Long TIme, No Blog

I've been busy - very busy - but I didn't realize I'd been so neglectful! I checked my blog this morning and realized that it's been since December 19 that I wrote anything! Damned online poker has been monopolizing my free time! :-)

Let's catch up a bit... Nebraska has a new coaching staff and the concern of losing their recruiting class for 2008 because of the turnover was somewhat warranted. NU lost Blaine Gabbert, Adrian Hilburn, Bryce Givens, Doug Rippy, Shaun Mohler, Dan Hoch and Reilly Reiff.

However, some recruits who decommitted later recommitted to coach Pelini's staff. Tops among those players were LB Will Compton and DE Josh Williams. RB Collins Okafor - who was looking around - later reaffirmed his commitment.

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After Pelini and crew got settled, NU added 13 players to their class.

They dipped into states such as Texas, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Ohio.

In my last blog (way back in December) I mentioned DT Quentin Toailoa and WR Khiry Cooper were considering the Big Red. Both signed with NU in February.

Cooper was a high draft pick of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim/Chino Hills/Huntington Beach and as such has some financial options available to him that most college freshmen would kill for. Thus far Cooper has turned the Angels down. The deadline is fast-approaching, so look for the team to make one final push with a big offer. If it gets into seven digits it's possible Cooper may take the money and run, but I believe we'll see him suiting up for both Bo Pelini and Mike Anderson during 2008-09.

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From what I've heard from fall camp and summer conditioning, freshmen who could make an immediate impact - whether it's on special teams or on the two-deep - include LB Alonzo Whaley, CB Alfonzo Dennard, TE Ben Cotton, TE Kyler Reed, DT Baker Steinkuhler and the aforementioned Compton and Cooper.

Another piece of Pelini's plan for his program is the emphasis on walk-ons. That emphasis might pay dividends this fall. There are a number of freshmen on the 105-man roster, including linebacker Matt Holt, defensive tackle Justin Jackson, offensive lineman Brian Thorson and defensive back Jase Dean. Holt has been working with the two-deep at a thin linebacker corps and has already made an impression on the coaching staff.

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Speaking of fall camp, it's been eventful already. Kevin Dixon has been dismissed from the team and Ty Steinkuhler has been sitting out most of the week with an undisclosed injury (which may be a back issue from what I hear). The DT position is one injury away from being potentially decimated! Guys like Ndamukong Suh and Shukree Barfield need to watch out when they step into the street!

Seth Jensen leaving the team last spring hurts even more now, as he could have stepped into the two-deep.

Guys like Ben Martin, Terrence Moore, and freshman Baker Steinkuhler may need to step up and produce this fall. Moore is coming along well according to Pelini, however it also sounds like he's a ways away from making an impact.

"Terrence is making progress," Pelini told HuskersIllustrated.com. "He's not exactly where we want him to be yet and probably won't be for a long time. He's working hard though and hopefully he'll continue to get better."

The younger Steinkuhler certainly has the size (6-foot-6, 290 pounds) and the motor to compete at the D-1 level. How quickly he picks up the defense will determine how much he plays.

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What about 2009 recruiting? There's been much hand-wringing on message boards about the lack of 'stars' on the current list of commitments. NU has 10 prospects pledged so far with six of them coming from Texas. Of the remaining four, two are from Nebraska and one each from Florida and Pennsylvania.

Four-star QB Cody Green of Dayton (Texas) leads the pack. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds with 4.6-second speed in the 40 and a rocket arm, Green looks like the future of Nebraska football.

Husker fans have seen big-time prospect QBs commit and then be lost recently. Do names like Josh Freeman and Blaine Gabbert ring a bell? What makes Green different? He has an older sister who will be entering graduate school at NU in the fall. I think it's very likely that Green signs with NU in February.

Among the other commitments, RB Dontrayveous "Tray" Robinson looks like an outstanding prospect. Rivals lists him as a three-star, but he is on the cusp of four-star status and is the No. 58 prospect in Texas overall.

Robinson combines big-back size (6-1/215) with tailback speed (4.5-seconds in the 40). He plays for one of the top schools in Texas' biggest class at Euless Trinity. In fact, some national publications (http://prepnation.com/ for example) have Trinity listed as the top team in the nation for 2008.

Another player on that Trinity team is DT Siosaia Tuipulotu (6-2/285) who will be making an official visit to Lincoln with Robinson September 5. Tuipuloto is Rivals' No. 49-ranked player in Texas with 3 stars. He lists his top three as NU, Utah and Louisville. Getting a prospect with Polynesian background to Lincoln has always been difficult, however sophomore RB Roy Helu is showing us that it's not impossible. Hopefully Helu can make an impact on Tuipulotu, and along with Robinson's emphasis he'll commit.

Tuipulotu would be the third DT to commit, joining Cole Pensick (6-2/250) of Lincoln Northeast and Thaddeus Randle (6-1/255) of Galena Park (Texas) North Shore. Both are rated by Rivals with 3 stars.

Randle plays for another Texas program which is highly-ranked nationally by PrepNation.com. North Shore is ranked tenth in the preseason poll. They have won 70 straight regular-season games, but have won just one state title during that run. Randle - and his 6 teammates with D-1 offers - hope to add title number two this year.

A prospect who has message boards buzzing is all-purpose back David Oku of Midwest City (Okla.) Carl Albert who has NU in his top four schools and has scheduled an official visit for the Virginia Tech game Sept 27. Oku is Rivals' No. 1-ranked all-purpose back and No. 82 in the nation at all positions. As a freshman he rushed for over 800 yards, followed up by over 1,400 yards and 19 touchdowns as a sophomore and over 1,600 yards with 20 TDs as a junior. He will decide from among NU, Louisville, Tennessee and Florida State.

Wide receivers Brady Brown (6-5/190) of Argyle (Texas) and Abrecus Martinez (6-2/185) of Rayville (La.) are the top two WR possibilities to commit soon.

Brown is down to NU, Kansas, Stanford and Vanderbilt, but NU clearly leads. He caught 97 passes for almost 1,100 yards and 12 TDs as a junior.

Martinez will visit Sept. 6 for the San Jose State game and could have a decision between shortly after his trip. He holds offers from Colorado and Ole Miss, but has maintained a top two of NU and Tulsa for months now.

“It’s possible I could commit (to Nebraska),” Martinez told HuskersIllustrated.com. “It all depends on how things go. I’ll try to hold off. I’d at least go back home for a couple of days to think about it (before committing).”

I expect NU to take only two receivers in this class. If both Brown and Martinez make their decisions, that should be all they take.

There will be more, but I'm running out of time. I'll try to write more frequently. Go Big Red!

Is the 2008 recruiting class falling apart?

Soon we will find out if it Bill Callahan and his staff were good recruiters but not so good as coaches, because as Nebraska’s recruiting class for 2008 dwindles the classes of Colorado, Missouri, and Kansas State grow in direct proportion.

It appears that over the next four to five years the Bo Pelini-led Huskers will be facing many of the players the program formerly had commitments from.

Rivals.com five-star quarterback Blaine Gabbert from the St. Louis, Mo. area was the pivot point to Nebraska’s recruiting class late last summer and into the season. Prospects wanted to play with the kid who was named MVP of the prestigious Elite 11 Quarterback Academy.

Gabbert was personally recruiting other prospects, and seemed to be as solid in his commitment as he could be. He once said on an Omaha radio station “I will not pull a Josh Freeman”, in reference to the Kansas State quarterback’s last-minute flip from the Huskers to the Wildcats.

Then uncertainty arose about Callahan and his staff due to the team’s performance on the field and Gabbert was gone to Missouri shortly thereafter.

Now four-star linebacker Will Compton of Bonne Terre, Mo. – committed to Nebraska since late July – has decommitted from NU and has narrowed his final two choices to the Tigers and Illinois.

Adrian Hilburn – a 6-foot-2, 190-pound wide receiver from City College of San Francisco – decommitted from Nebraska and committed to Kansas State the following weekend.

The biggest beneficiary of the Huskers’ rash of decommitments is Colorado. The Buffaloes have picked off four previously-committed NU prospects.

Four-star and Rivals100 offensive tackle Bryce Givens (6-6/257/5.1) of Denver, Colo. is the biggest fish the Buffs have hooked. He had committed to Nebraska in late June, but after Callahan was fired he opened up his recruitment and December 18 he chose the home-state school.

He was joined by Trotwood, Ohio linebacker Doug Rippy (6-2/218) and Denton, Texas defensive end Josh Williams (6-4/220/4.8), both three-star prospects according to Rivals.

Those three followed four-star junior college linebacker Shaun Mohler (6-3/225/4.6) of Costa Mesa, Calif. who flipped to Colorado Dec. 9.

There may be more leaving soon as well. Four-star offensive lineman Dan Hoch (6-6/302/5.21) of Harlan, Iowa, three-star defensive end Reilly Reiff (6-6/250/4.8) of Parkston, SD, and three-star running back Collins Okafor (6-1/210/4.54) of Omaha are all looking around. The trio visited Iowa together the weekend of Dec. 14.

What does all of this mean? Why is it happening?

There are many reasons in my opinion:

• The former NU recruits had developed a relationship with the former staff at Nebraska. Once those coaches – minus Shawn Watson and Ted Gilmore – were released by the University they felt no connection to the school. They committed to the coaching staff, not the University.
• During the uncertain times when Callahan’s staff was in limbo, they were honest with recruits and told them they didn’t know if they’d be around in 2008. In effect they encouraged the commitments to have a ‘backup plan’ in place, so those kids started taking visits to other schools. College coaches are always looking for an advantage in recruiting, and the Husker staff’s status gave them quite an edge.
• Many prospects to sign with NU in the last four years came because of the lure of playing for a former NFL head coach in Callahan. They came to play “at” Nebraska, hoping to get to the League. Pelini is looking for players who want to play “for” Nebraska. It’s a different mentality now, and some players are not looking for that type of environment. Call it selfish if you want, but it’s reality.
• There are rumors that Callahan and staff promised recruits playing time as freshman. If true, that could explain why you saw many highly-touted freshmen playing on the kickoff and kick return teams but rarely seeing offensive or defensive playing time. Pelini has stated that redshirts will be used, but if a player is capable they will play as a freshman. Nothing is being promised, however. Again, it’s a bit of selfishness on the recruits’ parts.
• Prospects don’t fit Pelini and staff’s system and are being encouraged to look elsewhere.
  
  What’s going to happen now?
  
  Nebraska is now working on recruits who were not previously on the Huskers’ radar or were just on the edge of view. Players like four-star running back LaMichael James (5-9/1804.4) of Texarkana, Texas and unrated defensive back Greg Burns (6-1/200/4.5) of Houston visited Lincoln Dec. 14 and gave the trip very high marks.
  
  Three-star Louisiana wide receivers Laron Byrd (6-4/205/4.46) of Boutte and Khiry Cooper (6-2/175/4.5) of Shreveport are both considering January visits to Lincoln.
  
  Byrd, who has offers from schools such as Miami, Auburn, and Florida, has his visit to Lincoln scheduled for Jan. 11.
  
  Cooper lists Arkansas and Tulsa as offers. He has yet to set a date for his official visit, but I would expect it to come that same weekend as Byrd’s.
  
  Another Elite 11 quarterback, three-star Sean Renfree (6-3/201/4.5) of Scottsdale, Ariz. is back on the market after decommitting from Georgia Tech following the Yellow Jackets coaching change. He said recently that hometown Arizona State and Nebraska are his top two schools, with Duke also making a late move after the hire of David Cutcliffe as head coach.
  
  Renfree plans to visit NU in January, but could make a commitment to ASU before then given that they were his No. 2 school when he originally committed to Georgia Tech.
  
  Greenwood, Ark. three-star quarterback Tyler Wilson (6-3/183/4.75) is committed to Tulsa, but has been visited by NU offensive coordinator Shawn Watson and is interested in the Huskers.
  
  Redlands, Calif. three-star defensive tackle Quentin Toailoa (6-5/275/5.2) sounds ready to commit to the Big Red as well.
  
  "I've thought about committing (to Nebraska)." Toailoa told HuskersIllustrated.com, "but I'm going to wait until January 26 and announce my choice at the Southern California Bowl. It's an all-star game I'll be playing in."
  
  "I'll likely take a couple of official visits in January but Nebraska is definitely my leader. I still have to pin down some of the other schools I want to see. I know I'll visit Fresno State."
  
  Pelini will coach the LSU defense in the Jan. 7 BCS Title Game and then will have two visit weekends remaining before the dead period resumes up to Signing Day. The coaching staff has their work cut out for them, but this recruiting class can still be saved.

Pelini's staff taking shape

UPDATING ONE THING: Shaun Prater was indeed offered a scholarship today by coaches Pelini and Osborne. Shaun is currently committed to Iowa, but said that he's interested in Nebraska and will take a visit.

For you not in Omaha, here's KETV's sportscast from last night which talks about some of the comings and goings in Lincoln since Sunday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIm9BZAlO1c&feature=user

From what I can gather from talking to people these coaches are confirmed to be on Bo's staff.

Bo Pelini
Shawn Watson OC
Ted Gilmore WR
Barney Cotton OL
Ron Brown TE
Marvin Sanders DB
Carl Pelini LB or DL
Mike Ekeler LB or DL (was an asst strength coach at LSU - not sure what his role will be)
John Papuchis LB/DL/Special Teams (was a defensive intern at LSU sounds like he will be a staff member also, probably on defense)

I'm told that Scott Frost, Randy Jordan, and Joe Rudolph are still being considered for coaching spots, but it appears to me there is only one opening at RB coach.

It's possible that Jordan could be coaching RBs again, or maybe Brown switches to RBs and Rudolph is retained. Frost most recently coached LBs at Northern Iowa.

Rumors still abound about Bradley Dale Peveto, LSU's current cornerbacks and special teams coach, possibly joining the staff as well.

RECRUITING NEWS:

Ekeler and Papuchis are already on the road recruiting for NU today.

Pelini and Osborne were in Omaha today at Central and Westside for sure, and I saw a report that they were at Millard North again as well. No new offers were extended, however they did meet with Collins Okafor and Tim Biere at Westside and Ronnell Grixby and the Prater twins (Shane and Shaun) at Central.

Ben Cotton (Barney's son) has decommitted from Louisville and committed to Nebraska. Cotton is a TE who was committed to Louisville after receiving offers from Iowa, Iowa State, Wisconsin, and Kansas as well. He's the #2 player in Iowa according to Rivals, behind fellow Husker commitment Dan Hoch. He's 6-foot-6, 217-pounds. I watched his videos and I see good hands and a very solid run blocker. He locks on and doesn't let go. I guess having a former NFL OL and college line coach as a father helps there, huh? ;-) His speed isn't listed on his Rivals profile, but I would estimate it at 4.7 to 4.8 seconds for the 40 based on the video I watched and comparative players' videos. Of course that's junior year film, so he may have improved his speed as a senior.

It appears that Trev Alberts will be working in the athletic department in some capacity, possibly taking Tim Cassidy's spot as director of football operations?

That is what I know for now.

The latest on NU coaching search

Callahan is gone and Osborne has been in Atlanta meeting with the search firm he's using to try and identify a new head coach for Nebraska football.

The flight tracking going on among message board members is hilarious! If you want to see what flights are leaving Lincoln, go to http://flightaware.com/live/airport/KLNK.

Here's what we know at this point...

1. Sources tell me that Bo Pelini was interviewed in Baton Rouge while Osborne (and reportedly Harvey Perlman) were on their way to Atlanta. That interview reportedly went "very well", but my source told me this morning that Pelini has not been offered the job yet per a conversation late last night.
2. Sources also tell me that Buffalo head coach Turner Gill will not be hired to be Pelini's offensive coordinator. That makes sense to me. Even though it would likely be a pay bump, going from head coach to offensive coordinator is not a good move unless it's necessitated by a dismissal situation. Whether Gill has actually interviewed with Osborne for the head coaching position is something I have not confirmed yet, but an interview was reported by Tom Deinert of the Sporting News.
3. Sources also say that Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe was interviewed by Osborne recently. This was also reported by Deinert. I have no word on the evaluation of the interview. Per Deinert, 'Grobe has nine years left on his Wake deal, which pays him $1.5 million annually. He has a $2 million buyout.'
4. Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly is also rumored to be interviewing with Osborne today. I have not confirmed this. Early morning word came from Channel 8 in Lincoln that the University had scheduled a flight to Cincinnati today, but I have not been able to find a flight on FlightTracker with those end points.

That's the latest.

In Defense of Callahan

Now there's a controversial title, given how little defense we've seen on the field this fall from the Huskers (I refuse to call them Blackshirts).

With all of the talking heads and upset fans rushing to crucify Bill Callahan on his way out the door, I thought it might be appropriate to look at some of the positive developments during his four years in Lincoln. Maybe I can convince some fans that he is in fact NOT the Spawn of Satan.

• Callahan and his wife Valerie have created and expanded Coach Callahan Charities, Inc. Coach Callahan Charities, Inc. is a non-profit organization established by Coach Callahan and his wife, Valerie, to provide financial support to non-profit organizations to fight breast cancer and diabetes and to assist economically disadvantaged and at-risk youth and families in the area. The organization hosts events such as a charity fashion show, a 5K fun run, and Football 101 (an informational course for women who want to learn more about the sport).
• Callahan helped develop and lead the Husker Youth Experience where hundreds of youngsters get to meet their NU football heroes and spend a morning working out with them and learning the sport.
• The Nebraska Elite Quarterback Academy was developed under Callahan, who is considered an offensive guru. This summer academy has helped the coaching staff identify future prospects such as Josh Freeman, Ryan Mallett, and Blaine Gabbert early in their high school careers.
• The Husker Football Schools (summer camps) have grown and developed significantly since Callahan took over the program.

You may not believe Callahan is a great coach, and I sometimes question his ability to make the tough decisions a head coach has to make (such as firing his defensive coordinator), but you have to admit that there are some positives that he's been a big part of building into the Nebraska program.