Bryan's observations:
***First off, very thankful to get an opportunity to get up to Nebraska whatever the reason...but getting a chance to work with HOL in Memorial Stadium was a real treat. Here are my thoughts:
***At the peak there may have been 250 people in the stands. If you follow me on Twitter then you can get the pic there (I don't have my cord with me otherwise I would have uploaded the pic right now).
***I was asked on the radio my thoughts on a camp open to the public. With Nebraska it makes total sense. While I didn't see a lot of coach to fan interaction, there was a lot of current Huskers out assisting the Nebraska staff as well as a constantly running season highlights video as well as music being pumped into the stadium. Very nice atmosphere.
***Cade Otton did not work out at the camp, but he was clearly getting as much personal attention as anyone was in the stadium. I would say that his dad and grandfather were with him and they stood talking to Coach Mike Riley for 45 minutes or so.
***Otton then got a lot of time with tight end coach Tavita Thompson as well as current Huskers Collin Miller, Lamar Jackson and Derrion Grimm.
***There were a number of players that stood out so if I miss anyone I am hopeful that Robin captures it. It was a lot to cover.
***Davon Wells Ross, 6-3.5/185, Omaha (Neb.) North - worked out with linebackers and is clearly raw. You have to see Wells Ross though to really appreciate him. He has maybe 2% body fat and never lifted a weight before. He's a real project that a school is going to appreciate. He's incredibly raw. He would have a couple of rough reps and then blow one up so well that Josh Banderas would come over and high five him. Going to be interesting to see if he can earn an offer with only one spot left at LB.
***Cameron McKinney, 5-9/175, Seattle (Wash.) Garfield - I am going to be reaching out to McKinney later tonight. The reaction by the current players when McKinney ran his 40s was something to behold. Unofficially, the times on McKinney were 4.4 and 4.31. He was absolutely moving. Looked good in drills and Coach Keith Williams gave McKinney a lot of personal attention.
***Jaylin Bradley, 5-11/192, Bellevue (Neb.) West - I was a little surprised here because I missed it initially, but Bradley really shined in the drills late and the one on ones as a running back. He's very fluid and has excellent balance. He also showed that he has soft hands and really turned some people around with his route running.
***Seybein Clark, 6-1/189, Bishop (Iowa) Heelan - Seybein stands out because of his size initially when it comes to playing running back, but he also moved incredibly well. Seybein is just a junior and I really didn't realize that until I had left the camp which makes his performance tonight all the more special.
***AJ Forbes, 6-1.5/298, Bellevue (Neb.) West - Forbes is put together and he's only a junior. I wouldn't have guessed he was 275 much less 298! Although a little on the short side there are some things to really like about Forbes. He was explosive and showed that he was a tremendous athlete. With him and Ciruj playing the guard spots I am sure West will have a lot of success running the football.
***Donovan Bargen, 6-4/191, Lincoln (Neb.) East - Bargen has a nice frame and showed that he could really high point a ball and use his size to his advantage at wide receiver. I didn't see him run, but he looked good when they broke out into one on one drills.
***Taula Tanner, 6-5.5/216, Blue Springs (Neb.) - Tanner looked a lot bigger than 216, but ran very well. He had a way of consistently getting behind the defense with is route running and kept pulling in the passes. He had very nice hands.
***Blake Minden, 6-0/215, Millard (Neb.) North - Minden really stood out in drills with Coach Trent Bray. He is a very fluid player and is put together well.
***Cade Pokorny, 5-11'5/198, Thedford (Neb.) - I really thought it was just the best rep each time I saw Pokorny and then they just started to pile up one after the other. He really did perform well in the drills, but it was when he moved over to one on ones that he really shined.
***Vincent Nichols, 5-10/167, Gothenburg (Neb.) - Only a sophomore, there wasn't a lot that separated Nichols from other players. I thought that he really held his own on the drills with Coach Bray as well as in one on ones. Remember the name.
***Bryce Jackson, 5-9/175, Chandler (Ariz.) - Maybe some confusion around Jackson being either a junior or a sophomore at the moment, but he did look good. I thought that he really performed well, and there were a fairly good number of players in from Arizona actually, and Jackson is definitely going to be a name to remember for either next year or the year after.
***Jack Begley, 6-0/200, Millard (Neb.) North - Begley had a lot of nice drills where he stood out. He was getting a lot of attention from both Banderas and Bray working on the side. Begley appeared to be very coachable and also may have been the most physical of all of the linebackers that I saw tonight.
***Braeden Hartwig, 5-10.5/190, Lincoln (Neb.) Southwest - Hartwig is a junior and really stood out to me because of his speed. Didn't hear a time specifically that was run, but heard in the 4.4s when it came to people talking about the time. Definitely a player and name to remember.
***All in all, there were about 150 recruits in attendance as well as about 25 players along with the staff and maybe about 15-20 additional players that weren't necessarily helping with the camp but came to show their support.
Robin's observations:
***Probably the most impressive prospect on the field Friday night wasn’t even participating in the camp, as three-star Turnwater (Wash.) tight end Cade Otton watched from the sidelines as part of his unofficial visit. Watching him stand next to current NU players, you wouldn’t be able to tell that the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Otton wasn’t already playing college ball.
Both Mike Riley and Danny Langsdorf made it a point to give Otton a very warm welcome at the beginning of the camp, and tight ends coach Tavita Thompson spent quite a bit of time with Otton as the camp went on.
***It was good to finally see Tanner Lee, the transfer quarterback from Tulane, in person for the first time tonight. He seemed to be getting along with the other NU players pretty well already, and even spent a few minutes talking with Riley, Otton, and Otton’s family before the camp.
***I’d guess there were roughly 200 parents and fans watching the camp from the Memorial Stadium stands. Earlier this week it was announced that all the Friday Night Lights camps would be open to the public, and despite temperatures in Lincoln that reached 100 degrees, there was a pretty solid fan turnout for the event.
***The offensive player who stood out the most to me tonight was Seattle (Wash.) Garfield wide receiver Cameron McKinney. Though he was originally a 2016 prospect, it looks like McKinney will reclassify to 2017 after moving from Texas this year. I was told the 5-foot-9 speedster ran a handheld 4.31 and 4.40 during the camp’s 40-yard dash testing. Bryan will have much more on what is really a pretty interesting story on McKinney and his interest level from Nebraska later on.
***The defensive player who stood out the most was 2019 Chandler (Ariz.) defensive back Bryce Jackson. Though he’s only listed at 5-9, 175, he was the most smooth and explosive DB in the entire group tonight. In fact, I saw him being toured around the stadium by some NU staff before the camp, and they also made sure to talk with him a bit after the camp ended. I’ll have more on where things stand with Jackson and the Huskers later.
***Keep an eye on 2017 Lincoln (Neb.) Southwest running back Braeden Hartwig. I was told the 5-11, 190-pounder ran 40 times of 4.43 and 4.45 tonight, and that definitely caught the eye of NU’s staff.
***2018 Bellevue (Neb.) West offensive lineman A.J. Forbes came into the camp regarded as not only one of the best o-linemen, but one of the state’s top overall 2018 prospects. He showed why tonight. He more than held his own taking reps almost exclusively at right guard, and you can see why people are so high on his potential at the next level.
***I made sure to watch 2018 Norris (Neb.) tight end Bryce Stai - the son of former Husker great Brenden Stai. He worked out at tight end tonight, and once he fills out his 6-3 frame (he’s currently listed at 211), he could very well develop into a legitimate prospect over the next couple of years. Brenden was one of the many parents in attendance tonight.
***Tonight and next week’s Big Man Camp should go a long way in determining Nebraska’s interest in 2017 Kearney (Neb.) offensive lineman Rudy Stofer. He had a solid showing tonight in my opinion, and if he can equal or better that performance at the Big Man Camp it will definitely be worth keeping an eye on how the Huskers pursue Stofer further.
***First off, very thankful to get an opportunity to get up to Nebraska whatever the reason...but getting a chance to work with HOL in Memorial Stadium was a real treat. Here are my thoughts:
***At the peak there may have been 250 people in the stands. If you follow me on Twitter then you can get the pic there (I don't have my cord with me otherwise I would have uploaded the pic right now).
***I was asked on the radio my thoughts on a camp open to the public. With Nebraska it makes total sense. While I didn't see a lot of coach to fan interaction, there was a lot of current Huskers out assisting the Nebraska staff as well as a constantly running season highlights video as well as music being pumped into the stadium. Very nice atmosphere.
***Cade Otton did not work out at the camp, but he was clearly getting as much personal attention as anyone was in the stadium. I would say that his dad and grandfather were with him and they stood talking to Coach Mike Riley for 45 minutes or so.
***Otton then got a lot of time with tight end coach Tavita Thompson as well as current Huskers Collin Miller, Lamar Jackson and Derrion Grimm.
***There were a number of players that stood out so if I miss anyone I am hopeful that Robin captures it. It was a lot to cover.
***Davon Wells Ross, 6-3.5/185, Omaha (Neb.) North - worked out with linebackers and is clearly raw. You have to see Wells Ross though to really appreciate him. He has maybe 2% body fat and never lifted a weight before. He's a real project that a school is going to appreciate. He's incredibly raw. He would have a couple of rough reps and then blow one up so well that Josh Banderas would come over and high five him. Going to be interesting to see if he can earn an offer with only one spot left at LB.
***Cameron McKinney, 5-9/175, Seattle (Wash.) Garfield - I am going to be reaching out to McKinney later tonight. The reaction by the current players when McKinney ran his 40s was something to behold. Unofficially, the times on McKinney were 4.4 and 4.31. He was absolutely moving. Looked good in drills and Coach Keith Williams gave McKinney a lot of personal attention.
***Jaylin Bradley, 5-11/192, Bellevue (Neb.) West - I was a little surprised here because I missed it initially, but Bradley really shined in the drills late and the one on ones as a running back. He's very fluid and has excellent balance. He also showed that he has soft hands and really turned some people around with his route running.
***Seybein Clark, 6-1/189, Bishop (Iowa) Heelan - Seybein stands out because of his size initially when it comes to playing running back, but he also moved incredibly well. Seybein is just a junior and I really didn't realize that until I had left the camp which makes his performance tonight all the more special.
***AJ Forbes, 6-1.5/298, Bellevue (Neb.) West - Forbes is put together and he's only a junior. I wouldn't have guessed he was 275 much less 298! Although a little on the short side there are some things to really like about Forbes. He was explosive and showed that he was a tremendous athlete. With him and Ciruj playing the guard spots I am sure West will have a lot of success running the football.
***Donovan Bargen, 6-4/191, Lincoln (Neb.) East - Bargen has a nice frame and showed that he could really high point a ball and use his size to his advantage at wide receiver. I didn't see him run, but he looked good when they broke out into one on one drills.
***Taula Tanner, 6-5.5/216, Blue Springs (Neb.) - Tanner looked a lot bigger than 216, but ran very well. He had a way of consistently getting behind the defense with is route running and kept pulling in the passes. He had very nice hands.
***Blake Minden, 6-0/215, Millard (Neb.) North - Minden really stood out in drills with Coach Trent Bray. He is a very fluid player and is put together well.
***Cade Pokorny, 5-11'5/198, Thedford (Neb.) - I really thought it was just the best rep each time I saw Pokorny and then they just started to pile up one after the other. He really did perform well in the drills, but it was when he moved over to one on ones that he really shined.
***Vincent Nichols, 5-10/167, Gothenburg (Neb.) - Only a sophomore, there wasn't a lot that separated Nichols from other players. I thought that he really held his own on the drills with Coach Bray as well as in one on ones. Remember the name.
***Bryce Jackson, 5-9/175, Chandler (Ariz.) - Maybe some confusion around Jackson being either a junior or a sophomore at the moment, but he did look good. I thought that he really performed well, and there were a fairly good number of players in from Arizona actually, and Jackson is definitely going to be a name to remember for either next year or the year after.
***Jack Begley, 6-0/200, Millard (Neb.) North - Begley had a lot of nice drills where he stood out. He was getting a lot of attention from both Banderas and Bray working on the side. Begley appeared to be very coachable and also may have been the most physical of all of the linebackers that I saw tonight.
***Braeden Hartwig, 5-10.5/190, Lincoln (Neb.) Southwest - Hartwig is a junior and really stood out to me because of his speed. Didn't hear a time specifically that was run, but heard in the 4.4s when it came to people talking about the time. Definitely a player and name to remember.
***All in all, there were about 150 recruits in attendance as well as about 25 players along with the staff and maybe about 15-20 additional players that weren't necessarily helping with the camp but came to show their support.
Robin's observations:
***Probably the most impressive prospect on the field Friday night wasn’t even participating in the camp, as three-star Turnwater (Wash.) tight end Cade Otton watched from the sidelines as part of his unofficial visit. Watching him stand next to current NU players, you wouldn’t be able to tell that the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Otton wasn’t already playing college ball.
Both Mike Riley and Danny Langsdorf made it a point to give Otton a very warm welcome at the beginning of the camp, and tight ends coach Tavita Thompson spent quite a bit of time with Otton as the camp went on.
***It was good to finally see Tanner Lee, the transfer quarterback from Tulane, in person for the first time tonight. He seemed to be getting along with the other NU players pretty well already, and even spent a few minutes talking with Riley, Otton, and Otton’s family before the camp.
***I’d guess there were roughly 200 parents and fans watching the camp from the Memorial Stadium stands. Earlier this week it was announced that all the Friday Night Lights camps would be open to the public, and despite temperatures in Lincoln that reached 100 degrees, there was a pretty solid fan turnout for the event.
***The offensive player who stood out the most to me tonight was Seattle (Wash.) Garfield wide receiver Cameron McKinney. Though he was originally a 2016 prospect, it looks like McKinney will reclassify to 2017 after moving from Texas this year. I was told the 5-foot-9 speedster ran a handheld 4.31 and 4.40 during the camp’s 40-yard dash testing. Bryan will have much more on what is really a pretty interesting story on McKinney and his interest level from Nebraska later on.
***The defensive player who stood out the most was 2019 Chandler (Ariz.) defensive back Bryce Jackson. Though he’s only listed at 5-9, 175, he was the most smooth and explosive DB in the entire group tonight. In fact, I saw him being toured around the stadium by some NU staff before the camp, and they also made sure to talk with him a bit after the camp ended. I’ll have more on where things stand with Jackson and the Huskers later.
***Keep an eye on 2017 Lincoln (Neb.) Southwest running back Braeden Hartwig. I was told the 5-11, 190-pounder ran 40 times of 4.43 and 4.45 tonight, and that definitely caught the eye of NU’s staff.
***2018 Bellevue (Neb.) West offensive lineman A.J. Forbes came into the camp regarded as not only one of the best o-linemen, but one of the state’s top overall 2018 prospects. He showed why tonight. He more than held his own taking reps almost exclusively at right guard, and you can see why people are so high on his potential at the next level.
***I made sure to watch 2018 Norris (Neb.) tight end Bryce Stai - the son of former Husker great Brenden Stai. He worked out at tight end tonight, and once he fills out his 6-3 frame (he’s currently listed at 211), he could very well develop into a legitimate prospect over the next couple of years. Brenden was one of the many parents in attendance tonight.
***Tonight and next week’s Big Man Camp should go a long way in determining Nebraska’s interest in 2017 Kearney (Neb.) offensive lineman Rudy Stofer. He had a solid showing tonight in my opinion, and if he can equal or better that performance at the Big Man Camp it will definitely be worth keeping an eye on how the Huskers pursue Stofer further.
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