What do you make of this?

[coherbie]

in terms of in-state players with NU offers going elsewhere - Gunn, LaCouture, Bubak, Phillips, Fant, Watts, Williams - wouldn't say it's a new trend.... but it's certainly one I'd like to see DONU put a stop to.

plus a bunch of others who were not offered (Ott, Bazata, Stick) or highly thought of nationally, who perhaps speak more to ranking accuracy, evaluation & how undervalued NE HS players seem (IMHO)

Granted, across the river from Omaha, but Max Duggan? Logan Jones? .. both highly ranked & part of OWH's annual Super Six - speaking of - hope we end our Lewis Central drought soon

 

[Hooked on Huskers]

We are losing recruits from our own backyard. We are losing legacies. Better turn it around soon.

 

[LarstheRed]

We did but not very many.

Far more than I think you are recalling. TO whiffed, Solich, Pelini, Cally, Riley, all have whiffed, and in some cases, we lost them to teams that had an offense or defense that fit them better. Or you can have kids with the attitude they aren’t going to follow the norm. If the Johnsons hadn’t had any issues with prior kids being ignored, and we were going to struggle replace his kid on our recruiting board, I’d probably have some actual concerns, not panic, just a little concerned. But the waters were muddied, and there are talents to equal or exceed what he could have brought.

 

[BleedinHuskerRed]

Border states > 500 Mile Radius


But it sure seems like they are making a move in that direction. I saw in another thread that Iowa has 9 kids committed that had NU offers. Previous Iowa classes involved 2 or 3. The poster opined that this meant we were losing more battles with Iowa now and that previously we won those battles. I don't think that is the case nearly as much as the fact that we are turning local. I can't remember this many Iowa kids on our board ever before. We are absolutely targeting border states and will do so more and more, I bet.

15 years of relationship building is a lot different than 2.5 years of trying to both build connections and mend broken relationships. Iowa's connection to these schools should be stronger, considering the variables. And it is yet another reason why patience is key. We want those kinds of pipelines? Then we have put in the time and work to build them.

5 years or more. A few years to do some mending of the past while selling a vision of the future. A few years to woo with some proven results that show more than just talk and vision. Then years and years to reap the rewards.

And even with these ideas, we are still winning a few of these battles. They took a WR from Omaha. We have an OL commit from their state. Last year we got a kid who could end up being a difference maker at OLB in Gunnerson. Wisconsin is likely going to get Bollers, who every body wants. We have a big ole' OL from Minny that may start for us this year and they have a DB from our state who we all wish was on our side.

But we absolutely don't want to get into a situation where we say "You get all the kids from Iowa. You guys over there get all the kids from Ohio. You guys get all the kids from your state. We get all the Nebraskans. Now let's line up." We are and always will have to be a national recruiter. And no one can put all their stock in legacy kids or in local kids. We absolutely need to maximize on them, but no one bats 1.000.

Really appreciate your insight and no-nonsense approach. Happy to have you on this board!

 

[Costa Rica Red]

Shocked at the people claiming that we lose players a lot from in-state. We may lose guys to Ohio or Wyoming or South Dakota State, but:

-Keagan Johnson is the highest rated Nebraska recruit to go to another P5 since Tyrone Sellers chose Kansas in 2009.

-The last time we had someone ranked as high as Avante Dickerson and they chose elsewhere was 2008 with Trevor Robinson

So if by “happens all the time” we mean had to go back 10+ years to find the last time it happened, then I guess that statement is accurate.

When I read your post it seemed a bit off.

X. Watts (ND) '19 and C. LaCouture (LSU) '13 were both ranked higher than Keagan using 247 for data. But yes, it is a rare occurrence.

There hasn't been an instate recruit ranked as high or higher than Dickerson since Baker Stienkuhler and T Robinson in '08.

Twice, the top two instate recruits went elsewhere: '12 T.Bender and D.Ott; '16 N.Fant and J.Bubak. All four were ranked lower than Keagan.

Bottom line is never have two instate recruits ranked this high passed up offers to NU in the same year. Never. The fact that one is a 'Husker legacy and they are both committed to division rivals (also has never happened} makes it seem that much more painful. Frosts job is harder if the top instate talent decides to sign elsewhere, no other way to look at it.

 

[Megatron]

Maybe I’m missing the point, but it seems to me that his main argument is that players are being steered away by insiders that were/are part of the program.
Is there a problem in Lincoln? I have no idea, but I bet some on here do and just aren’t willing to say if there is...

 

[Beareye]

Far more than I think you are recalling. TO whiffed, Solich, Pelini, Cally, Riley, all have whiffed, and in some cases, we lost them to teams that had an offense or defense that fit them better. Or you can have kids with the attitude they aren’t going to follow the norm. If the Johnsons hadn’t had any issues with prior kids being ignored, and we were going to struggle replace his kid on our recruiting board, I’d probably have some actual concerns, not panic, just a little concerned. But the waters were muddied, and there are talents to equal or exceed what he could have brought.

TO would occasionally lose instate kids to places like Notre Dame or Stanford, even in the program's heyday. One difference though is that I don't think TO ever lost an instate kid that we really wanted to a conference opponent. Instate kids going to Minnesota and Iowa today would be the rough equivalent of going to Colorado, Missouri, or K-State during Osborne' time. Maybe I am forgetting someone, but I don't remember Osborne losing any instate recruit to a Big 8 or Big 12 team... not even to Oklahoma or Texas.

 

[SemperHusker]

TO didn't post back to back losing seasons either. IMO that makes a difference.

 

[ShortSideOption]

in terms of in-state players with NU offers going elsewhere - Gunn, LaCouture, Bubak, Phillips, Fant, Watts, Williams - wouldn't say it's a new trend.... but it's certainly one I'd like to see DONU put a stop to.

plus a bunch of others who were not offered (Ott, Bazata, Stick) or highly thought of nationally, who perhaps speak more to ranking accuracy, evaluation & how undervalued NE HS players seem (IMHO)

Granted, across the river from Omaha, but Max Duggan? Logan Jones? .. both highly ranked & part of OWH's annual Super Six - speaking of - hope we end our Lewis Central drought soon

I think that's the major concern... Iowa used to pull Fant, Bazata, Ott from us. And look what those guys turned into, Fant was a first round draft pick, Ott was an all-conference performer. Fine, we didn't offer Ott and Bazata, I can get over that. Fant I said from day 1 when we offered as a DE we were wrong and he was a TE all the way, Iowa offered as a TE and he went there and rolled. But we never once lost a kid that was rated Keagan Johnson's level to an out of state school this past decade, and now we are letting one go to Iowa. We have lost 9 kids with Nebraska scholarship offers to a school that takes kids we don't want and turns them all-conference and into draft picks. What monster are we creating now that they are getting guys we actually want? It's actually scary to think about.

 

[ShortSideOption]

When I read your post it seemed a bit off.

X. Watts (ND) '19 and C. LaCouture (LSU) '13 were both ranked higher than Keagan using 247 for data. But yes, it is a rare occurrence.

There hasn't been an instate recruit ranked as high or higher than Dickerson since Baker Stienkuhler and T Robinson in '08.

Twice, the top two instate recruits went elsewhere: '12 T.Bender and D.Ott; '16 N.Fant and J.Bubak. All four were ranked lower than Keagan.

Bottom line is never have two instate recruits ranked this high passed up offers to NU in the same year. Never. The fact that one is a 'Husker legacy and they are both committed to division rivals (also has never happened} makes it seem that much more painful. Frosts job is harder if the top instate talent decides to sign elsewhere, no other way to look at it.

Watts was a 5.6 at one point, my bad. But LaCouture is only an "in-state recruit" because he transferred to Lincoln Southwest when he committed to Nebraska. There was nothing "in-state" about him.

Frost has an uphill battle. He's at the mercy of Riley seasons, but he also has created some doubt. We need 2020 to happen because if we have to do another recruiting class on "vision" it won't go well like we are seeing right now.

 

[LarstheRed]

Shocked at the people claiming that we lose players a lot from in-state. We may lose guys to Ohio or Wyoming or South Dakota State, but:

-Keagan Johnson is the highest rated Nebraska recruit to go to another P5 since Tyrone Sellers chose Kansas in 2009.

-The last time we had someone ranked as high as Avante Dickerson and they chose elsewhere was 2008 with Trevor Robinson

So if by “happens all the time” we mean had to go back 10+ years to find the last time it happened, then I guess that statement is accurate.

Odd your think their rating is the critical part. If we are thinking about catering to the state, I’d think we’d want to focus on the top players in our state every year. We’ve lost plenty over the last 30+ years. Not all have had great careers, but they chose another path, which is apparently what young Johnson plans. And we can gush all we want about his ranking, but I think we can easily match whatever skillset he may have brought.

 

[LarstheRed]

I think that's the major concern... Iowa used to pull Fant, Bazata, Ott from us. And look what those guys turned into, Fant was a first round draft pick, Ott was an all-conference performer. Fine, we didn't offer Ott and Bazata, I can get over that. Fant I said from day 1 when we offered as a DE we were wrong and he was a TE all the way, Iowa offered as a TE and he went there and rolled. But we never once lost a kid that was rated Keagan Johnson's level to an out of state school this past decade, and now we are letting one go to Iowa. We have lost 9 kids with Nebraska scholarship offers to a school that takes kids we don't want and turns them all-conference and into draft picks. What monster are we creating now that they are getting guys we actually want? It's actually scary to think about.

Fant was Fant! The guy our staff recruited for the wrong position, and an arrogant prick who seemed long on talent, but short on work. Even with all that talent he regularly played second fiddle at his position.

Time will tell, but film and a few friends who regularly follow metro football think he’s got skills, but is far from eye popping.

 

[ShortSideOption]

Odd your think their rating is the critical part. If we are thinking about catering to the state, I’d think we’d want to focus on the top players in our state every year. We’ve lost plenty over the last 30+ years. Not all have had great careers, but they chose another path, which is apparently what young Johnson plans. And we can gush all we want about his ranking, but I think we can easily match whatever skillset he may have brought.

See post 24

 

[ShortSideOption]

Fant was Fant! The guy our staff recruited for the wrong position, and an arrogant prick who seemed long on talent, but short on work. Even with all that talent he regularly played second fiddle at his position.

Time will tell, but film and a few friends who regularly follow metro football think he’s got skills, but is far from eye popping.

I wish I was an arrogant prick who had skills, but was far from eye popping as a first round draft pick making 10 million guaranteed. Quite the standards to impress nowadays.

 

[HUSKER HOT SAUCE]

Still perhaps the best avatar on HM at the moment. It's freaking AWESOME!!!!