Better late than never.
Thought it would be fun to take a closer look at Nebraska’s 2017 recruiting class using a few metrics: player rankings, scholarship offers, and depth chart projection. On average, the major recruiting services have Nebraska’s class of 20 signees ranks on average about 20th in the country. 10 of the 20 Husker commits are considered 4 stars while the remaining 10 commits check in at 3 stars apiece. Over half of Nebraska signees received what I call “Blueblood offers”. It seems wide receiver and defensive line were the best recruited positions (hats off to Keith Williams and John Parella). The projected depth charts will be revisited after the Spring Game in April.
- Star rankings are from Rivals, Scout, and 247sports. Unless specified, rankings are unanimous.
- Scholarship offers are from Rivals.com. I've only counted the number of P5 schools who have offered. Numbers are reasonably accurate. Worth noting, they may or may not be up to date depending if all offers were reported to Rivals.
- P5 offers are from schools in the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12, and SEC.
- I've included blueblood schools who have offered. These are schools who have played in a college football playoff: Alabama*, Clemson*, Florida State, Michigan State, Ohio State*, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Washington (CFP National Champion*). Michigan and USC are also included for being tradition-rich programs who are trending upward.
QB
Tristan Gebbia
4****
13 offers
Alabama, Washington
Gebbia posted ridiculous numbers during his high school career at Calabasas: 13,109 passing yards (#2 all time in CA) and 141 TDs (#3 all time). At 6’3” 180 lbs, Gebbia may need a redshirt to put on his freshman fifteen (or thirty). Having enrolled in January, he will be playing in this year’s Spring Game along with Tanner Lee (Jr), Patrick O’Brien (RFr), and walk-on junior college transfer Andrew Bunch (So). Lee has FBS game experience from his Tulane days, while O’Brien has played in only one Spring Game. Bunch led his Tennessee high school to a state championship and 15-0 record in 2015. Last season, Bunch played at Scottsdale Community College where he threw for 1,331 yards and 13 TDs.
Projected Depth Chart: Lee, O’Brien, Gebbia, Bunch
RB
Jaylin Bradley
3***
1 offer
Bradley is one of four Nebraska signees in the 2017 class. The Bellevue West product made the grade and is considered one of the more underrated player in this class. Nebraska’s returning RB corps of Devine Ozigbo (Jr), Mikale Wilbon (Jr), and Tre Bryant (So) will likely nudge Bradley in the direction of a redshirt. Ozigbo saw the bulk of the workload before going down with an ankle injury midseason. All three backs have shown the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, but if they want to be “the guy” in Langsdorf’s offense, they’ll need to show consistency in pass protection. Adam Taylor (Sr) has dealt with knee injuries and will probably play some on special teams. Former walk-on Austin Rose (Jr) was recently put on scholarship, perhaps he may get as well.
Projected Depth Chart: Bryant, Ozigbo, Wilbon, Rose
FB
Ben Miles
3***
5 offers
Michigan State
Miles may not redshirt if he can be an instant contributor on special teams. The Husker offense in 2017 is going to look somewhat different than it has in recent past. Outside of short yardage situations, the FBs will mainly be seen on special teams and occasionally at H-back. In addition to Miles, Luke McNitt (Sr) and Harrison Jordan (Sr) appear to be front-runners for playing time. Bo Kitrell (Jr), Austin Hemphill (So), and Spencer Jordan (RFr) could potentially see some playing time.
Projected Depth Chart: McNitt, Miles, Jordan
WR
Keyshawn Johnson Jr.
4**** (Rivals, Scout)
19 offers
Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Ohio State, USC
Tyjon Lindsey
4****
26 offers
Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, USC, Washington
Jaevon McQuitty
4****
10 offers
Michigan
After graduating Jordan Westerkamp, Brandon Reilly, and Alonzo Moore, the Huskers needed to nab a few big-time recruits at the position. Johnson Jr, Lindsey, and McQuitty could each see significant playing time in 2017 if they can adjust to the speed of the game. Johnson Jr. and McQuitty have enrolled early and are set to play in the Spring Game. Don’t be surprised if Nebraska adds a graduate transfer or other late addition to provide needed depth. Nebraska returns De’Mornay Pierson-El (Sr), Zack Darlington (Jr), Stanley Morgan Jr. (Jr), Bryan Reimers (Jr), Gabe Rahn (Sr), and Keyan Williams (Jr). Redshirted freshman JD Spielman has impressed players and coaches from his scout team work and will see playing time in 2017. Langsdorf uses his receivers a lot of different ways, so this projection uses tiers to prioritize how I think the Huskers will start the first game.
Tier 1: Morgan Jr., Pierson-El
Tier 2: Spielman, Reimers, McQuitty, Johnson Jr., Lindsey, Rahn, Williams, Darlington
TE
Austin Allen
3***
4 offers
Kurt Rafdal
3***
12 offers
Nebraska also loses three seniors at TE including Cethan Carter, Sam Cotton, and Trey Foster. Both 2017 TE signees are listed at 6’8”. Opposing defenses will have red-zone matchup nightmares trying to defend these two at once. Allen is another in-state recruit to keep an eye on. He missed the first half of his senior football season with a meniscus injury and has been tearing up defenses on the basketball court this winter. Tyler Hoppes (Sr) and Connor Ketter (Sr) each saw little action in 2016. David Englehaupt (RFr), Branden Hohenstein (RFr), Matt Snyder (So), Jack Stoll (RFr) will all look to impress coaches in spring practice and throughout fall camp. I think Snyder has the best chance to take be the go-to receiver at this spot; however, the TE/H-back position is anyone’s for the taking.
Tier 1: Snyder, Hoppes, Ketter
Tier 2: Stoll, Rafdal, Allen, Englehaupt, Hohenstein
OL
Broc Bando
3***
5 offers
Brenden Jaimes
4**** (Scout)
9 offers
Matt Sichterman
4**** (Scout)
15 offers
Chris Walker
3*** (Scout, 247)
1 offer
All four of these prospects have big upside. Each is 6’5” or taller providing a great frame to develop over the next 5 years as I believe they will all redshirt as freshman. The athleticism of Jaimes and Sichterman stands out on film, and both appear to project as tackles. Bando is an early enrollee who will appear in the Spring game, most likely at guard. Walker has voiced interest in playing on the defensive side of the ball. He most likely will be at OT and is a player to keep an eye on. Both Walker (Lincoln East) and Bando (before transferring to IMG academy in FL.) are from Nebraska.
The Huskers have an arsenal of OL and will likely shake-up the depth chart before game one. Last year Cole Conrad (Jr), Tanner Farmer (Jr), Jerald Foster (Jr), Nick Gates (Jr), and David Knevel (Sr) all started at some point in the season. A lot of young guys will have a couple years in the system and may contend for playing time including Jalin Barnett (So), Bryan Brokop (RFr), Michael Decker (So), Matt Farniok (RFr), Christian Gaylord (So), John Raridon (RFr), and Boe Wilson (RFr). Zach Hannon and Dwayne Johnson Jr. are both scholarship seniors who are yet to make an impact in games. Typically, offensive lines will move players around in the event of an injury so this position is also difficult to predict a depth chart. [LT, LG, C, RG, RT, Sixth man]
First team: Gates, Foster, Decker, Farmer, Knevel, Wilson
Second team: Farniok, Conrad, Raridon, Barnett, Gaylord, Brokop
DL
Damion Daniels
3***
21 offers
Michigan, USC
Guy Thomas
4**** (Rivals)
16 offers
Alabama, Florida State, Michigan
Deontre Thomas
3***
10 offers
Michigan
Deiontae Watts
4**** (Scout)
14 offers
Oklahoma, USC
Parella has brought in an outstanding 2017 class. Daniels, D. Thomas, and Watts will all be interior DL in Bob Diaco’s 3-4 scheme. Daniels and Watts will likely be at NT and D. Thomas at DE. Look for G. Thomas to be used as the “Cat” outside linebacker (weak-side pass rusher). All four guys have the tangibles to play if they can physically adapt to the college game during fall camp; however, they’ll likely redshirt with only three defensive line positions to fill. Nebraska returns contributors Alex Davis (So), Freedom Akinmoladun (Jr), Sedrick King (Jr), AJ Natter (Sr), Mick Stoltenberg (Jr), Carlos Davis (So), and Khalil Davis (So). A few other guys who could emerge on the DL or at OLB are Collin Miller (RFr), DaiShon Neal (So), Ben Stille (RFr), and Peyton Newell (Jr). I’ll omit a few guys from here and include them in the LB depth chart.
First Tier: C. Davis, Akinmoladun, Stoltenberg, K. Davis
Second Tier: Daniels, Natter, Watts, Neal, D. Thomas, King, Newell
LB
Willie Hampton
3***
2 offers
Avery Roberts
4****
25 offers
Clemson, Oklahoma
Andrew Ward
3***
7 offers
Roberts is regarded as one of the top LB recruits in the country. An early enrollee, he’ll be learning the position this spring and will at the very least be on special teams heading into the first game. Hampton and Ward could also see special teams playing time but may be better off redshirting their first years on campus.
The LB position will be one of the most fun to watch in 2017 if they can effectively converge on ball carriers. When four LBs are on the field, there will typically be a strong-side ILB (Mike), weak-side ILB (Mo), strong-side OLB (Dog), and weak-side OLB (Cat). Mohammed Barry (So), Tyrin Ferguson (So), Luke Gifford (Jr), Marcus Newby (Sr), Chris Weber (Sr), and Dedrick Young II (Jr) all contributed in 2016. Quayshon Alexander, Pernell Jefferson, and Greg Simmons are each coming off their redshirt freshman season and will also contend for blackshirts. Nebraska needs a solid leader to step into the ‘Mike’ role and be the QB of the defense. A couple of defensive lineman will join the LB corps at either the Dog or Cat spot.
Dog: Newby, Gifford, Alexander
Mike: Weber, Ferguson,Roberts
Mo: Young II, Barry,Simmons, Hampton
Cat: Alex Davis, Jefferson, Collin Miller
CB
Elijah Blades
4****
12 offers
Oregon, USC
Blades was committed to Florida before the hiring of Donte Williams to coach CBs. Blades’ speed and athleticism may get him playing time on special teams, but his 6’2” 170 lb frame may need a redshirt year to beef up. Nebraska returns nearly everyone in their defensive backfield for 2017. Lamar Jackson (So), Chris Jones (Sr), Joshua Kalu (Sr), Eric Lee Jr. (So), Antonio Reed (Jr), Aaron Williams (Jr), and Kieron Williams (Sr) all played in the secondary last year. Don’t be surprised if Antonio Reed is occasionally used as a ‘Cat’ LB. Avery Anderson (So), Boaz Joseph (Sr), and JoJo Domann (So) each contributed on special teams and will compete for larger roles this upcoming season. Redshirt freshmen Dicaprio Bootle, Tony Butler, and Marquel Dismuke all have the physical tools to at least be special team contributors. Nebraska’s secondary has the most combined experience outside of RB and will be highly competitive this spring and throughout fall camp.
CB: Kalu, Jones, Jackson, Lee Jr., Bootle, Joseph
FS: A. Williams, Anderson, Butler/Dismuke
SS: K. Williams, Domann, Reed
Thought it would be fun to take a closer look at Nebraska’s 2017 recruiting class using a few metrics: player rankings, scholarship offers, and depth chart projection. On average, the major recruiting services have Nebraska’s class of 20 signees ranks on average about 20th in the country. 10 of the 20 Husker commits are considered 4 stars while the remaining 10 commits check in at 3 stars apiece. Over half of Nebraska signees received what I call “Blueblood offers”. It seems wide receiver and defensive line were the best recruited positions (hats off to Keith Williams and John Parella). The projected depth charts will be revisited after the Spring Game in April.
- Star rankings are from Rivals, Scout, and 247sports. Unless specified, rankings are unanimous.
- Scholarship offers are from Rivals.com. I've only counted the number of P5 schools who have offered. Numbers are reasonably accurate. Worth noting, they may or may not be up to date depending if all offers were reported to Rivals.
- P5 offers are from schools in the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12, and SEC.
- I've included blueblood schools who have offered. These are schools who have played in a college football playoff: Alabama*, Clemson*, Florida State, Michigan State, Ohio State*, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Washington (CFP National Champion*). Michigan and USC are also included for being tradition-rich programs who are trending upward.
QB
Tristan Gebbia
4****
13 offers
Alabama, Washington
Gebbia posted ridiculous numbers during his high school career at Calabasas: 13,109 passing yards (#2 all time in CA) and 141 TDs (#3 all time). At 6’3” 180 lbs, Gebbia may need a redshirt to put on his freshman fifteen (or thirty). Having enrolled in January, he will be playing in this year’s Spring Game along with Tanner Lee (Jr), Patrick O’Brien (RFr), and walk-on junior college transfer Andrew Bunch (So). Lee has FBS game experience from his Tulane days, while O’Brien has played in only one Spring Game. Bunch led his Tennessee high school to a state championship and 15-0 record in 2015. Last season, Bunch played at Scottsdale Community College where he threw for 1,331 yards and 13 TDs.
Projected Depth Chart: Lee, O’Brien, Gebbia, Bunch
RB
Jaylin Bradley
3***
1 offer
Bradley is one of four Nebraska signees in the 2017 class. The Bellevue West product made the grade and is considered one of the more underrated player in this class. Nebraska’s returning RB corps of Devine Ozigbo (Jr), Mikale Wilbon (Jr), and Tre Bryant (So) will likely nudge Bradley in the direction of a redshirt. Ozigbo saw the bulk of the workload before going down with an ankle injury midseason. All three backs have shown the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, but if they want to be “the guy” in Langsdorf’s offense, they’ll need to show consistency in pass protection. Adam Taylor (Sr) has dealt with knee injuries and will probably play some on special teams. Former walk-on Austin Rose (Jr) was recently put on scholarship, perhaps he may get as well.
Projected Depth Chart: Bryant, Ozigbo, Wilbon, Rose
FB
Ben Miles
3***
5 offers
Michigan State
Miles may not redshirt if he can be an instant contributor on special teams. The Husker offense in 2017 is going to look somewhat different than it has in recent past. Outside of short yardage situations, the FBs will mainly be seen on special teams and occasionally at H-back. In addition to Miles, Luke McNitt (Sr) and Harrison Jordan (Sr) appear to be front-runners for playing time. Bo Kitrell (Jr), Austin Hemphill (So), and Spencer Jordan (RFr) could potentially see some playing time.
Projected Depth Chart: McNitt, Miles, Jordan
WR
Keyshawn Johnson Jr.
4**** (Rivals, Scout)
19 offers
Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Ohio State, USC
Tyjon Lindsey
4****
26 offers
Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, USC, Washington
Jaevon McQuitty
4****
10 offers
Michigan
After graduating Jordan Westerkamp, Brandon Reilly, and Alonzo Moore, the Huskers needed to nab a few big-time recruits at the position. Johnson Jr, Lindsey, and McQuitty could each see significant playing time in 2017 if they can adjust to the speed of the game. Johnson Jr. and McQuitty have enrolled early and are set to play in the Spring Game. Don’t be surprised if Nebraska adds a graduate transfer or other late addition to provide needed depth. Nebraska returns De’Mornay Pierson-El (Sr), Zack Darlington (Jr), Stanley Morgan Jr. (Jr), Bryan Reimers (Jr), Gabe Rahn (Sr), and Keyan Williams (Jr). Redshirted freshman JD Spielman has impressed players and coaches from his scout team work and will see playing time in 2017. Langsdorf uses his receivers a lot of different ways, so this projection uses tiers to prioritize how I think the Huskers will start the first game.
Tier 1: Morgan Jr., Pierson-El
Tier 2: Spielman, Reimers, McQuitty, Johnson Jr., Lindsey, Rahn, Williams, Darlington
TE
Austin Allen
3***
4 offers
Kurt Rafdal
3***
12 offers
Nebraska also loses three seniors at TE including Cethan Carter, Sam Cotton, and Trey Foster. Both 2017 TE signees are listed at 6’8”. Opposing defenses will have red-zone matchup nightmares trying to defend these two at once. Allen is another in-state recruit to keep an eye on. He missed the first half of his senior football season with a meniscus injury and has been tearing up defenses on the basketball court this winter. Tyler Hoppes (Sr) and Connor Ketter (Sr) each saw little action in 2016. David Englehaupt (RFr), Branden Hohenstein (RFr), Matt Snyder (So), Jack Stoll (RFr) will all look to impress coaches in spring practice and throughout fall camp. I think Snyder has the best chance to take be the go-to receiver at this spot; however, the TE/H-back position is anyone’s for the taking.
Tier 1: Snyder, Hoppes, Ketter
Tier 2: Stoll, Rafdal, Allen, Englehaupt, Hohenstein
OL
Broc Bando
3***
5 offers
Brenden Jaimes
4**** (Scout)
9 offers
Matt Sichterman
4**** (Scout)
15 offers
Chris Walker
3*** (Scout, 247)
1 offer
All four of these prospects have big upside. Each is 6’5” or taller providing a great frame to develop over the next 5 years as I believe they will all redshirt as freshman. The athleticism of Jaimes and Sichterman stands out on film, and both appear to project as tackles. Bando is an early enrollee who will appear in the Spring game, most likely at guard. Walker has voiced interest in playing on the defensive side of the ball. He most likely will be at OT and is a player to keep an eye on. Both Walker (Lincoln East) and Bando (before transferring to IMG academy in FL.) are from Nebraska.
The Huskers have an arsenal of OL and will likely shake-up the depth chart before game one. Last year Cole Conrad (Jr), Tanner Farmer (Jr), Jerald Foster (Jr), Nick Gates (Jr), and David Knevel (Sr) all started at some point in the season. A lot of young guys will have a couple years in the system and may contend for playing time including Jalin Barnett (So), Bryan Brokop (RFr), Michael Decker (So), Matt Farniok (RFr), Christian Gaylord (So), John Raridon (RFr), and Boe Wilson (RFr). Zach Hannon and Dwayne Johnson Jr. are both scholarship seniors who are yet to make an impact in games. Typically, offensive lines will move players around in the event of an injury so this position is also difficult to predict a depth chart. [LT, LG, C, RG, RT, Sixth man]
First team: Gates, Foster, Decker, Farmer, Knevel, Wilson
Second team: Farniok, Conrad, Raridon, Barnett, Gaylord, Brokop
DL
Damion Daniels
3***
21 offers
Michigan, USC
Guy Thomas
4**** (Rivals)
16 offers
Alabama, Florida State, Michigan
Deontre Thomas
3***
10 offers
Michigan
Deiontae Watts
4**** (Scout)
14 offers
Oklahoma, USC
Parella has brought in an outstanding 2017 class. Daniels, D. Thomas, and Watts will all be interior DL in Bob Diaco’s 3-4 scheme. Daniels and Watts will likely be at NT and D. Thomas at DE. Look for G. Thomas to be used as the “Cat” outside linebacker (weak-side pass rusher). All four guys have the tangibles to play if they can physically adapt to the college game during fall camp; however, they’ll likely redshirt with only three defensive line positions to fill. Nebraska returns contributors Alex Davis (So), Freedom Akinmoladun (Jr), Sedrick King (Jr), AJ Natter (Sr), Mick Stoltenberg (Jr), Carlos Davis (So), and Khalil Davis (So). A few other guys who could emerge on the DL or at OLB are Collin Miller (RFr), DaiShon Neal (So), Ben Stille (RFr), and Peyton Newell (Jr). I’ll omit a few guys from here and include them in the LB depth chart.
First Tier: C. Davis, Akinmoladun, Stoltenberg, K. Davis
Second Tier: Daniels, Natter, Watts, Neal, D. Thomas, King, Newell
LB
Willie Hampton
3***
2 offers
Avery Roberts
4****
25 offers
Clemson, Oklahoma
Andrew Ward
3***
7 offers
Roberts is regarded as one of the top LB recruits in the country. An early enrollee, he’ll be learning the position this spring and will at the very least be on special teams heading into the first game. Hampton and Ward could also see special teams playing time but may be better off redshirting their first years on campus.
The LB position will be one of the most fun to watch in 2017 if they can effectively converge on ball carriers. When four LBs are on the field, there will typically be a strong-side ILB (Mike), weak-side ILB (Mo), strong-side OLB (Dog), and weak-side OLB (Cat). Mohammed Barry (So), Tyrin Ferguson (So), Luke Gifford (Jr), Marcus Newby (Sr), Chris Weber (Sr), and Dedrick Young II (Jr) all contributed in 2016. Quayshon Alexander, Pernell Jefferson, and Greg Simmons are each coming off their redshirt freshman season and will also contend for blackshirts. Nebraska needs a solid leader to step into the ‘Mike’ role and be the QB of the defense. A couple of defensive lineman will join the LB corps at either the Dog or Cat spot.
Dog: Newby, Gifford, Alexander
Mike: Weber, Ferguson,Roberts
Mo: Young II, Barry,Simmons, Hampton
Cat: Alex Davis, Jefferson, Collin Miller
CB
Elijah Blades
4****
12 offers
Oregon, USC
Blades was committed to Florida before the hiring of Donte Williams to coach CBs. Blades’ speed and athleticism may get him playing time on special teams, but his 6’2” 170 lb frame may need a redshirt year to beef up. Nebraska returns nearly everyone in their defensive backfield for 2017. Lamar Jackson (So), Chris Jones (Sr), Joshua Kalu (Sr), Eric Lee Jr. (So), Antonio Reed (Jr), Aaron Williams (Jr), and Kieron Williams (Sr) all played in the secondary last year. Don’t be surprised if Antonio Reed is occasionally used as a ‘Cat’ LB. Avery Anderson (So), Boaz Joseph (Sr), and JoJo Domann (So) each contributed on special teams and will compete for larger roles this upcoming season. Redshirt freshmen Dicaprio Bootle, Tony Butler, and Marquel Dismuke all have the physical tools to at least be special team contributors. Nebraska’s secondary has the most combined experience outside of RB and will be highly competitive this spring and throughout fall camp.
CB: Kalu, Jones, Jackson, Lee Jr., Bootle, Joseph
FS: A. Williams, Anderson, Butler/Dismuke
SS: K. Williams, Domann, Reed
Last edited:
