A few years ago, I started a thread on how participation rates in sports and the fact that we only feed one major university should, overtime, help our team IF we get a coach who takes advantage. At that time Nebraska was the only state in the union that did not have a drop in participation rates in football. I also added that although we have a small population. There is only one university that needed to get players from the state.

The problem was that starting with Callahan, the coaches have failed to take advantage of the talent we do have. So our best QBs were going to NDSU, Montana and other places. The small linemen that we grew into giants after 3 years went to NDSU, and SDSU. Worst of all our few good WR and TEs ended up at Iowa of all places.

Another terrible thing was that we let a lot of talent although technically out of state in some cases. Were legacy to Nebraska. Take for example Joe Burrow. Pelini got mad when asked about recruiting him. Riley tried but it was too late. Then when he transferred when Frost took over, Frost basically insulted him with, "Is he better than what we have?" The answer to that question was Absolutely. Actually Pelini missed 2 future NFL QBs. As much as I loved Tommy Armstrong, Easton Stick would have been a better option.

Just to give you some numbers to back up the claim. Nebraska is tied for 7th in National participation rates for sports. In boys HS sports our participation rate is just shy of 58%. Only Minny at 58% and IA at 64% are states with Higher. There is a reason a lot of B1G teams go to MN and NE recruiting lately. Does anyone really believe SF or BP would have gone after Jaylen LLoyd? Yet he may be our best deep threat this year.

I mean realistically all of them would have gone after Chi and Nelson since the entire rest of the country wanted both of them.

The key is do not be afraid to develop players. You will not regret it.
I've always believed that a successful coach will always "win their state" in recruiting. It doesn't mean you have to get every top guy from your state, but you should get most. It is tough when the best guys in your state don't want to play for you. It is even worse when you actively choose not to recruit them.

I do think that some coaches fail to understand the benefit of getting the local guys. Sure, you might be able to go across the country and get someone a little bit better, but the local guy might be more likely to stay. Kids who were born and bred Husker fans might also give you more effort, simply because they love the program that much.

I think the Burrow stuff can sometimes be revisionist history. He was a solid recruit coming out of high school (4-star, ranked in the upper 200s nationally), but people forget that until his last season at LSU he hadn't looked all that good. That final season he grew a lot as a QB, which helped elevate him to become one of the best QBs in the NFL. Does that happen if he is at Nebraska? Or does he end up being very much like Adrian Martinez (who ranked and graded very similar coming out of HS)?

Now, devil's advocate would say if a guy that talented is interested in your school, you go scoop him up regardless. I'm not saying we shouldn't have tried to get Burrow, I'm just saying I don't think he becomes who he is today if he comes here.
 
Geesh. If Riley wasn’t here long enough to tell……how can you claim Rhule is. The bottom line is Rhule will be like any other coach. He will not waste a scholarship on a questionable player just because he’s from Nebraska. He will go for the best that he’s able to get. Picking a Nebraska guy over a Texas guy will only make a difference it talent, attitude and skills are equal.
One thing Rhule seems to understand is about keeping the pipelines open. It was very telling that his staff visiting these high schools was a first for many of these schools. You are right, they aren't going to take a subpar player or a bad fit, simply because they are local. It is important, however, to keep relationships with these schools in good standing, because it makes it easier to get the guys you "have to have" in the future. You don't want to only come knocking when there is a generational player available.
 
I've always believed that a successful coach will always "win their state" in recruiting. It doesn't mean you have to get every top guy from your state, but you should get most. It is tough when the best guys in your state don't want to play for you. It is even worse when you actively choose not to recruit them.

I do think that some coaches fail to understand the benefit of getting the local guys. Sure, you might be able to go across the country and get someone a little bit better, but the local guy might be more likely to stay. Kids who were born and bred Husker fans might also give you more effort, simply because they love the program that much.

I think the Burrow stuff can sometimes be revisionist history. He was a solid recruit coming out of high school (4-star, ranked in the upper 200s nationally), but people forget that until his last season at LSU he hadn't looked all that good. That final season he grew a lot as a QB, which helped elevate him to become one of the best QBs in the NFL. Does that happen if he is at Nebraska? Or does he end up being very much like Adrian Martinez (who ranked and graded very similar coming out of HS)?

Now, devil's advocate would say if a guy that talented is interested in your school, you go scoop him up regardless. I'm not saying we shouldn't have tried to get Burrow, I'm just saying I don't think he becomes who he is today if he comes here.
Well thought out response. I may not agree with all of it but I appreciate tje thoughtful content.

I def do not agree with your take on Burrow. He was recruited by many of tje top programs. We were the only team looking at AM as a QB.
 
Good inside info. I think the problem with Issac was that he was such a tweener. He fits very well in a 3-3-5 defense.

They slow played Harrison Phillips badly. He didn't get a Nebraska offer until after he had visited Stanford and was offered.
Yes, I agree. Isaac was a tweener. They thought he was going to play safety. He's a ton of fun to watch in the 3 3 5 defense. Once again, his size might make it difficult at the next level but I am confident that he can grind out an NFL career similar to his brother Luke. I.E special teams, reliable backup. With that being said, he's a hell of a college football player and a great kid.
 



Yes, I agree. Isaac was a tweener. They thought he was going to play safety. He's a ton of fun to watch in the 3 3 5 defense. Once again, his size might make it difficult at the next level but I am confident that he can grind out an NFL career similar to his brother Luke. I.E special teams, reliable backup. With that being said, he's a hell of a college football player and a great kid.
Add an inch or two and twenty pounds, solid pro material.
 
I agree with you on this one because I’m also aquaintences with the Gifford family. I’m kind of wondering if the ability to afford to walk on didn’t play a part. Sam has been pretty successful financially. ;) ;) ;)
Yes, Sam has done well for himself. My brothers and I played a ton of sports with Sam and Tom. I'm very proud of him as he grew up in a family that did not have any money. As far as your comment on the able to afford to walk on, a person's financial well being should not dictate whether a kid walks on or is given a scholarship in my opinion, but that certainly may have played a part in it.
 
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