Nebraska Class Falling Apart?

Since rumors began swirling about Bill Callahan being let go after the season, the Nebraska Cornhuskers have been grasping to commitments with nervous hands with no avail.

The decommitments of highly ranked kids like Blaine Gabbert and Jonas Gray are well documented. Gabbert is the top player in the state of Missouri and Gray is tops in Michigan.

Nebraska also lost a big time in-state prospect Trevor Robinson. Gabbert is headed to Missouri while Gray and Robinson are both headed to South Bend.

But it did not stop there. West Virginia snagged WR D.J. Woods.

Then Dan Hawkins and Colorado came calling. Colorado, arguably the hottest team in the nation when it comes to recruiting, stole a mit-ful of future Huskers. It hurts even worse that these kids are heading to Boulder seeing as how these two fan bases have had such cordial interactions in the part. An entire student section was forced to leave during the 2005 match-up.

JUCO linebacker Sean Mohler 4-star (Costa Mesa, FL)
Defensive end Josh Williams 3-star (Denton, TX)
Offensive lineman Bryce Givens 4-star (Denver, CO)
Linebacker Doug Rippy 3-star (Trotwood, OH)

The Zen Master has also recently added Max Mariner, Lynn Katoa, Jon Major, Ryan Deehan and silently...SHHH....Darrell Scott.

But the bleeding in Lincoln gives the term "Big Red" new meaning. It could not be stopped. The #1 ranked JUCO player in the nation, Simi Kuli, has decommitted. Oregon St is looking to swoop in and snag him. Top linebacker prospect Will Compton has also decommitted and has narrowed his choices to Illinois and Missouri.

That is 10 decommitments. I have seen classes take hits with coaching changes, 3-4 kids leave, but 10? Never.

Lets hope that Bo Pelini can get the Huskers back to the old style of football with big uglies, power fullbacks and lots of yards on the ground. That is what I enjoyed watching.

Decommitment Party Coming to a Town Near You

Working for Rivals.com, one realizes that a 'verbal commitment' is just that. A spoken agreement between two parties. In the past a 'commitment' meant more. Realistically, roughly 90% of commitments stick and hold true.

Its seems recently that with all the major coaching moves, the word 'decommitted' has come up more and more often....

It all started with Nebraska and Bill Callahan getting axed...
Blaine Gabbert - QB (Ballwin, MO) Nebraska --> Missouri
Jonas Gray - RB (Detroit, MI) Nebraska --> Notre Dame
Trevor Robinson - OL (Elkhorn, NE) Nebraska --> ???
Sean Mohler - LB (Newport Beach, CA) Nebraska --> Colorado
D.J. Woods - WR (Strongville, OH) Nebraska --> West Virginia

This, on the same day that WVU lands another wide receiver named J.D. Woods from Naples, FL. So DJ Woods and JD Woods both wideouts, both commit to same school on the same day? Am I the only one who finds that weird?

Nebraska stopped the bleeding a bit when Bo Pelini hired Barney Cotton...
Ben Cotton - TE (Ames, IA) Louisville --> Nebraska

Then Dennis Franchione got lopped and Oklahoma got lucky...
Markelle Martin - S (Wichita Falls, TX) Texas A&M --> Oklahoma

But then Mike Sherman and the Aggies returned the favor...
Jeff Fuller - WR (McKinney, TX) Oklahoma --> Texas A&M

UCLA, Arkansas, and Georgia Tech have removed their HC's and it cost them...
Kemonte Bateman - WR (Los Angeles, CA) UCLA --> Arizona St
Sean Renfree - QB (Scottsdale, AZ) Georgia Tech --> ???
Jarius Wright - WR (Warren, AR) Arkansas --> ???

Keep an eye on E.J. Woods and Aundre Dean as well as their commitments to UCLA still hang in the balance.

Miami recently lost one of its fine linebacker commits...
Lerentee McCray - LB (Dunnellon, FL) Miami --> ???

This makes the tenuous commitment of Patrick Johnson even that more fragile.

Bret Bielema and Wisconsin have been poaching a bit...
Brandon Kelly - DE (Eden Prairie, MN) Minnesota --> Wisconsin
Anthony Mains - DE (Naples, FL) South Florida --> Wisconsin

A 6-6, 250 lb quarterback was not satisfied with one decommitment, he had to go for two...
D.C. Jefferson - QB (Winterhaven, FL) Rutgers --> LSU --> Rutgers

LSU has lost two QB commits in the last two weeks (Darron Thomas).

Now there is a rumor that Lynn Katoa is uneasy with his commitment to Colorado. Oklahoma looks to be a player.

Just a few more...
London Davis - TE (Cahokia, IL) Missouri --> Illinois
D.J. Marshall - DE (Mesquite, TX) Iowa State --> Kansas
Blair Irvin - DB (Patterson, LA) Auburn --> West Virginia

Pelini/Osborne strike again: Ben Cotton

As Bo Pelini continues to put his staff together for his new gig at Nebraska, one such hire has paid off two fold. Pelini has hired Barney Cotton. The former Nebraska offensive coordinator, who most recently was the OC at Iowa St (2006), brings with him his talented son Ben Cotton. Ben Cotton had been committed to Louisville for some time now but switches to Big Red to be coached by his father.

How he ranks:

Rivals: #25 tight end
Scout: #18 tight end
ESPN: #30 tight end

The 6-6, 215 lb Ames High School (Ames, IA) product has nice pass-catching ability. He uses his hands well keeping the ball away from his body as catching the ball on the run is not a problem. He certainly understands the way to play offense due to the fact that his father has been an offensive coach at high level division-1 football programs. Mentally, he has a high football IQ.

The major issue is his strength and power. At 6-6, 215 his needs to put on 20-30 pounds before he will make a big impact in the run game. He also lacks power after the catch. He does show effort while blocking so the potential is there but he will have to get more powerful at the point of attack.

Ben Cotton is a solid pick-up. I have always been a huge fan of coach's kids.

1st Commitment of Bo Pelini Era

Technically, however, it was Tom Osborne that got the pledge. The former Nebraska head coach called young Mr. Micah Kreikemeier shortly after the press conference to announce Bo Pelini as the new coach. Orborne offered him a scholarship. I suppose if there is an Athletic Director out there that is qualified to evaluate talent its Tom Osborne.

Micah Kreikemeier accepted it immediately.

It's no surprise that the 6-4, 220 lb tight end/defensive end/linebacker/fullback from West Point Central HS (West Point, NE) committed to the legendary coach. Kreikemeier's father and high school head coach both walked-on and played for Osborne at Nebraska.

Bill Callahan only offered scholarships to two in-state players last season. It is the right move for Osborne and Pelini to refocus their energies inward first. Although not a loaded state for talent each season, there are certainly more than two players that can help maintain Big Red's dominance within the state of Nebraska.

Kreikemeier is not rated...by anyone. But he is a legacy of sorts, its a great PR move and certainly the young kid has the genes and up-bringing to be a sound football player. We'll see.

Photo by Brian Bahr