Almost All the Bases Are Covered
7 comments so far
February 5, 2010 by
A few weeks ago, I used the analogy of Linebackers stepping up to fill in gaps to try and figure out where Coach Pelini might try and plug future holes with his recruiting. What I found were that the top three needs in the future (not necessarily this year) were likely at offensive line, linebacker, and defensive back. Beyond that, defensive line, quarterback, and running back would be concerns after those positions. Wide receiver and tight end were probably not as big a concern this year, but if there were guys not to pass on, NU would take them. Overall, Bo did a good job of spreading the scholarships out over offense and defense and over all the positions.
Well, there's a reason that Bo Pelini is probably the coach of the Huskers and I am not. Spending all those scholarships on the defensive line was probably a great idea for NU. Players like Jay Guy and Chase Rome will be serious players with the Pelini's knack for player development. Not everyone is going to have the same kind of motor as Suh. So why not develop guys that can keep the rotation fresh all game on the defensive front?
With my untrained eyes looking at the roster, I would have thought that getting young linebackers would be very important. But Pelini did one better and recruited an immediate impact guy in Lavonte David. This allows the coaches to hit the recruiting trail for linebackers in 2011.
As for the other two "positions of need" at offensive line and defensive back, I think that coach Pelini filled it in quite nicely. Getting "A-Rod" Andrew Rodriguez was a no-brainer. The best player out of the state of Nebraska is a great offensive lineman prospect. Whether they had a roster full of linemen or not, NU would go after this guy. And picking up Corey Cooper makes the defensive backs set look really sharp.
I think in today's recruiting world, especially with the complication of the offense, Nebraska (like most programs) needs to get and develop a quarterback in almost every class. Even with the drama surrounding Brion Carnes, this guy needed to come to Nebraska. It's like he's family. I am never going to fault a coaching staff if they get one of the top quarterbacks on their list no matter how many are already on the team.
Somewhat further down on the priority list was running back. But one of the top five recruits for NU in this year's class was a running back out of the Pelini's old stomping grounds, Braylon Heard. Like at quarterback, it never hurts to recruit a running back every year. Stables of backs (2 or 3 regulars) seem to be the norm in college football now. Depth is critical.
While fans and bloggers may not have had pegged the same numbers of recruits at each position as the coaches did, the coaches get paid the big bucks for a reason. They know better, or should. Overall, Coach Pelini got what he thinks he needs to continue to make this program able to compete for the Big 12 Championship.
Did you enjoy this article?
Get Husker news by email
Follow us on Twitter
Related Stories: Recruiting
Post a comment
dennyk Feb 05 10
Great article Tom!
Has Andrew Rodriguez ever tried his hand (left) at Center or long snapper?
Being a "south paw" myself I'd think a left handed center might have some advantages simply because teams probably don't play against one very often.
Darren Feb 05 10
Thanks for the overview, Tom. The class's reputation is as a defensive one. But, the more you look at it, the more it appears very balanced for O & D. Assuming Marsh plays safety, it is really 50/50.
I think Carnes is an important "get". Teams can't have 3 quarterbacks on the roster. They must have 5, that means getting one essentially every year. NU went from stocked at QB to playing a true frosh and converting a linebacker in about one month's time.
tim Feb 05 10
i have a question do you guys think shawn watson can develope players on offense i know in 2008 the offense was ranked pretty high but it struggled aginst the better teams in the big 12 and last year they were terrible i know they say injuries had something to do with it but that is part of football and why you need to develope players
stew Feb 05 10
I think it's clear the areas where we needed the most help (OL, LB, CB) were addressed with this recruiting class. It's about time Pelini get his squad some depth on the OL b/c even with the success of the '08 offense, the line was still relatively weak compared to other strong offenses. Honestly, I think in 2010 the OL will be a staple of our team because we have experience (5 seniors) & we are deep with competitive, smart & coachable guys. By the way, our C Caputo now has a backup in the form of Cole Pensick, who is moving from the DLine.
I totally agree with Tom about the importance of getting Lavonte David. Along with Martin, Fisher & Compton, our LB crew should be more than servicable. Oh, if you haven't seen David's highlights yet, he looks like the perfect fit for our style of D (the next Terrell Farley if you ask me). This will definitely fill the void while our coaches target more LBs for the 2011 class, assuming that's what they want to do.
Tony Feb 06 10
Tim,
I would guess given the fact that Bo Pelini has embraced the walk on program, I am not a betting man, but I would wager a dime on this. Bo Pelini remembers the old Nebraska "Pipeline"
I think our offense will do fine in the long run. Yeah I went there.
Cornhead Feb 06 10
Considering the general shift in offensive strategy in college football (and the Big XII in particular) from a ground based attack to a spread and spread/option attack, it's my opinion that linebackers aren't quite as important, in the traditional roles, anyway. Even back in the 90's McBride went to more of a "hybrid" backer, as fast as a safety, but smaller than a typical linebacker.
We saw it this year where most of our defensive snaps only had 1 true linebacker on the field at a time (Dillard). We are playing more and more dime and nickel, thus I don't think we need a huge stockpile of "linebackers". Hybrid backers, yes, but not old fashioned, beefy linebackers.
Dwayne Feb 07 10
"When we put up the depth chart going into spring football, we're going to be four-deep." I really like this quote from the staff. Everything starts and stops up front. Mega depth developing.