Beating Kansas...Twice
5 comments so far
November 10, 2008 by
The Nebraska Cornhusker beat Kansas on the football field Saturday. Who would have guessed they would beat the Jayhawks off of it, too? Nebraska secured a recruiting commitment from Earnest Norman - a linebacker prospect who attended the game. Prior to Saturday, he had been committed to the Jayhawks. Norman is the 16th member of this latest Husker class, and is the second player from his high school to choose NU.
The Prospect
Norman is listed as a middle linebacker prospect and goes 5'11'' and 220 pounds. Both Rivals and Scout list him as a 3-star prospect. Norman has offers from several schools including three in the Big 12 - Oklahoma State, Kansas State and the aforementioned Jayhawks. Like his cousin and fellow Husker recruit Dontrayevous Robinson, Norman plays for Texas 5A powerhouse Trinity high school in Euless Texas. So, he has measured up against some fairly stiff competition in high school. All in all, this is a very good get for NU.
Sweet Win
At BRN, we always relish recruits a little bit more when they choose the Huskers over other members of the conference. It's like winning twice - one for NU and one NOT for them. And, there is a saying the coaches in the Big 12 have about recruiting kids from Texas...you had better sign them, because if you don't you just end up playing against them later. NU establishing a solid foothold at a program like Trinity is also a very encouraging sign. This is an especially sweet verbal commitment for all of those reasons.
Some Bad News
Now, there is a bit of bad news on the recruiting front. Highly regarded linebacker commit Chris Williams suffered a "freak" accident during a play along the sidelines in his game on Saturday. He badly injured his left knee. The reigning Texas 5-A defensive player of the year will have surgery on the knee to repair it. This is a very tough break for a talented player.
If there is any silver lining in this for NU, it is that there is ample time for Williams to have surgery and recover, especially if he uses a redshirt season as a freshman. And it is safe to assume that NU will stick with Williams and continue to make a valid offer while the injury might scare off a few of his other high-profile suitors. I just hope he heals well and becomes an impact player again in his career.
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Bill in Iowa Nov 10 08
ESPN says:
Norman is a fast attacking outside linebacker prospect who covers a lot of ground on the football field and has a knack for making big plays. He lacks ideal size and speed measurables on paper but plays fast and physical on the field and is just a good, solid football player. Consistently around the ball making plays and shows great instincts on both run and pass support. Very versatile defender playing both inside and outside LB as well as safety. Diagnoses the play quickly and gets a fast jump on the football. Shows little wasted motion tracking down ball carriers. Flashes great sideline-to-sideline range and closing speed. When employed inside, he shows great burst hitting the run seam inside-out and blowing up plays in the opponent's backfield. Shows good lateral fluidity slipping the cutoff block and a nose for the football sliding through the small run creases. Equally impressive on the outside. Does not stay blocked for long and does a good job utilizing his long arms and deceptive upper-body strength keeping blockers off his body. Aggressive and difficult to seal on the outside and strings the run out well to the sideline. Great vertical attacker with his striking acceleration and closing burst on the perimeter. Disruptive blitzer off the edge with his first-step quickness and good bend. Fluid hips and turns in coverage; can pattern match quicker slots and provide a good jam. Transitions quickly breaking on underneath routes and shows explosive plant and drive skill. Delivers solid hits and can be a punishing tackler. However, at times he struggles breaking down smoothly in space and can lunge as a tackler. Will need to improve lower-body strength and power to drive and explode through bigger ball carriers at the next level. Can struggle disengaging the cutoff block and he will need to improve upper-body strength as well. We have concerns about his limited upside in terms of physical development with his non-rangy frame. With that said, Norman is a major sleeper on the recruiting trail. Will probably only produce adequate combine numbers but is a kid who can run and hit on the football field as well as some of the better LBs in this class. Very good football player and should be a stud on special teams.
http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=58697&season=2009&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncf%2frecruiting%2ftracker%2fplayer%3frecruitId%3d58697%26season%3d2009
Bill in Iowa Nov 10 08
I would highly recommend the aforementioned website for free recruiting info. They pretty much use Scout.com material, but instead of 3,4,5 star ratings, they use a number system (mostly 40-100). Most teams have players in the 70's to low 80's.
For instance, Oklahoma has no players ranked higher than 82. Seven players ranked from 80-82. Eight players ranked 78-80 and five between 75-77.
The Huskers right now have four players ranked from 78-79, seven players between 75-77 and five between 70-74.
I am not one to put to much weight on these systems, but this is the best ranking system I have seen. And they give you a full run down on the players and some video.
I think Bo is putting together a really solid class. When you hear about a player committing (especially a defensive player) often times they list Pelini's personality as the reason. He isn't going to have any trouble getting his players to play his D.
My worry is the Cali effect...becoming so concentrated on one side of the ball in recruting efforts, the other side is neglected. I don't think that will happen, but it's something to be aware of.
Dr. Tom Nov 10 08
Why is there so much apathy toward the Huskers?
http://www.huskerextra.com/articles/2008/11/09/football/doc49165bbe6cafd701420095.txt?orss=1
JBLING22 Nov 10 08
I don't think the Cali effect is in play here... Out of the first 15, 10 of them are able to play offense, 5 are true defense, with about 5 being able to play both ways.... Right now its apparent that we are looking for DB, LB's (Rightfully so) as well as WRs...
Jason Nov 10 08
"Dr. Tom" in the last 5 months you have left 17 inflammatory comments on our site. I think the real question is why a Buff fan such as yourself would spend so much time reading and commenting on Husker sites.
Go troll somewhere else because we're not taking your bait.