OurDecay's 2004 Targets: Commits

Well, thank goodness I didn't try and keep up with the action during the last few weeks. Weeks of dead activity have now been followed with a flurry of activity the likes of which I have never seen. After recruiting season is over, I will take the time to reflect on our new staff, their recruiting techniques and abilities, and their successes/failures. But right now, it's time for a massive update to these websites as signing day approaches. Most of the news is good, and most of the commitments are new to the list, so there will be much to digest. Some of the news is moderately bad though, as the long coach-less period during key recruiting time caused a few of our players to de-commit. I wish these players the best, although the value of their loss of their services varies a bit.

Given the upheaval in the coaching staff following the Colorado game, it is difficult to predict how it will effect recruiting...particularly on the offensive side of the ball. However, one of Frank Solich's most concerning and persistent problems was his lack of enthusiasm with recruiting. While not a bad recruiter per se (actually pretty decent one-on-one), his lack of attention to detail, long lapses in making contact with players, and policy to effectively put a hold on recruiting during the season had as much to do with his firing as anything. This approach was certainly not enjoyed by Pedersen, who knows a thing or two about recruiting great athletes effectively. From all indications Scott Downing had been doing a fine job thus far in coordinating prospects, and he and Pedersen have a very good understanding of one another. Hopefully with Solich out of the way, the recruiting can truly start in earnest.

NAME: Allan Evridge

CATEGORY: DE-COMMITTED (to KSU). ~~COMMITTED~~. Realistic prospect, also a surprise. Ranked a 2-star player by Rivals (NR by Rivals).

HEIGHT: 6'-1"

WEIGHT: 205 lbs

SPEED: 4.63 (electronic at NU camp; 3.87 pro-agility, self-reported)

HOMETOWN: Papillion (LaVista), NE (Class A)

STATS: (Jr) Rush: 600 yds; Pass: 900 yds

NOTES: Transfer from Montana (father is in Air Force and was re-stationed to Offutt in 2002). Good athleticism that could translate to other positions. Blew us away at our camp with his athleticism and arm. Recruited solely as a balanced QB. Update (11.06.03): Had a solid year for P-LV and his stock has continued to rise as his exposure has risen as well. While he has committed, he has no inherent ties to the Nebraska tradition - so we will need to manage his expectations vs. the amount of passing we have done in 2003. He should remain solid, but we will need to continue to stress that passing will make an appearance at NU in the future. Update 2 (01.27.04): During the coaching search, we lost Allan to KSU. Given our dramatic change in offensive philosophy, this move may work out the best for both NU and Allan.

OTHER OFFERS: Iowa St, Colorado St, Kansas St.

PICTURES: (from Insiders.com)

NAME: D.T. McDowell (First name is Dontavias)

CATEGORY: COMMITTED. Now NU's highest-targeted QB (of maybe even overall player). Realistic, but surprise, prospect. NU is current favorite...an unreal athlete (see below). Ranked a 3-star player by Rivals (#13 dual-threat QB by Rivals).

HEIGHT: 6'-0" (reportedly a shade under 6-foot)

WEIGHT: 190 lbs

SPEED: 4.57 (electronic, at camp, along with a 1.3(!!!) 10-yd dash.)

HOMETOWN: Tucker, GA (???)

STATS: (Jr) Rush: 400 yds, 12 TDs; Pass: 1300 yds, 12 TDs

NOTES: Bizarre athlete who also has a mid-90's fastball in baseball (at Perfect Game camp at Haymarket Park was clocked at 89 mph). Our coaches arranged an unofficial visit in the parking lot of Haymarket Park with him and Gill and Solich. It made a positive impression. Is not necessarily a package deal with teammate Thomas Brown (we should be so lucky!) Coaches are pressing HARD on him to try and coax a commitment. Update: Reportedly is close to committing to NU per some recruiting services. Update 2: NU's chances not looking as good here as other schools around the country are realizing his potential. Update 3: Committed to Nebraska and will reportedly play both football and baseball (pitcher). Projected to go fairly high in MLB draft, but per coach wants to play college football first. Our coaches did an amazing job here, where hard work and determination paid off. DT received hand-written letters from every single Nebraska coach. Amazing and much different than the previous staff. Has extremely solid throwing fundamentals (as a result of his baseball skills) and the probably the strongest arm to ever arrive at NU when he steps foot on campus. His pocket presence amid pressure and ability to continue looking downfield while making violent cuts and jukes, and then delivering a 40-yd rope with defenders in his face, stirs a level of anticipation in the coaches they haven't felt in some time. If he ends up only being a 3-star player, it will rank up there with 2-star Richie Incognito as the biggest steals of the Solich era. Update 4 (11.06.03): Nervous uncertainly seems to surround fans about DT, but our coaches have stayed in constant contact and continue to show him the love. Recently (right around Halloween) he reaffirmed his commitment to NU. Honestly, the best course of action for fans should just be to wait-and-see. He may not be as mercurial as his highlight video suggests, but he certainly has potential to be a special player. The biggest problem with DT may be the reality that if both Solich and Gill are gone at the end of the year, so too would be DT. We will need to make sure that other bonds with other coaches are formed on his official visit (November 15th, KSU game) just in case these coaches are not with NU in 2004. Update 5 (01.27.04): The new coaches have really firmed up this commitment. DT is extremely excited about the possibilities of the WCO at NU, and now the only thing standing in the way of him being a Husker is a great draft position in the spring. Gill sticking around helped too.

OTHER OFFERS: Auburn, LSU, Mississippi St, Virginia, Georgia Tech

PICTURES: (from Rivals.com)

NAME: Joe Ganz

CATEGORY: COMMITTED. Formerly committed to Eastern Michigan. Ranked a 2-star player by Rivals (NR by Rivals).

HEIGHT: 6'-3"

WEIGHT: 190 lbs

SPEED: unknown

HOMETOWN: Palos Hills (Stagg), IL (???)

STATS: (Jr) Rush: 600 yds; Pass: 1400 yds; 30 total TD

NOTES: Fundamentals and skills reportedly look very solid on film, although there are a few problems with his throwing motion (easily correctable though). Extremely accurate. A good fit for the type of offense Coach Callahan wants to run. Provides solid depth and a different type of QB than we are used to pursuing at NU. He had been previously committed to Eastern Michigan early on, but I am led to believe that he may have had a few more offers had he not committed to them so early in the process. Committed to NU following an unbelievable weekend on Jan. 23, 2004. (this trend will continue as you keep reading)

OTHER OFFERS: Eastern Michigan

PICTURE: (from Rivals.com)

NAME: Beau Davis

CATEGORY: COMMITTED. Ranked a 2-star player by Rivals (NR by Rivals).

HEIGHT: 6'-4"

WEIGHT: 185 lbs (weighed in at a mere 158 lbs on visit)

SPEED: 4.9 sec.

HOMETOWN: Venice (Venice), CA (???)

STATS: (Sr) Pass: 200 att (64%), 3,300 yds, 40 TD, 10 INT; Rush: 200 yds, 1 TD

NOTES: Posted good numbers for a 13-1 team, but nonetheless considered quite a reach by most insiders. Warning flags include his EXTREMELY slight build and a lack of any credible offers. It is actually still questionable at this point (01.27.04) if he actually has a formal offer to match his verbal commitment.

OTHER OFFERS: none

PICTURE: (from Rivals.com)

Running Backs

Updated: 01/27/04

NAME: Brandon Jackson

CATEGORY: COMMITTED. Ranked a 3-star player by Rivals (#17 RB by Rivals).

HEIGHT: 6'-0"

WEIGHT: 220 lbs

SPEED: 4.43 (400-lb BP, 605-lb SQ)

HOMETOWN: Horn Lake, MS (???)

STATS: (Sr) Rush: 1200 yds, 10 TD

(Jr) Rush: 1770 yds, 28 TD

NOTES: A very solid pick-up, facilitated by the addition of John Blake (formerly of Miss. St) to the coaching staff. An outstanding combination of size and speed, he is said to be an ideal style of back for our new offense. Biggest thing limiting Brandon is not his physical abilities but his mental ones. Despite having a 3.0 GPA, Brandon scored a 13 on his ACT the first time around. He will need to raise it to a 17 to qualify. Hopeless? Not exactly. He apparently suffers from a learning disability, and his future attempts at the ACT will be un-timed. If he manages to qualify, this pickup will be a pure steal. Brandon committed after the soon-to-be-legendary weekend of Jan. 23, 2004. Actually to be accurate, he was the first commit of the weekend, committing on the spot after walking through a simulated Tunnel Walk.

OTHER OFFERS: Memphis, Mississippi St, West Virginia, Ole Miss, Oklahoma St, Michigan St,

PICTURE: (from Rivals.com)

NAME: Fredrick Franklin

CATEGORY: COMMITTED. Ranked a 2-star player by Rivals (NR by Rivals). Ranked a 4-star player by Max Emfinger.

HEIGHT: 6'-0"

WEIGHT: 185 lbs

SPEED: 4.4 (305-lb BP, 395-lb SQ, 31" VJ)

HOMETOWN: New Orleans (George Washington Carver), LA (???)

STATS: (Sr) Rush: 800 yds, Rec: 70 yds; 26 total TD

(Jr) Rush: 837 yds; Rec: 188 yds

NOTES: A sleeper out of a big school in the heart of Louisiana. Fredrick scored a 16 on his ACT to go with a 2.6 GPA (don't know his core GPA)...it is likely he will be placed in a junior college as he is a large qualification risk. Fredrick also committed after the weekend of Jan. 23, 2004. He is highly-regarded in other publications (Max Emfinger, Insiders.com), but an unknown quantity in Rivals. Indeed, he wasn't even in the Rivals database at the time he committed to NU.

OTHER OFFERS: Michigan St, Louisville, San Diego St, Louisiana Tech

PICTURE: (from Insiders.com)

NAME: Maurice McClellan (moved to RB by new coaching staff)

CATEGORY: COMMITTED. Very realistic prospect. No rating by Rivals (wasn't even in database until he committed). Rated a 2-star athlete by Rivals (NR).

HEIGHT: 6'-2"

WEIGHT: 210 lbs

SPEED: 4.5 sec

HOMETOWN: Norwich (Stonington), CT (???)

STATS: (Jr) 100 tackles, 6 INTs (played safety)

NOTES: This commit should be credited to two people: Coaches Downing and Williams. As a sophomore, McClellan was a target of the Purdue coaching staff (under the direction of Downing). Meanwhile, Williams continues to impress with his ability to connect with players and parents. Maurice's father is a huge Husker fan and was only too happy to give him the blessing on the commitment. The more we learn about Maurice, the better he sounds. He was considered by some to be the top player in all of New England last year. A good running back too, he could play either safety or OLB at NU. Soon after we showed interest, more bigger name schools offered, but it was too late for them. Update (01.27.04): Maurice has been projected to play offense and running back by our new coaching staff. There is some serious concern if he will qualify, however.

OTHER OFFERS: Purdue, Syracuse, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Penn St, CU

PICTURES: (from the Norwich Bulletin online)

Fullbacks

Updated: 01/27/04

NAME: Michael McLaughlin

CATEGORY: COMMITTED. Ranked a 2-star player by Rivals (NR by Rivals).

HEIGHT: 6'-2"

WEIGHT: 215 lbs

SPEED: 4.46 (listed as 4.55 on Insiders.com)

HOMETOWN: Waynesboro (Wayne County), MS (5A)

STATS: (Sr) Rush: 1280 yds, 14 TD

(Jr) Rush: 1100 yds, 16 TD

NOTES: Here's a guy who are new coaches really got for us, and in particular our Ole Miss and Miss State ties. He is put together pretty solidly, and is plenty quick, yet is penciled in as a FULLBACK for us. How good is our recruiting now? We have apparently secured his commitment amid blizzard conditions, UNL closings, and during a weekday visit (not even a weekend). This could signal a new kind of fullback as the future for NU.

OTHER OFFERS: Ole Miss, Southern Miss

PICTURE: (from Rivals.com)

Wide Receivers

Updated: 01/27/04

NAME: Terrance Nunn

CATEGORY: DE-COMMITTED (to Wisconsin). ~~COMMITTED~~. Highly-regarded "secret" WR target by NU staff. Very realistic prospect. No rating yet by Rivals. Rated a 4-star WR by Insiders.com. Ranked the #19 WR in the nation by Max Emfinger.

HEIGHT: 6'-0"

WEIGHT: 185 lbs

SPEED: 4.4 sec. (supposedly a fairly legit time, 4.10 pro-agility time)

HOMETOWN: Cypress Falls, TX (???)

STATS: (Jr) Rec: 27 catches, 604 yds, 5 TD

NOTES: A speed-type receiver with soft hands and also excels at route-running. Committed after being a secret visitor to the OSU game on Aug. 30th. Was pursued by schools that generally have a good eye for talented and fast WRs. An extremely key pickup in our hopes of creating a deep threat to free up our running game. From same town as current Husker Greg Austin. Update (01.27.04): Terrance decommitted from NU during the coaching search and in turn committed to Wisconsin. Coach Callahan and his staff are not taking this lying down, and are actively attempting to pull Terrance back into the fold before signing day. As of today (01.27.04), there were two updates claiming NU was back in the lead. We shall see.

OTHER OFFERS: CU, Oklahoma St, Wisconsin, Baylor

PICTURES: (none available found yet, wears #5 for his high school team)

NAME: Nathan Swift

CATEGORY: COMMITTED. Fourth-highest rated WR by NU staff. Very realistic prospect. No rating by Rivals. Rated a 3-star player by Rivals (#40 WR in nation by Rivals).

HEIGHT: 6'-3"

WEIGHT: 190 lbs

SPEED: 4.79 sec. (electronic at NU camp, along with 31.0" VJ, 4.37 sec. shuttle)

HOMETOWN: Hutchingson, MN (???)

STATS: (Jr) Rush: 800 yds; Rec: 500 yds

NOTES: Not particularly fast or athletic. Thought to be a possession-type receiver. Will need to work on his strength (225-lb BP max) in order to contribute as a blocker.

OTHER OFFERS: Only offer. Also interested in Minnesota.

PICTURES: (from Rivals.com)

NAME: Gabe Hatchett (JUCO)

CATEGORY: COMMITTED. Ranked a 2-star JUCO player by Rivals (NR by Rivals).

HEIGHT: 6'-3"

WEIGHT: 194 lbs

SPEED: 4.47 sec.

HOMETOWN: Sacramento (Sacramento College), CA

STATS: (Fr-JUCO) Rec: 49 rec, 824 yds (16.8 ypc), 13 TDs

NOTES: Fills a need, though a bit of a questionable offer at this point. Don't really know enough about him to make a call one way or another. He also committed to NU after the Jan. 23, 2004 weekend.

OTHER OFFERS: San Jose St, Toledo

PICTURE: (none found)

Tight Ends

Updated: 01.27.04

See Clayton Sievers (DE).

Offensive Tackles

Updated: 01.27.04

NAME: Seth Olsen

CATEGORY: DE-COMMITTED (to Iowa). ~~COMMITTED~~. Definitely a realistic prospect (committed soon after offer). Projected as perhaps a 3-star player by Rivals. Was rumored to be the top OL prospect the state as early as last year, though stock dropped slightly. Rated a 3-star by Rivals (#35 ranked OG by Rivals).

HEIGHT: 6'-5"

WEIGHT: 300 lbs

SPEED: 5.4 sec (electronic time at NU camp)

HOMETOWN: Millard (North), NE (Class A)

STATS: N/A

NOTES: Interest cooled down to a trickle by NU early on. Has some lingering back problems. Considering the timing, some may consider this a questionable pick. Very odd that initially we didn't seem interested in the slightest and then suddenly we want him and he's ours. Update (01.27.04): Seth decommitted during our coaching change and gave his verbal commitment to Iowa. Actually, between our early lack of contact and his interest in Iowa, this is another case where it may be the best for both parties involved (despite our paper-thin depth at OL).

OTHER OFFERS: Minnesota, Iowa

PICTURES: (from steven's awesome page:) http://community-2.webtv.net/aakj/NEBRASKARECRUITING/page4.html)

NAME: Mike Huff (NEW)

CATEGORY: COMMITTED. Definitely a realistic prospect at OT (committed immediately after offer). Ranked a 2-star player by Rivals (NR by Rivals).

HEIGHT: 6'-5"

WEIGHT: 300 lbs

SPEED: 5.2 sec (electronic time at NU camp)

HOMETOWN: Ralston, NE (Class B)

STATS: N/A

NOTES: (11.10.03) From the start of the year, Huff and Olsen were reported by most as the top OL in the state. Our coaches held off offering for quite a while on Huff, who is extremely strong and powerful, before finally giving out the offer. At the time of the offer, Mike was getting pressure from Iowa, Kansas St, and Colorado St (though none offered).

OTHER OFFERS: none

PICTURES: (none found yet)

NAME: Cornelius "Neal" Thomas (JUCO)

CATEGORY: COMMITTED. Ranked a 3-star JUCO player by Rivals (NR by Rivals).

HEIGHT: 6'-6"

WEIGHT: 320 lbs

SPEED: 5.2 sec.

HOMETOWN: San Francisco (City College of San Francisco), CA

STATS: N/A

NOTES: The more we hear about this commit, the more this sounds like a great find. Film on him is very, very impressive - he is the right type of OT for our new offense. Good feet and very strong. Coaches Blake, Wagner and Callahan did a great job here. He committed to NU after the Jan. 23, 2004 weekend.

OTHER OFFERS: Oregon St.

PICTURE: (none found)

Offensive Guards

Updated: 8/26/03

NAME: Andy Christensen

CATEGORY: COMMITTED. Definitely a realistic prospect (committed soon after offer). Ranked a 3-star player by Rivals (#19 DT in nation by Rivals).

HEIGHT: 6'-3"

WEIGHT: 275 lbs

SPEED: 4.98 sec (electronic time at NU camp)

HOMETOWN: Bennington, NE (Class C-2?)

STATS: N/A

NOTES: Suffered a knee injury which slowed down interest. Before injury was getting visits from coaches from Michigan, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame. Said to be special if he can get healthy. Not a reach, despite being a small-town in-state player.

OTHER OFFERS: ISU, Iowa, Colorado St

PICTURES: (from Rivals.com)

Offensive Centers

Updated: 01.27.04

NAME: Danny Muy

CATEGORY: COMMITTED. Newly-targeted OG/C by NU staff. A VERY realistic prospect. A 3-star player by Rivals. (#9 ranked C by Rivals)

HEIGHT: 6'-4"

WEIGHT: 270 lbs

SPEED: 5.1 sec.

HOMETOWN: Tallahassee (Lincoln), FL (???)

STATS: N/A

NOTES: Another case where if you check out the offers something isn't adding up with his rating. Without going into too much detail, lets just say Danny and his dad are extremely high on NU. Don't be surprised if Danny is a Husker verbal commit before or immediately after Aug. 30th. Is best friends with CB prospect Joe Manning from same high school - are probably a package deal. Very intelligent and athletic player here. Make sure to read the update on Joe Manning too. Update 2 (11.10.03): Our stock had dropped quickly and far here. He has scheduled us as his next visit on December 12th, but don't bet on a package deal with he and Manning anymore. Alabama sounds like big favorites right now, and he has also already seen FSU. Reading between the lines, we must have done some serious damage control here because he was about to completely drop us, and as of 11.09.03 he was glowing about us in an update. We could use him at center. Update 3 (01.27.04): Danny (and his dad) stuck with Nebraska through the coaching search, and actually silently committed to interim coach Pelini after his visit in December. Upon Callahan's arrival, this commitment was made public in mid-January following a meeting with the new coaches and our first ever commitment from Tallahassee is in the books. Our previous coaching staff, in particular Barney Cotton, was extremely high on Danny's potential. Let's hope he was right.

OTHER OFFERS: Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Clemson, Louisville

PICTURES: (from Rivals.com)

Defensive Ends

Updated: 11/11/03

NAME: Ty Steinkuhler

CATEGORY: COMMITTED. Realistic prospect, but big surprise. Rated a 3-star player by Rivals (#30 SDE in nation by Rivals).

HEIGHT: 6'-3"

WEIGHT: 235 lbs

SPEED: 5.06 (electronic at NU camp)

HOMETOWN: Lincoln (Southwest), NE (Class A)

STATS: (Jr) Def: 140 tackles

NOTES: Son of former Husker All-American and Outland Award winner Dean Steinkuhler. Was dominant from the defensive end spot last year on an 0-9 team in their first year of existence. Superior motor and overcame double-teams all season to register 15 tackles/game from the DE spot. Could possibly grow into a DT or even an OL. Pelini didn't just okay the offer, but insisted on it. No other offers at the time of commitment.

OTHER OFFERS: None.

PICTURES: (None found yet)

NAME: Clayton Sievers

CATEGORY: COMMITTED TO NU. Newly-targeted DE prospect by NU staff. Realistic prospect, but no longer the slam dunk we thought he was. Ranked a 3-star player (OLB) by Rivals (#25 ranked OLB by Rivals).

HEIGHT: 6'-3"

WEIGHT: 220 lbs

SPEED: 4.75

HOMETOWN: Elkhorn, NE (Class B)

STATS: (Jr) Def: 65 tackles

NOTES: Brother of current MLB Chad Sievers. Good athleticism for his size. Was almost reported as an NU commit in mid-July, but now is seriously considering offer from Iowa after unofficial visit there. Current talk is that Husker coaches are rather ambivalent about which way he goes. We may back off if guys like Campbell start to look likely. Update 2 (11.10.03): Clay committed on 10/28/03, after waiting a long time to decide. His athleticism he showed at camp is encouraging, but there has been some mixed reviews about his work ethic and ability over the course of his senior year. His ability to play OLB, DE or even TE probably contributed to him getting the offer.

OTHER OFFERS: Iowa, Wyoming, Colorado St

PICTURES: (from Rivals.com)

Defensive Tackles

Updated: 6/25/03

None

Outside Linebackers

Updated: 8/26/03

NAME: Michael Keenan

CATEGORY: COMMITTED. Very realistic prospect, mostly because we offered early. No rating yet by Rivals. Probable 3- or 4-star player. Rated a 3-star player by Rivals (#20 OLB in nation by Rivals).

HEIGHT: 6'-2"

WEIGHT: 220 lbs

SPEED: 4.62 sec. (electronic at NU camp, along with 4.22 sec. electronic shuttle)

HOMETOWN: Kansas City (Oak Park), MO (???)

STATS: (Jr) Def: Unknown

NOTES: Extremely athletic player who has owned the top performances in all events at every camp he's attended (NU, KSU, KU). Nebraska quickly offered when it became apparent how talented he was. Probably beat KSU and MU to the punch. Great pickup for team needing athletic OLBs.

OTHER OFFERS: KSU, MU, KU

PICTURES: (from Rivals.com)

Middle Linebackers

Updated: 8/26/03

NAME: Lance Brandenburgh

CATEGORY: COMMITTED. Third-highest targeted MLB by NU staff. Very realistic prospect. Projected as a 3-star by Rivals. Rated a 3-star player by Rivals (#22 ILB in nation by Rivals).

HEIGHT: 6'-1"

WEIGHT: 215 lbs

SPEED: 4.74 sec (ran a 4.9 electronic at NU camp along with a 29.5" VJ)

HOMETOWN: Overland Park (St. Thomas Aquinas), KS (5A)

STATS: (Jr) Def: 193 tackles*, 7 sacks, 1 INT

(So) Def: 155 tackles*

* Broke school record

NOTES: Possible early NU commit. Tough inside linebacker, also pursued by KSU. Incredibly productive. Very smart (4.0 GPA, 26 ACT) player, with good athleticism. Update: has a nose for the ball and making plays. Appears similar in athleticism and instincts to Barrett Ruud. Played in the second-largest class in Kansas and has broken the school record for tackles in each of the last two years. Was born in York, NE and has plenty of family in the state.

OTHER OFFERS: UCLA, KSU, KU, CU, Stanford

PICTURES: (from Rivals.com)

Cornerbacks

Updated: 6/25/03

None

Safeties

Updated: 6/25/03

None

RDK

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