We will be posting the reaction from recruits who attended today's spring game in this thread.
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n.rivals.com
Arrival and activities leading up to the game:
"I think that we got there about an hour and 45 minutes before the game started," Hausmann said. "We went straight to the stadium to watch pre-game."
Thoughts on the crowd/atmosphere:
"It was crazy!" Hausmann said. "It was great getting fans back in the stadium. Hopefully this fall they will be at full capacity. But it was awesome yesterday and the fans that they had out there."
Thoughts on the defensive play:
"That was the only thing that I wanted to see. I thought that they looked very confident in doing what they were being asked to do."
What Ruud told Ernest to watch for:
"I talked to coach Ruud during the week. I know before the open practice he told me to watch some of the drills to take back with me. This week he told me to really watch the linebackers and catch their pre-snap reads and the communication at the line."
Thoughts on official visit to Nebraska:
"We are still in touch with the coaches about that. I haven't made a decision yet on when we will take the trip. It will be in the summer. I know it won't be the first weekend in June. We have been talking as well about me just going those weekends and being a part of the weekend but not as an official visitor. I am going to try and be at the camps, the Friday Night Lights, and be down there with all of the recruits to talk to them."
Summer plans:
"The summer is going to be a lot," Hausmann said. "I am trying to figure out what it's all going to be. There is going to be a combination of the nutrition as well as the strength training. I am also training mentally as well. I want to put some time in to study the game and work the technique. I also want to get my team ready for Friday nights. We lost some key players. It's going to be busy but it will be a really fun summer."
Playing both ways in the fall:
"I will be play both sides of the ball. I will be playing receiver. I am not looking to come off of the field at any time."
(Bryan)
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n.rivals.com
About making it in this weekend after thinking he wouldn't:
"I was originally I was supposed to have a baseball game," Conley said. "We didn't have it. I found out earlier in the week that I could go. So we bought the tickets and my grandparents could go so we went."
Getting back to Nebraska was important:
"On my unofficial visit to Nebraska before I didn't get to see a lot. I knew that I wanted to get up there to watch a practice or see the school the again and set foot on campus. I am guessing when I take my official visit that I will be able to see some more things."
Travel and pre-game:
"We came up that morning," Conley said. "We got there around 11:40 or so. We really went straight to the stadium and got settled in with our seats. We didn't walk around too much."
The environment there this weekend:
"Fans were definitely excited," Conley said. "I know that it's a little more difficult to get up and excited for a spring game since they are competing against themselves. I think that you could really see the atmosphere on that last play when they scored again that it got really loud in there even with it being at 50% capacity."
About the wide receivers:
"I know that the receivers that were out there yesterday had some pretty big time plays. They looked good and just getting targets even. I see myself as being one of those bigger outside wide receivers that they can create mismatches with. That is something that they have been stressing to me in my recruiting process."
About the offense:
"I know that they are definitely trying to use their wide receivers a lot more," Conley said. "I really want to watch some more film and see specifically how they want to do that. I think from what I saw on Saturday it is (a good fit).
Rating the visit:
"I give it about a '7.5'," Conley said. "It's really hard to get a feel for things in a spring game since they are really not going all out with scheme. I know from previous games there my visit score would have been pretty high."
What's next:
"I have an official visit set up to Kentucky on June 11th," Conley said. "I am looking to set one up with Nebraska and potentially Arizona State. I will also do some camps during the summer. I don't have a date yet for the visit with Nebraska. I know one of the camps I am looking at is at Florida State. It's going to be a huge camp."
(Bryan)
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One of the surprise recruit attendees at the Red-White game yesterday was 4-star offensive tackle Lucas Heyer from Maplewood, Minn., who is rated the #176 prospect in the country in the Rivals250.
He was planning to attend the March junior day at Nebraska last year before COVID shut everything down, so this was his first in-person experience of the Big Red.
He is very hard to reach for any comments about how his recruiting is going or what his plans are, but he did send me one brief text response to what he thought about being in Lincoln Saturday for the Huskers' scrimmage:
"It was great! I loved the atmosphere!"
Again, he has not yet responded to any of my follow-up questions, but if he does I will post them here.
(Mike)
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On first trip west through Iowa and into Nebraska:
"We went out Friday night," Borchers said. "We drove about four hours to Omaha. We drove to Lincoln the next morning. It wasn't a bad drive at all. It went by fast."
Stuff before the game:
"The town was jam packed. There were lots of fans. It was pretty surreal to see that many people in the city. I haven't seen that in a while and it was for a scrimmage. I think that there were like 40,000 fans there."
Thoughts on the environment/atmosphere:
"It was amazing how into the game the fans are," Borchers said. "It was pretty crazy with all of their chants and stuff. Everyone knows what to do. I couldn't imagine how insane it would be playing another team."
Thoughts on the offensive and defensive line:
"It was very physical on both sides of the ball," Borchers said. "There was a time when I was next to Teddy Prochazka and he's 6-foot-9. I was looking up to him and saying 'Wow!'. It's insane. They have a big line."
Thoughts on fitting in on the line (both sides):
"Offensively I liked their run game. I like how they run an RPO style that is similar to what we do. I liked how they came out and played some 4-3. I thought that I could play the three-technique. I thought that I could fit into their layout and scheme."
After the game:
"Towards the end of the game I was planning on meeting with Henry Lutovsky," Borchers said. "I met up with him and he showed me some of the main stuff on campus. He gave me a bit of a tour. He said it's been great. He said that the staff has helped him fit in. I went back to his dorm and met a couple of the other guys. They were all super nice."
Rating the experience:
"I went in with decently high expectations," Borchers said. "I had heard some things. I would say that the trip was like an '8'. The best thing was the fans. Just sitting in the stadium and how into it they were."
What's next:
"I have a couple of big wrestling tournaments coming up first. After that it's just going to be camps. I won't be able to make it to Nebraska's camp because of my cousin's graduation. I will be going to Iowa and Iowa State. I think that will probably be it for this summer."
(Bryan)
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Traveling to Nebraska:
"We left at about noon on Friday and spent the night," Page said. "We walked around campus that night and before the game. It's about a seven to eight hour drive."
What he saw before the game:
"The night before we drove through downtown. It was very cool. It's a little city. It's like a smaller Denver. It has a Denver vibe. My mom and I walked around everywhere. It was cool to see. Cool to see something different."
"It was very cool. A couple of hours yesterday morning my mom and I just walked around. We saw all of the fans starting to tailgate already, setting up and it was very cool to see them doing that hours before the game. That was crazy to see because I was like 'Damn, they really get into this'."
Thoughts on the environment of the game:
"It was half capacity and it was crazy to see how many fans were there," Page said. "It was great to see."
Thoughts on the offense:
"I was talking coach Matt Lubick earlier this week and he told me that he wasn't going to show anything crazy," Page said. "He said everything was very basic. I thought the plays they ran were still very cool."
Thoughts on the wide receivers:
"'I could 100% see myself in that offense. I kept imagining what it would be like if I was down there. All of those people cheering for me. It was very cool."
What he wants to see on official visit:
"For sure the facilities," Page said. "That's a big thing even though they are building brand new facilities. I want to see the locker room, the weight room and just meet the coaches in person."
Other trips Page has in mind:
"I have an official set up for Kansas State on the first weekend in June. After that I come back to Nebraska. I haven't set up the rest yet. I have to figure those out. I am looking at Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Missouri and Washington State. I am going to take an unofficial visit to Colorado."
Rate the visit/experience:
"I think that it was a solid '8'," Page said. "I thought that the atmosphere and the fans gave me goosebumps. There was a thing on the video board that said 'Welcome back to Memorial Stadium' and the crowd roared. It gave me goosebumps. They went crazy."
(Bryan)
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Class of 2024 Bellevue West receiver was in attendance at the spring game Saturday as well. He gave me a couple comments via twitter DM about his experience.
"It was great today. The atmosphere and the people around me were amazing and I loved to see all the fans that were there. It just shows how much people couldn’t wait to get back to the season."
I also asked him for his impressions about the game on the field.
"The game itself was very quick and fast-paced which I loved. I was mostly paying attention to Zavier and Omar because they are two good receivers and they play like me. So it was fun to watch them. I think the offense was very smooth and I like how the defense was playing because they covered the pass pretty well and the run."
(Mike)
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Nebraska is recruiting Jalen Marshall from Kansas as a defensive end and, even though he has scheduled his official to NU for June 4, he made a last minute decision to travel to Lincoln for Saturday's spring game.
"The atmosphere was crazy! You can tell how much the fans enjoy watching them play and how passionate they were about it."
Asked for his impressions about the game itself, Marshall replied:
"I thought the defensive line did a good job on pressuring the quarterback and being disruptive. I saw a lot of good plays."
There were other things that stood out to Marshall during his time in Nebraska.
"My dad came with me and the campus was nice. I'm excited to see the new renovations when they're done."
(Mike)
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Chris McClellan has become one of the most sought-after defensive end recruits in the Midwest, and he traveled to Lincoln today with his father and uncle to check out the Huskers' Red-White game, and to see how this former high school teammate, running back Sevion Morrison, would perform in the scrimmage.
"It was good. It was a great atmosphere. I got to see the team, the fans, and the atmosphere, and it was nice. I thought the city was very clean and everything is close within walking distance of the facilities and the stadium. So, I thought that was good."
McClellan said they drove to Lincoln and arrived 9:30 PM Friday evening.
"I talked to Sevion yesterday, and I think we're going to do something later on today before I leave. He did really good today. Very good. He got a lot of touches.
"The defense was also looking good. They've got some good pass rushers and some good run-stoppers, too. They looked like a solid unit today."
McClellan will have a busy June as far as visits are concerned. He will take an unofficial visit to Missouri to check out their campus and program on June 2. He has also slotted official visits to Florida, USC and Ohio State for the month of June.
"Nebraska was very nice. I really liked the atmosphere and I definitely want to come back up here and see it again whenever I can for an actual game."
(Mike)
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2022 ATH Jaren Kanak out of Hays, Kan. told me he and his family along with teammate LB Gavin Meyers' family caravanned from Hays to Lincoln for this spring game today.
It was the first time Kanak had been to Lincoln and the experience did not disappoint. He said they got to Lincoln, drove around for a bit then went straight to the stadium. He was very impressed by the atmosphere and by the amount of the fans that showed up to the game.
The super athlete said he was pretty much just being a fan today and taking in the whole vibe of the day. He didn't get too much into the X's and O's of it all, but did like what he saw from the "practice" as a whole.
Kanak said after the game Heinrich Haarberg found he and Meyers and relayed a message to them from Scott Frost. The basic gist of the message was that Frost wanted to apologize that he couldn't meet them face-to-face, but that he wanted to make sure they knew how appreciative he and the staff was that they came to Lincoln today. Frost also wanted them to know that they are a major part of what they are wanting to do with this recruiting class and will continue to be as things progress forward.
Kanak said the Huskers are still as involved with him as anyone else that he hears from including teams like K-State, Indiana, Texas Tech, TCU, Washington State, Iowa and others. His official visit for the first weekend in June is still on the table as long as it doesn't need to be rescheduled. I asked what may cause him to move the date and he said there might be something that coming up that could cause him to move that visit back but did no elaborate on what exactly.
However, he did go on to mention that one team that has come into the picture in a major way lately is Clemson. He said Coach Venables has been talking with him A LOT lately and wanting him to take an unofficial visit to Clemson ASAP. So I would assume that's what could force Kanak to potentially move the Nebraska OV back to a later date.
Overall, Kanak said he and his family had a great time at the spring game and are looking forward to getting back to Lincoln.
(Nate)
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On traveling to Nebraska:
"We drove out here yesterday," Maikkula said. "We got out here last night. We had a sushi dinner. Woke up and went to the game."
Maikkula took an unofficial, unofficial visit previously:
"My dad and I actually took a trip to Nebraska before. We just drove over to check things out like the campus and what we could of the football area."
Thoughts on the atmosphere:
"We loved the environment," Maikkula said. "Nebraska fans really showed out even if it was just for a spring game. That was really great to see."
Thoughts on the game:
"The offense and the defense looked great. Especially along the lines. I took special notice of the offensive line guys. I thought that they played great which was good to see. Their rush game looked really good too. Definitely helps to have a mobile quarterback."
Thoughts on the offense:
"That is what my high school does on offense," Maikkula said. "They run a lot of high tempo to tire out the defense, keep them on their toes and we hit them in the mouth. I would really like to play in that offense at the next level as well."
Rating the trip and what was the best thing that he experienced:
"It was definitely a '10'," Maikkula said. "We hear so many things about Nebraska fans showing up for games. It met our expectations. Walking in the Hay Market area was great. I was wearing a Valor shirt and we had people coming up to us. They all talked to us. It was a great experience."
What's next?
"I am looking to commit before my senior season. As of now, I have four of my five official visits set. Nebraska is in strong consideration for the last spot. I am going to visit Colorado, Cal, Virginia and Duke. I will probably set up that last spot in the next weekend or so. The four trips are all of the weekends in June. I would do the fifth as a mid-week trip."
(Bryan)
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One of Nebraska's top quarterback targets for this cycle, MJ Morris, traveled to Lincoln from Georgia to attend today's spring game.
"It was absolutely amazing! I mean, the fans really showed out. Right when he came into the stadium, we saw all of them there, and they said it's usually sold out. So that was really amazing and I loved it! The atmosphere was amazing.
"And then, the quarterback play was good and the offense moved the ball well. I could definitely see myself playing in that offense one day under Coach (Scott) Frost."
Morris and his mother flew into Omaha around 11:00 AM, and then drove straight to Lincoln. They grabbed a bite to eat and headed for the stadium.
"After the game, we took a little tour of the campus. I mean, the campus is huge. Everything here is just huge. I wish we would have had the time to go into all the buildings and stuff like that, but from all we saw I liked it a lot. It's a beautiful campus and a beautiful city.
"It was a new experience for me and my mom to see Nebraska for the first time. It was a great experience. We just thought that everything was huge. The stadium was huge. The campus is huge. We liked it a lot overall."
Morris said he would not have the opportunity to attend the Huskers' baseball game today.
Morris and his mother will fly back home to Georgia Sunday morning and he does not have any other trips planned at this time. He still intends to make his college decision sometime in the month of May.
"I would say, overall, it was a great experience my first time being in Lincoln, Nebraska. I definitely see why Nebraska is a great place to be. It definitely lived up to the hype. The atmosphere of Lincoln with the fans is amazing.
"And from an on the field standpoint, I can definitely see myself playing on that field one day for Coach Frost in that huge stadium under the lights. I loved it!"
(Mike)
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On traveling to Nebraska:
"We drove up," Mooney said. "I think that it was a 16 hour drive. It was a haul. We got up last night before the baseball game."
On the baseball game experience:
"It was awesome. I was surprised. They have great fans too. It was a lifetime experience. It shocked me. The park was awesome."
On the spring game experience:
"I know that a lot of people don't get into going to the spring game," Mooney said. "Nebraska they could fill that thing up. The tunnel walk is very cool. The fans were great today."
On the QB play today:
"I thought Martinez played pretty well today," Mooney said. "I thought that he threw it well and ran it well. The other QBs looked pretty good too."
On the offense:
"It's a fit for me because they spread the ball around and they run it too. They have the whole package."
Rating the trip and what stood out the most:
"The stadium is unreal and having fans ask me to take pictures with them was really cool. I can't imagine being out there when it's full. The visit was a '10'. The city is great, it's clean and very cool."
What are the upcoming plans:
"My visits this summer as of now are Georgia, LSU, Illinois, FAU and Ole Miss. I might go to Michigan State, Louisville or USC. I would like to try and make it back to Nebraska as well. I will be doing Elite 11 in June."
Traveling with teammates:
"I was there with my baseball teammate Ruder Wygant. He's getting interest from Nebraska. He loved it. He's a great player. He's a middle infielder. They are going to be looking at him hard this summer."
Shelton Sampson was asleep when I caught up with Mooney. Reese was going to have Shelton call me when he woke up.
(Bryan)
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On the travel to Lincoln:
"We drove up this morning," Hamm said. "It's only about three and a half hours for us to drive."
On the atmosphere today:
"It was all very positive," Hamm said. "All of the fans were engaged and everyone was doing the chants. The band was involved. They would celebrate the scores and the first downs. It was amazing how into it everyone was."
The tunnel walk:
"The tunnel walk was amazing. The atmosphere in the building just grew as they came out of the tunnel. As soon as they came out everyone got so hyped. It was amazing to see."
On the offense:
"Offensively I was happy to see the play action," Hamm said. "They mix it up a lot and run the ball a lot. They were very fluent out there. Everyone was communicating."
On how Nebraska uses the TE:
"I did like how they spread the tight end out. They put the tight end into the inside receiver spot. They threw to the tight end a few time. It's a very versatile position."
Did Hamm think he could fit in the Nebraska offense?
"Oh yeah, no doubt."
Plans going forward:
"I plan to get back to Nebraska as soon as possible after June 1st. I am looking at camps and looking to give it my all and continue to get my name out there, ball out until fall comes around. I am planning on going to Nebraska and also going to Kansas State. I am also planning on attending Iowa State's camp."
Rate the visit and best thing you saw:
"It was a '9'," Hamm said. "It was the team. Their passion for each other. There were a whole bunch of brothers out there on that field today."
(Bryan)
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Travel and what Samson did up to game:
"We flew to Omaha yesterday," Samson said. "We arrived midday. We checked in and walked around town. We ate and walked around a bit more. Before the game we ate and headed up to the game."
Thoughts on the environment:
"Even for it being 50% full it was still the craziest fanbase I have ever seen," Samson said. "I thought it was great. The fans have bought in as much as the players. They are part of the team. They really show it when they are in the stands. They were really into it on the 'Go Big Red' chant and whatever the clap song is that they do."
Thoughts on the offense:
"I really like what they were doing and how they would scheme towards certain players like numbers five and six," Samson said. "They tried to get the ball to them. I loved the QB draws. That's going to keep linebackers drawn in and opens up the quick throws."
Thoughts on Will Nixon and other WRs:
"He was pretty shifty today. He had a nice play on the sideline (one handed catch). I liked number five."
Rate the visit:
"It was an '8' or a '9'," Samson said. "It was pretty excellent. The best thing was the fans. It's unbelievable. There was nothing but red or white on everyone in this town."
Thoughts on coming back to Nebraska:
"I will be taking my official visit on June 4th through 6th to Nebraska. I want to make a decision sometime this summer. I have a visit planned to Colorado too. That's the only other plans I have."
(Bryan)
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Ernest Hausmann SOPHOMORE Linebacker Michigan
Ernest Hausmann - Linebacker for Michigan on Maize&BlueReview
Arrival and activities leading up to the game:
"I think that we got there about an hour and 45 minutes before the game started," Hausmann said. "We went straight to the stadium to watch pre-game."
Thoughts on the crowd/atmosphere:
"It was crazy!" Hausmann said. "It was great getting fans back in the stadium. Hopefully this fall they will be at full capacity. But it was awesome yesterday and the fans that they had out there."
Thoughts on the defensive play:
"That was the only thing that I wanted to see. I thought that they looked very confident in doing what they were being asked to do."
What Ruud told Ernest to watch for:
"I talked to coach Ruud during the week. I know before the open practice he told me to watch some of the drills to take back with me. This week he told me to really watch the linebackers and catch their pre-snap reads and the communication at the line."
Thoughts on official visit to Nebraska:
"We are still in touch with the coaches about that. I haven't made a decision yet on when we will take the trip. It will be in the summer. I know it won't be the first weekend in June. We have been talking as well about me just going those weekends and being a part of the weekend but not as an official visitor. I am going to try and be at the camps, the Friday Night Lights, and be down there with all of the recruits to talk to them."
Summer plans:
"The summer is going to be a lot," Hausmann said. "I am trying to figure out what it's all going to be. There is going to be a combination of the nutrition as well as the strength training. I am also training mentally as well. I want to put some time in to study the game and work the technique. I also want to get my team ready for Friday nights. We lost some key players. It's going to be busy but it will be a really fun summer."
Playing both ways in the fall:
"I will be play both sides of the ball. I will be playing receiver. I am not looking to come off of the field at any time."
(Bryan)
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Quinton Conley 2022 Athlete
Quinton Conley - 2022 3 Star Athlete for Pembroke Hill (Kansas City, MO) on Rivals.com
About making it in this weekend after thinking he wouldn't:
"I was originally I was supposed to have a baseball game," Conley said. "We didn't have it. I found out earlier in the week that I could go. So we bought the tickets and my grandparents could go so we went."
Getting back to Nebraska was important:
"On my unofficial visit to Nebraska before I didn't get to see a lot. I knew that I wanted to get up there to watch a practice or see the school the again and set foot on campus. I am guessing when I take my official visit that I will be able to see some more things."
Travel and pre-game:
"We came up that morning," Conley said. "We got there around 11:40 or so. We really went straight to the stadium and got settled in with our seats. We didn't walk around too much."
The environment there this weekend:
"Fans were definitely excited," Conley said. "I know that it's a little more difficult to get up and excited for a spring game since they are competing against themselves. I think that you could really see the atmosphere on that last play when they scored again that it got really loud in there even with it being at 50% capacity."
About the wide receivers:
"I know that the receivers that were out there yesterday had some pretty big time plays. They looked good and just getting targets even. I see myself as being one of those bigger outside wide receivers that they can create mismatches with. That is something that they have been stressing to me in my recruiting process."
About the offense:
"I know that they are definitely trying to use their wide receivers a lot more," Conley said. "I really want to watch some more film and see specifically how they want to do that. I think from what I saw on Saturday it is (a good fit).
Rating the visit:
"I give it about a '7.5'," Conley said. "It's really hard to get a feel for things in a spring game since they are really not going all out with scheme. I know from previous games there my visit score would have been pretty high."
What's next:
"I have an official visit set up to Kentucky on June 11th," Conley said. "I am looking to set one up with Nebraska and potentially Arizona State. I will also do some camps during the summer. I don't have a date yet for the visit with Nebraska. I know one of the camps I am looking at is at Florida State. It's going to be a huge camp."
(Bryan)
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One of the surprise recruit attendees at the Red-White game yesterday was 4-star offensive tackle Lucas Heyer from Maplewood, Minn., who is rated the #176 prospect in the country in the Rivals250.
He was planning to attend the March junior day at Nebraska last year before COVID shut everything down, so this was his first in-person experience of the Big Red.
He is very hard to reach for any comments about how his recruiting is going or what his plans are, but he did send me one brief text response to what he thought about being in Lincoln Saturday for the Huskers' scrimmage:
"It was great! I loved the atmosphere!"
Again, he has not yet responded to any of my follow-up questions, but if he does I will post them here.
(Mike)
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On first trip west through Iowa and into Nebraska:
"We went out Friday night," Borchers said. "We drove about four hours to Omaha. We drove to Lincoln the next morning. It wasn't a bad drive at all. It went by fast."
Stuff before the game:
"The town was jam packed. There were lots of fans. It was pretty surreal to see that many people in the city. I haven't seen that in a while and it was for a scrimmage. I think that there were like 40,000 fans there."
Thoughts on the environment/atmosphere:
"It was amazing how into the game the fans are," Borchers said. "It was pretty crazy with all of their chants and stuff. Everyone knows what to do. I couldn't imagine how insane it would be playing another team."
Thoughts on the offensive and defensive line:
"It was very physical on both sides of the ball," Borchers said. "There was a time when I was next to Teddy Prochazka and he's 6-foot-9. I was looking up to him and saying 'Wow!'. It's insane. They have a big line."
Thoughts on fitting in on the line (both sides):
"Offensively I liked their run game. I like how they run an RPO style that is similar to what we do. I liked how they came out and played some 4-3. I thought that I could play the three-technique. I thought that I could fit into their layout and scheme."
After the game:
"Towards the end of the game I was planning on meeting with Henry Lutovsky," Borchers said. "I met up with him and he showed me some of the main stuff on campus. He gave me a bit of a tour. He said it's been great. He said that the staff has helped him fit in. I went back to his dorm and met a couple of the other guys. They were all super nice."
Rating the experience:
"I went in with decently high expectations," Borchers said. "I had heard some things. I would say that the trip was like an '8'. The best thing was the fans. Just sitting in the stadium and how into it they were."
What's next:
"I have a couple of big wrestling tournaments coming up first. After that it's just going to be camps. I won't be able to make it to Nebraska's camp because of my cousin's graduation. I will be going to Iowa and Iowa State. I think that will probably be it for this summer."
(Bryan)
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Traveling to Nebraska:
"We left at about noon on Friday and spent the night," Page said. "We walked around campus that night and before the game. It's about a seven to eight hour drive."
What he saw before the game:
"The night before we drove through downtown. It was very cool. It's a little city. It's like a smaller Denver. It has a Denver vibe. My mom and I walked around everywhere. It was cool to see. Cool to see something different."
"It was very cool. A couple of hours yesterday morning my mom and I just walked around. We saw all of the fans starting to tailgate already, setting up and it was very cool to see them doing that hours before the game. That was crazy to see because I was like 'Damn, they really get into this'."
Thoughts on the environment of the game:
"It was half capacity and it was crazy to see how many fans were there," Page said. "It was great to see."
Thoughts on the offense:
"I was talking coach Matt Lubick earlier this week and he told me that he wasn't going to show anything crazy," Page said. "He said everything was very basic. I thought the plays they ran were still very cool."
Thoughts on the wide receivers:
"'I could 100% see myself in that offense. I kept imagining what it would be like if I was down there. All of those people cheering for me. It was very cool."
What he wants to see on official visit:
"For sure the facilities," Page said. "That's a big thing even though they are building brand new facilities. I want to see the locker room, the weight room and just meet the coaches in person."
Other trips Page has in mind:
"I have an official set up for Kansas State on the first weekend in June. After that I come back to Nebraska. I haven't set up the rest yet. I have to figure those out. I am looking at Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Missouri and Washington State. I am going to take an unofficial visit to Colorado."
Rate the visit/experience:
"I think that it was a solid '8'," Page said. "I thought that the atmosphere and the fans gave me goosebumps. There was a thing on the video board that said 'Welcome back to Memorial Stadium' and the crowd roared. It gave me goosebumps. They went crazy."
(Bryan)
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Class of 2024 Bellevue West receiver was in attendance at the spring game Saturday as well. He gave me a couple comments via twitter DM about his experience.
"It was great today. The atmosphere and the people around me were amazing and I loved to see all the fans that were there. It just shows how much people couldn’t wait to get back to the season."
I also asked him for his impressions about the game on the field.
"The game itself was very quick and fast-paced which I loved. I was mostly paying attention to Zavier and Omar because they are two good receivers and they play like me. So it was fun to watch them. I think the offense was very smooth and I like how the defense was playing because they covered the pass pretty well and the run."
(Mike)
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Nebraska is recruiting Jalen Marshall from Kansas as a defensive end and, even though he has scheduled his official to NU for June 4, he made a last minute decision to travel to Lincoln for Saturday's spring game.
"The atmosphere was crazy! You can tell how much the fans enjoy watching them play and how passionate they were about it."
Asked for his impressions about the game itself, Marshall replied:
"I thought the defensive line did a good job on pressuring the quarterback and being disruptive. I saw a lot of good plays."
There were other things that stood out to Marshall during his time in Nebraska.
"My dad came with me and the campus was nice. I'm excited to see the new renovations when they're done."
(Mike)
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Chris McClellan has become one of the most sought-after defensive end recruits in the Midwest, and he traveled to Lincoln today with his father and uncle to check out the Huskers' Red-White game, and to see how this former high school teammate, running back Sevion Morrison, would perform in the scrimmage.
"It was good. It was a great atmosphere. I got to see the team, the fans, and the atmosphere, and it was nice. I thought the city was very clean and everything is close within walking distance of the facilities and the stadium. So, I thought that was good."
McClellan said they drove to Lincoln and arrived 9:30 PM Friday evening.
"I talked to Sevion yesterday, and I think we're going to do something later on today before I leave. He did really good today. Very good. He got a lot of touches.
"The defense was also looking good. They've got some good pass rushers and some good run-stoppers, too. They looked like a solid unit today."
McClellan will have a busy June as far as visits are concerned. He will take an unofficial visit to Missouri to check out their campus and program on June 2. He has also slotted official visits to Florida, USC and Ohio State for the month of June.
"Nebraska was very nice. I really liked the atmosphere and I definitely want to come back up here and see it again whenever I can for an actual game."
(Mike)
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2022 ATH Jaren Kanak out of Hays, Kan. told me he and his family along with teammate LB Gavin Meyers' family caravanned from Hays to Lincoln for this spring game today.
It was the first time Kanak had been to Lincoln and the experience did not disappoint. He said they got to Lincoln, drove around for a bit then went straight to the stadium. He was very impressed by the atmosphere and by the amount of the fans that showed up to the game.
The super athlete said he was pretty much just being a fan today and taking in the whole vibe of the day. He didn't get too much into the X's and O's of it all, but did like what he saw from the "practice" as a whole.
Kanak said after the game Heinrich Haarberg found he and Meyers and relayed a message to them from Scott Frost. The basic gist of the message was that Frost wanted to apologize that he couldn't meet them face-to-face, but that he wanted to make sure they knew how appreciative he and the staff was that they came to Lincoln today. Frost also wanted them to know that they are a major part of what they are wanting to do with this recruiting class and will continue to be as things progress forward.
Kanak said the Huskers are still as involved with him as anyone else that he hears from including teams like K-State, Indiana, Texas Tech, TCU, Washington State, Iowa and others. His official visit for the first weekend in June is still on the table as long as it doesn't need to be rescheduled. I asked what may cause him to move the date and he said there might be something that coming up that could cause him to move that visit back but did no elaborate on what exactly.
However, he did go on to mention that one team that has come into the picture in a major way lately is Clemson. He said Coach Venables has been talking with him A LOT lately and wanting him to take an unofficial visit to Clemson ASAP. So I would assume that's what could force Kanak to potentially move the Nebraska OV back to a later date.
Overall, Kanak said he and his family had a great time at the spring game and are looking forward to getting back to Lincoln.
(Nate)
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On traveling to Nebraska:
"We drove out here yesterday," Maikkula said. "We got out here last night. We had a sushi dinner. Woke up and went to the game."
Maikkula took an unofficial, unofficial visit previously:
"My dad and I actually took a trip to Nebraska before. We just drove over to check things out like the campus and what we could of the football area."
Thoughts on the atmosphere:
"We loved the environment," Maikkula said. "Nebraska fans really showed out even if it was just for a spring game. That was really great to see."
Thoughts on the game:
"The offense and the defense looked great. Especially along the lines. I took special notice of the offensive line guys. I thought that they played great which was good to see. Their rush game looked really good too. Definitely helps to have a mobile quarterback."
Thoughts on the offense:
"That is what my high school does on offense," Maikkula said. "They run a lot of high tempo to tire out the defense, keep them on their toes and we hit them in the mouth. I would really like to play in that offense at the next level as well."
Rating the trip and what was the best thing that he experienced:
"It was definitely a '10'," Maikkula said. "We hear so many things about Nebraska fans showing up for games. It met our expectations. Walking in the Hay Market area was great. I was wearing a Valor shirt and we had people coming up to us. They all talked to us. It was a great experience."
What's next?
"I am looking to commit before my senior season. As of now, I have four of my five official visits set. Nebraska is in strong consideration for the last spot. I am going to visit Colorado, Cal, Virginia and Duke. I will probably set up that last spot in the next weekend or so. The four trips are all of the weekends in June. I would do the fifth as a mid-week trip."
(Bryan)
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One of Nebraska's top quarterback targets for this cycle, MJ Morris, traveled to Lincoln from Georgia to attend today's spring game.
"It was absolutely amazing! I mean, the fans really showed out. Right when he came into the stadium, we saw all of them there, and they said it's usually sold out. So that was really amazing and I loved it! The atmosphere was amazing.
"And then, the quarterback play was good and the offense moved the ball well. I could definitely see myself playing in that offense one day under Coach (Scott) Frost."
Morris and his mother flew into Omaha around 11:00 AM, and then drove straight to Lincoln. They grabbed a bite to eat and headed for the stadium.
"After the game, we took a little tour of the campus. I mean, the campus is huge. Everything here is just huge. I wish we would have had the time to go into all the buildings and stuff like that, but from all we saw I liked it a lot. It's a beautiful campus and a beautiful city.
"It was a new experience for me and my mom to see Nebraska for the first time. It was a great experience. We just thought that everything was huge. The stadium was huge. The campus is huge. We liked it a lot overall."
Morris said he would not have the opportunity to attend the Huskers' baseball game today.
Morris and his mother will fly back home to Georgia Sunday morning and he does not have any other trips planned at this time. He still intends to make his college decision sometime in the month of May.
"I would say, overall, it was a great experience my first time being in Lincoln, Nebraska. I definitely see why Nebraska is a great place to be. It definitely lived up to the hype. The atmosphere of Lincoln with the fans is amazing.
"And from an on the field standpoint, I can definitely see myself playing on that field one day for Coach Frost in that huge stadium under the lights. I loved it!"
(Mike)
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On traveling to Nebraska:
"We drove up," Mooney said. "I think that it was a 16 hour drive. It was a haul. We got up last night before the baseball game."
On the baseball game experience:
"It was awesome. I was surprised. They have great fans too. It was a lifetime experience. It shocked me. The park was awesome."
On the spring game experience:
"I know that a lot of people don't get into going to the spring game," Mooney said. "Nebraska they could fill that thing up. The tunnel walk is very cool. The fans were great today."
On the QB play today:
"I thought Martinez played pretty well today," Mooney said. "I thought that he threw it well and ran it well. The other QBs looked pretty good too."
On the offense:
"It's a fit for me because they spread the ball around and they run it too. They have the whole package."
Rating the trip and what stood out the most:
"The stadium is unreal and having fans ask me to take pictures with them was really cool. I can't imagine being out there when it's full. The visit was a '10'. The city is great, it's clean and very cool."
What are the upcoming plans:
"My visits this summer as of now are Georgia, LSU, Illinois, FAU and Ole Miss. I might go to Michigan State, Louisville or USC. I would like to try and make it back to Nebraska as well. I will be doing Elite 11 in June."
Traveling with teammates:
"I was there with my baseball teammate Ruder Wygant. He's getting interest from Nebraska. He loved it. He's a great player. He's a middle infielder. They are going to be looking at him hard this summer."
Shelton Sampson was asleep when I caught up with Mooney. Reese was going to have Shelton call me when he woke up.
(Bryan)
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On the travel to Lincoln:
"We drove up this morning," Hamm said. "It's only about three and a half hours for us to drive."
On the atmosphere today:
"It was all very positive," Hamm said. "All of the fans were engaged and everyone was doing the chants. The band was involved. They would celebrate the scores and the first downs. It was amazing how into it everyone was."
The tunnel walk:
"The tunnel walk was amazing. The atmosphere in the building just grew as they came out of the tunnel. As soon as they came out everyone got so hyped. It was amazing to see."
On the offense:
"Offensively I was happy to see the play action," Hamm said. "They mix it up a lot and run the ball a lot. They were very fluent out there. Everyone was communicating."
On how Nebraska uses the TE:
"I did like how they spread the tight end out. They put the tight end into the inside receiver spot. They threw to the tight end a few time. It's a very versatile position."
Did Hamm think he could fit in the Nebraska offense?
"Oh yeah, no doubt."
Plans going forward:
"I plan to get back to Nebraska as soon as possible after June 1st. I am looking at camps and looking to give it my all and continue to get my name out there, ball out until fall comes around. I am planning on going to Nebraska and also going to Kansas State. I am also planning on attending Iowa State's camp."
Rate the visit and best thing you saw:
"It was a '9'," Hamm said. "It was the team. Their passion for each other. There were a whole bunch of brothers out there on that field today."
(Bryan)
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Travel and what Samson did up to game:
"We flew to Omaha yesterday," Samson said. "We arrived midday. We checked in and walked around town. We ate and walked around a bit more. Before the game we ate and headed up to the game."
Thoughts on the environment:
"Even for it being 50% full it was still the craziest fanbase I have ever seen," Samson said. "I thought it was great. The fans have bought in as much as the players. They are part of the team. They really show it when they are in the stands. They were really into it on the 'Go Big Red' chant and whatever the clap song is that they do."
Thoughts on the offense:
"I really like what they were doing and how they would scheme towards certain players like numbers five and six," Samson said. "They tried to get the ball to them. I loved the QB draws. That's going to keep linebackers drawn in and opens up the quick throws."
Thoughts on Will Nixon and other WRs:
"He was pretty shifty today. He had a nice play on the sideline (one handed catch). I liked number five."
Rate the visit:
"It was an '8' or a '9'," Samson said. "It was pretty excellent. The best thing was the fans. It's unbelievable. There was nothing but red or white on everyone in this town."
Thoughts on coming back to Nebraska:
"I will be taking my official visit on June 4th through 6th to Nebraska. I want to make a decision sometime this summer. I have a visit planned to Colorado too. That's the only other plans I have."
(Bryan)
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