Does Matt Anderson get a recruiting upgrade?

[NikkiSixx_rivals269993]

Contrary to what many pundits are saying about this year being a kind of Mulligan year for Frost, I think this season is VERY important.

Completely agree.

I am going to give him a pass so far on the 2019 Class because it is a top to bottom rebuild and the 2018 Class turned out pretty decent.

There has to be results on the field this year.

You might be able to get away with a rebuilding year or two, but the longer it takes, the more steam runs out of the locomotive. I think he has to strike right now while the iron is hot, and keep momentum going.

We need to surprise some people now, this year.

There needs to be a sense of urgency, just like his tempo in the results on the field and in recruiting.

 

[jlb321_rivals110621]

Completely agree.

I am going to give him a pass so far on the 2019 Class because it is a top to bottom rebuild and the 2018 Class turned out pretty decent.

There has to be results on the field this year.

You might be able to get away with a rebuilding year or two, but the longer it takes, the more steam runs out of the locomotive. I think he has to strike right now while the iron is hot, and keep momentum going.

We need to surprise some people now, this year.

There needs to be a sense of urgency, just like his tempo in the results on the field and in recruiting.

8-9 wins would be a great boost.
I still look back at Frost's 1st year at UCF where he went 6-6 with a roster that in year 2 had undefeated talent.

I'm not sure we have more talent than that UCF squad relative to the schedule. The relative coaching talent between this staff and other power 5 staffs also isn't going to be as pronounced when compared to mid-major staffs. I am sure the staff learned some things from the 1st year at UCF which may make things a bit smoother here.

The biggest wildcard in trying to project this season is what type of QB play are we going to get ... complete unknown.

The Colorado game will be a very good metric heading into the conference.

 

[Pennsyhusker_rivals246774]

Completely agree.

I am going to give him a pass so far on the 2019 Class because it is a top to bottom rebuild and the 2018 Class turned out pretty decent.

There has to be results on the field this year.

You might be able to get away with a rebuilding year or two, but the longer it takes, the more steam runs out of the locomotive. I think he has to strike right now while the iron is hot, and keep momentum going.

We need to surprise some people now, this year.

There needs to be a sense of urgency, just like his tempo in the results on the field and in recruiting.

Exactly. We have a brutal schedule so only an idiot would be hoping/demanding 10 wins or something crazy like that. We need to beat Iowa, Northwestern, Minnesota, Purdue, Illinois, and our three non conference foes. We will probably lose to Wisconsin and MSU. MSU is a mystery... had a good record last year and lots of returners. But they got lucky in several close games last year and the game is in Lincoln. Plus.... we always seem to play those guys tough. So maybe we win that. OSU and Michigan. Losses. But let's keep it respectable. I think 8-4 is very possible.

 

[dinglefritz]

As I said, I am not talking specifically about OT talent.

I am not sure this is walking before running?? We are taking commitments from 3 star guys in May and June. Based on “character and potential”. There are 4 and 5 stars that aren’t committed and the spots are being filled with lower ranked players. That isn’t walking before running, that is done with intent.

Now I will agree that if you win games then you may see more 4 and 5 stars become more overtly interested, but you won’t convince me that this isn’t Frost’s plan. He is on video saying he wants Boy Scouts and guys that are a fit.

I just believe that we are going to try to be more like Wisconsin and less like Ohio St when it comes to recruiting. I also believe that strategy makes it more difficult and less likely to be playing in the CFP.

While I agree that we want the highest ranked guys we can get, we also want to get the guys who have demonstrated a work ethic and attitude conducive to building a great team. Frost built a team at UCF capable of beating SEC powers with lower ranked kids than what he's going to get at NU. HIS emphasis has been on speed at skill positions and athleticism in the trenches. I'm not sure that in Frost's type of system that the rating services necessarily match up with what Frost needs. In the case of the OT Anderson, we're getting a kid who IMO projects to be a prototypical left tackle as an upperclassman. We HAVE to be able to "project" what a kid will be like as an upperclassmen because there just aren't enough college ready kids to go around. I've heard many times from the Rivals guys that "O linemen are extremely hard to project to college play". So instead of taking that 4 star fattie that Rivals has watched maul much smaller opponents, Frost is taking a kid with demonstrated work ethic who he thinks he can build in to a monster. In the case of the "3 star" WRs and RBs, it's ALL about speed.

 

[SoFL Husker]

Y’alls opinion on recruiting rankings change as often as you change your underwear. If we were getting verbals from high 4 star and 5 star kids, rankings would matter, since the class is filled with high 3 and low 4 star recruits, the narrative is a trust in Frost and his system.

As I’ve said a million times on here, unless you recruit highly ranked kids, you won’t be playing for national titles. Period. If the goal is to be Wisconsin, win 9-11 games per year, and end the season ranked 8-20 then recruiting a bunch of 3 star projects and relying on development is the way to go. If you want to be in the CFP, you have to have the studs.

We are going to be more like Wisconsin. System, development, numbers (walk-on/Juco/transfers). Nebraska will never be like Clemson and Alabama. When or whether it takes us to the top of the heap is entirely on Frost's ability to see talent, recruit it, develop it.

Tuco, look at UCF's "stars" on their undefeated season last year. You are dealing with an outlier here in Frost.

I am most concerned about the defense/OLB and big guys up-front (DT). I think he can find speed and coach, but these positions can't be faked and I don't see us sniffing or developing any potential studs here. Yet.

 

[SoFL Husker]

Exactly. We have a brutal schedule so only an idiot would be hoping/demanding 10 wins or something crazy like that. We need to beat Iowa, Northwestern, Minnesota, Purdue, Illinois, and our three non conference foes. We will probably lose to Wisconsin and MSU. MSU is a mystery... had a good record last year and lots of returners. But they got lucky in several close games last year and the game is in Lincoln. Plus.... we always seem to play those guys tough. So maybe we win that. OSU and Michigan. Losses. But let's keep it respectable. I think 8-4 is very possible.

6.5 wins -130 now at Sportsbook.ag, and you know every Husker fan is banging that over.

My "gut" is 5-6 wins. Hope I'm wrong. GBR

 

[jlb321_rivals110621]

We are going to be more like Wisconsin. System, development, numbers (walk-on/Juco/transfers). Nebraska will never be like Clemson and Alabama. When or whether it takes us to the top of the heap is entirely on Frost's ability to see talent, recruit it, develop it.

Tuco, look at UCF's "stars" on their undefeated season last year. You are dealing with an outlier here in Frost.

I am most concerned about the defense/OLB and big guys up-front (DT). I think he can find speed and coach, but these positions can't be faked and I don't see us sniffing or developing any potential studs here. Yet.

It always makes me nervous if the pathway to success relies too heavily on the exceptions to the rule rather than the rule.

Now perhaps the game plan is to build to compete and win against Iowa and Wisconsin in the BIG west and hope to pull an upset against a premier program in the east. As long as the west doesn’t add a perennial top tier program that approach might be good enough

 

[DudznSudz]

It always makes me nervous if the pathway to success relies too heavily on the exceptions to the rule rather than the rule.

Now perhaps the game plan is to build to compete and win against Iowa and Wisconsin in the BIG west and hope to pull an upset against a premier program in the east. As long as the west doesn’t add a perennial top tier program that approach might be good enough

I would phrase it differently, but that's the idea. All we really need to do is start owning the West, which is much more doable than owning the East. The teams in the West are getting better, for the most part, but for now you really just have to focus on beating Wisconsin and Iowa. That way, we get to the Big Ten tournament game regularly, which means we'll likely face:

Ohio State- The best, and not looking like they're going to fall off any time soon.
Michigan - Less consistently good than Ohio State, but absolutely a program that is getting back on its feet.
Penn State - Tough team, as long as Franklin is coaching there.
Michigan State - The lesser of the good East programs, and one we traditionally don't have a problem competing against, but always going to be defensively strong and well coached.

 

[King Kong]

As I said, I am not talking specifically about OT talent.

I am not sure this is walking before running?? We are taking commitments from 3 star guys in May and June. Based on “character and potential”. There are 4 and 5 stars that aren’t committed and the spots are being filled with lower ranked players. That isn’t walking before running, that is done with intent.

Now I will agree that if you win games then you may see more 4 and 5 stars become more overtly interested, but you won’t convince me that this isn’t Frost’s plan. He is on video saying he wants Boy Scouts and guys that are a fit.

I just believe that we are going to try to be more like Wisconsin and less like Ohio St when it comes to recruiting. I also believe that strategy makes it more difficult and less likely to be playing in the CFP.

I agree with you, but at this point looking and winning like whisky is a HUGE upgrade, but yes we need more 4*s this early we don't need to be taking 2* running backs.

 

[TheBeav815]

It always makes me nervous if the pathway to success relies too heavily on the exceptions to the rule rather than the rule.

Now perhaps the game plan is to build to compete and win against Iowa and Wisconsin in the BIG west and hope to pull an upset against a premier program in the east. As long as the west doesn’t add a perennial top tier program that approach might be good enough

Exactly. Thinking you're gonna be an elite football team with almost exclusively 3* kids in your class is like thinking you're gonna win a poker tournament without any face cards. Eventually, no matter how clever you are, somebody is just going to have you outgunned.

I understand the idea of speed as an equalizer, I get where it makes more sense to reach on a kid who can flat out fly. But I wanna see some studs filling out this class. Franklin, Meyer and Harbaugh all started pulling monster classes immediately when they arrived. NU needs to go and do likewise.

 

[oldjar07]

As I said, I am not talking specifically about OT talent.

I am not sure this is walking before running?? We are taking commitments from 3 star guys in May and June. Based on “character and potential”. There are 4 and 5 stars that aren’t committed and the spots are being filled with lower ranked players. That isn’t walking before running, that is done with intent.

Now I will agree that if you win games then you may see more 4 and 5 stars become more overtly interested, but you won’t convince me that this isn’t Frost’s plan. He is on video saying he wants Boy Scouts and guys that are a fit.

I just believe that we are going to try to be more like Wisconsin and less like Ohio St when it comes to recruiting. I also believe that strategy makes it more difficult and less likely to be playing in the CFP.

Yeah we were super close to playing for a national title under Callahan and Riley.. We've been outrecruiting Wisconsin for a while now and we don't need to be like Ohio State. Doing the exact same thing everybody else does isn't going to bring us any closer to a national title either.

 

[jlb321_rivals110621]

Yeah we were super close to playing for a national title under Callahan and Riley.. We've been outrecruiting Wisconsin for a while now and we don't need to be like Ohio State. Doing the exact same thing everybody else does isn't going to bring us any closer to a national title either.

We shouldn’t be doing what everyone else is doing. We should be doing what the perrenial top programs are doing if we expect to compete with them. Now maybe that isn’t possible at Nebraska - in which case we are basically Iowa with hopes that once a decade or so all the stars align and we land in the top ten.

 

[oldjar07]

We shouldn’t be doing what everyone else is doing. We should be doing what the perrenial top programs are doing if we expect to compete with them. Now maybe that isn’t possible at Nebraska - in which case we are basically Iowa with hopes that once a decade or so all the stars align and we land in the top ten.

We've never really followed what other top programs have done and every time we've tried, we've failed. We have enough built in disadvantages that we're never going to outcompete top programs doing things the exact same way as them.

We need to find something that works for Nebraska. The reason we've had so much success in the past is we were willing to do things differently than every other program, and had an identity unique only to Nebraska. I think Frost understands that and that's what is going to lead to success going forward.

 

[GILL T]

Yes. Having a great team without great recruiting has worked for Wisconsin. They have a lot of National championships to prove it.I am confident Frost will get something done. Beating out the Marshals and Western kentucky's for a recruit will not. Thats where we are trending now. Yes It is early, but C'mon. Look at who we are competing with for some of these recruits. Of course they are going to come here. We need an impact player. So far, not one of the recruits has fit the bill yet. It's early though. I look at trends. He better be one hell of a coach ( and I think he is), but where he is in recruiting, a top 20 or 30 class will not win the National Championship. For over 5 million a year, if anyone is satisfied with just competing, they are an idiot. Hopefully, he will buck the trend.

Wow, just Wow...Have you learned nothing from the Riley and Callahan debacles?

 

[cHUCK001]

Wow, just Wow...Have you learned nothing from the Riley and Callahan debacles?

I learned that coaching AND recruiting wins national championships. Billy could recruit. He couldn't coach. Riley couldn't recruit or coach. Frost appears like he CAN coach. I'm not sure he can recruit at a high level. In this day and age, recruiting is half of it. Getting players to 'fit the system' is fine if you can coach and want to compete, but to win a National Championship, and you pay a coach 35 million to do exactly that, you have to have both in this day and age. Oregon tried this and came close. However, they always got beat by teams with better talent. It seems to me that Frost is giving out scholarships to players who 's other offers are less than stellar. If he can coach these players up and wins a NC, it will be unprecedented looking at the recruiting rankings over the last 20 years. And we are talking about a no star player right now?? It's early. However, I am still worried.

 

[inWV]

Lot of drama about whether Frost can recruit before he’s coached a game at NU. He put together a nice class on the fly last winter. For a lot of TOs years, NU was like Wisconsin. Solid system, great development, won a lot of games but never the big one. Maybe NU should be like Wisconsin first and some fans should understand trying to jump the line is probably a fool’s errand. Rebuild the program from the ground up.
And I think there is a high probability the Anderson kid is a steal. Good at chess (smart), Eagle Scout (dedicated), plays tennis (developing footwork but he may not know that), and he has a great frame with little to no bad weight. A great S&C project for Duval.

 

[jlb321_rivals110621]

We've never really followed what other top programs have done and every time we've tried, we've failed. We have enough built in disadvantages that we're never going to outcompete top programs doing things the exact same way as them.

We need to find something that works for Nebraska. The reason we've had so much success in the past is we were willing to do things differently than every other program, and had an identity unique only to Nebraska. I think Frost understands that and that's what is going to lead to success going forward.

Those are good points. However it has been nearly 2 decades since that approach has succeeded at Nebraska so I think it is fair to question whether that approach is still valid.

Coaching + talent = success.

Coaching entails maximizing your talent -- player development, culture, off and def systems, etc. There are a lot of very good coaches in the power 5 conferences - Frost is likely one of them. In today's sophisticated college football environment the perennial top teams all have elite coaching so the difference comes down to talent.

Using the poker analogy an elite player is at a severe disadvantage is he is always playing J-9 against another elite player holding K-Q.

 

[jlb321_rivals110621]

Lot of drama about whether Frost can recruit before he’s coached a game at NU. He put together a nice class on the fly last winter. For a lot of TOs years, NU was like Wisconsin. Solid system, great development, won a lot of games but never the big one. Maybe NU should be like Wisconsin first and some fans should understand trying to jump the line is probably a fool’s errand. Rebuild the program from the ground up.
And I think there is a high probability the Anderson kid is a steal. Good at chess (smart), Eagle Scout (dedicated), plays tennis (developing footwork but he may not know that), and he has a great frame with little to no bad weight. A great S&C project for Duval.

I agree .. I think it is going to be very, very difficult for Nebraska to be elite - even with elite coaching. I am skeptical that we are ever going to be able to consistently recruit elite talent top 10 classes every year.

The goal needs to be to raise the floor - perennial 8-10 win seasons - with the hope that every so often the stars align - a true difference maker at QB and a bunch of our 3 stars overachieve or outperform their recruiting evaluations. This is essentially what Wisconsin has done and to a lesser extent Iowa - Iowa's troughs are too low.

I don't think we are going to be consistently elite - but hope to be consistently good with an occasional elite season. Bo had us at consistently good but never had an elite season - plus he was an a-hole.

Without consistently recruiting elite talent I don't think it is possible to be a consistently elite program. I do think it is possible to have sporadic elite seasons however.

 

[inWV]

Those are good points. However it has been nearly 2 decades since that approach has succeeded at Nebraska so I think it is fair to question whether that approach is still valid.

Coaching + talent = success.

Coaching entails maximizing your talent -- player development, culture, off and def systems, etc. There are a lot of very good coaches in the power 5 conferences - Frost is likely one of them. In today's sophisticated college football environment the perennial top teams all have elite coaching so the difference comes down to talent.

Using the poker analogy an elite player is at a severe disadvantage is he is always playing J-9 against another elite player holding K-Q.

I doubt Frost and Co moved to Lincoln with the intent of running a second rate recruiting shop. I am sure they know what kids they can make a run at and those that don’t desire 4 years at NU. When he took the job, Frost stated there was an approach that worked at NU. He was part of it.
If and when the program is consistently ranked in the top 25 again, the board of recruiting choices will expand. Fans should be thankfkful for a guy like Held. He has contacts in the nooks and crannies of the HS and JUCO world. Getting in on kids who are flying under the radar yet have high ceilings is a big deal.

 

[TFrazier_rivals269992]

6.5 wins -130 now at Sportsbook.ag, and you know every Husker fan is banging that over.

My "gut" is 5-6 wins. Hope I'm wrong. GBR

Maybe Vegas will build another casino like they did with last years over/under season record money from Nebraska fans?!! Winking

 

[jlb321_rivals110621]

I doubt Frost and Co moved to Lincoln with the intent of running a second rate recruiting shop. I am sure they know what kids they can make a run at and those that don’t desire 4 years at NU. When he took the job, Frost stated there was an approach that worked at NU. He was part of it.
If and when the program is consistently ranked in the top 25 again, the board of recruiting choices will expand. Fans should be thankfkful for a guy like Held. He has contacts in the nooks and crannies of the HS and JUCO world. Getting in on kids who are flying under the radar yet have high ceilings is a big deal.

the recruiting ceiling is lower at Nebraska than at places like Alabama. Georgia, OU etc.

I think Frost is an elite coach - maybe he is in the same class as Meyer, Saban, Stoops, etc. Having said that, I don't think those coaches would have the same degree of success at Nebraska that they have had at OSU, OU, Alabama, etc. You just don't have access to the same volume of talent.

I think, depending on the circumstances, you can be an elite recruiter and an elite coach and not get consistent elite results.

 

[RealTucoSalamanca]

We are going to be more like Wisconsin. System, development, numbers (walk-on/Juco/transfers). Nebraska will never be like Clemson and Alabama. When or whether it takes us to the top of the heap is entirely on Frost's ability to see talent, recruit it, develop it.

Tuco, look at UCF's "stars" on their undefeated season last year. You are dealing with an outlier here in Frost.

I am most concerned about the defense/OLB and big guys up-front (DT). I think he can find speed and coach, but these positions can't be faked and I don't see us sniffing or developing any potential studs here. Yet.

UCF’s talent has no bearing on Nebraska’s success. Frost’s teams at UCF didn’t play a B1G schedule. He had enough talent on 1st string to compete with the big boys, but he didn’t have to play multiple P5 teams in a row where your depth is tested.

Again, I am not complaining, being a top 10 team would be awesome. But that will only last a while. I want to be Ohio St, not Wisconsin.

 

[inWV]

I want to be Ohio St, not Wisconsin.

At present, NU has lost three straight to Iowa and 2 of 3 to NW. Getting to be on par with tOSU is a process, not an event. If NU would produce the on the field to its present level of recruited talent, Iowa and NW would be penciled in wins at the beginning of the season and Wisconsin would not be conceded as a loss in July.
Everyone desires to compete better for blue chip talent. Fielding a team that is better prepared to take advantage of its talent will facilitate achieving that goal.

 

[TheBeav815]

the recruiting ceiling is lower at Nebraska than at places like Alabama. Georgia, OU etc.

I think Frost is an elite coach - maybe he is in the same class as Meyer, Saban, Stoops, etc. Having said that, I don't think those coaches would have the same degree of success at Nebraska that they have had at OSU, OU, Alabama, etc. You just don't have access to the same volume of talent.

I think, depending on the circumstances, you can be an elite recruiter and an elite coach and not get consistent elite results.

It shouldn't be. What does OU have that NU doesn't? You telling me the allure of Norman, Oklahoma is something nobody can compete with?

There is no reason Nebraska can't recruit like UM, PSU and the rest. Those 90s teams had great classes that paved the way to titles. They weren't a bunch of corn-fed nobodies.

Being Wisconsin isn't good enough. They get a long way, but not to the top.

 

[RealTucoSalamanca]

At present, NU has lost three straight to Iowa and 2 of 3 to NW. Getting to be on par with tOSU is a process, not an event. If NU would produce the on the field to its present level of recruited talent, Iowa and NW would be penciled in wins at the beginning of the season and Wisconsin would not be conceded as a loss in July.
Everyone desires to compete better for blue chip talent. Fielding a team that is better prepared to take advantage of its talent will facilitate achieving that goal.

And when Franklin took over at Penn St there were ____ and had lost to team A and when Harbaugh took over at Michigan they were _____ and had lost to team B.

Some of you are using both sides of the coin. How could Frost attract as many 4 stars as he did, in December and January, for a team coming off 4 wins? But not now when multiple players have been shown the door and there is talk about immediate playing time for guys at certain spots? Still a 4 win team, still immediate playing time available.

I get it. It’s easier to say we need to walk before we can run or whatever saying you want to use and just be content with improvement for the time being. I am simply saying being Wisconsin isn’t going to be enough.

Nebraska fan is like an alcoholic, we have been sober for a decade or more and have gotten used to going through life that way. We miss the fun of drinking and when we get that first taste of success, winning the West and finishing 10th won’t be enough and we will want more.

 

[jlb321_rivals110621]

It shouldn't be. What does OU have that NU doesn't? You telling me the allure of Norman, Oklahoma is something nobody can compete with?

There is no reason Nebraska can't recruit like UM, PSU and the rest. Those 90s teams had great classes that paved the way to titles. They weren't a bunch of corn-fed nobodies.

Being Wisconsin isn't good enough. They get a long way, but not to the top.

power 5 conference talent within their border - not to mention Texas

Class of 2018 - power 5 commits by state
Oklahoma 16 Nebraska - 3

Class of 2017
Oklahoma 19 Nebraska - 3


my personal belief is that we aren't going to be Ohio St consistently - we can, however, be ohio state every once in a while

there is a reason why the vast majority of the top programs are situated in talent rich regions - every year or string of years there are a couple of exceptions to the rule. Nebraska is fighting to be the exception every once in a while.

This is in no way a criticism of Frost. He may be an elite coach. I'm just not sure an elite coach is necessarily going to get consistent elite results at Nebraska.

 

[spinner4_rivals42045]

I agree .. I think it is going to be very, very difficult for Nebraska to be elite - even with elite coaching. I am skeptical that we are ever going to be able to consistently recruit elite talent top 10 classes every year.

The goal needs to be to raise the floor - perennial 8-10 win seasons - with the hope that every so often the stars align - a true difference maker at QB and a bunch of our 3 stars overachieve or outperform their recruiting evaluations. This is essentially what Wisconsin has done and to a lesser extent Iowa - Iowa's troughs are too low.

I don't think we are going to be consistently elite - but hope to be consistently good with an occasional elite season. Bo had us at consistently good but never had an elite season - plus he was an a-hole.

Without consistently recruiting elite talent I don't think it is possible to be a consistently elite program. I do think it is possible to have sporadic elite seasons however.

I strongly but respectfully disagree. I’ve been saying this for probably 10 years but here we go...First of all, a lot of $ and fan support goes into this program so I do believe it can be done. Secondly, places like tuscaloosa, Tallahassee, and even Columbus Ohio are absolute **** holes. No one goes to these places and are blown away by their surroundings. Sure some kids want to stay closer to home but Bama doesn’t fill up on only Alabama kids or even panhandle Florida kids.

They get kids from everywhere that want to play for Nick. Scott can and will make that culture in Lincoln again. It has been done before with Tom. And I’ll promise you, Lincoln is a cool little town. Kids love it when they visit. It’s the product on the field that ultimately scares them away, and rightfully so.

So I never played with a theory that NU would be a top 10 recruiting class in 2018. The goal for 2018 needs to be to establish a brand on the field this season that gets top notch high school football players back to believing in the Husker brand. They need kids saying dam, Nebraska looks good. Frost is no joke. We need a big upset this season and can’t allow blowouts. It’s ok if we lose 4 games just can’t be a joke. Need the talking heads saying Frost is Turing it around. And to finish strong at recruiting. Top 20-15 in recruiting should be a goal and it’s still an achievable goal.

Frost is not an idiot. He knows to compete in the B1G he needs top rated talent. He’s not a jackass like Bo when it comes to that. Go back and look at the 2014 recruiting class and see what kind of piece of **** that class was. There’s some good lands in that class but mostly it’s awful. The worst class probably in 40+ years at NU. It’s like Bo gave away Scholarship to anyone. He literally went to NOLA and played Oprah and that was year 8 for him. What kind of **** was that. But Bo never tried to recruit. He sure didn’t during the season. Did we ever land recruits during the season? That’s when they were coming in on OV’s too.

Coaching football is a difficult job. I’m not saying it’s easy to juggle football and recruiting. But dam, these guys make waaay $ then most of us and that money comes with responsibilities. Frost gets that. This staff gets that. More importantly they have fun doing this. They will make this work here.

 

[dinglefritz]

I strongly but respectfully disagree. I’ve been saying this for probably 10 years but here we go...First of all, a lot of $ and fan support goes into this program so I do believe it can be done. Secondly, places like tuscaloosa, Tallahassee, and even Columbus Ohio are absolute **** holes. No one goes to these places and are blown away by their surroundings. Sure some kids want to stay closer to home but Bama doesn’t fill up on only Alabama kids or even panhandle Florida kids.

They get kids from everywhere that want to play for Nick. Scott can and will make that culture in Lincoln again. It has been done before with Tom. And I’ll promise you, Lincoln is a cool little town. Kids love it when they visit. It’s the product on the field that ultimately scares them away, and rightfully so.

So I never played with a theory that NU would be a top 10 recruiting class in 2018. The goal for 2018 needs to be to establish a brand on the field this season that gets top notch high school football players back to believing in the Husker brand. They need kids saying dam, Nebraska looks good. Frost is no joke. We need a big upset this season and can’t allow blowouts. It’s ok if we lose 4 games just can’t be a joke. Need the talking heads saying Frost is Turing it around. And to finish strong at recruiting. Top 20-15 in recruiting should be a goal and it’s still an achievable goal.

Frost is not an idiot. He knows to compete in the B1G he needs top rated talent. He’s not a jackass like Bo when it comes to that. Go back and look at the 2014 recruiting class and see what kind of piece of **** that class was. There’s some good lands in that class but mostly it’s awful. The worst class probably in 40+ years at NU. It’s like Bo gave away Scholarship to anyone. He literally went to NOLA and played Oprah and that was year 8 for him. What kind of **** was that. But Bo never tried to recruit. He sure didn’t during the season. Did we ever land recruits during the season? That’s when they were coming in on OV’s too.

Coaching football is a difficult job. I’m not saying it’s easy to juggle football and recruiting. But dam, these guys make waaay $ then most of us and that money comes with responsibilities. Frost gets that. This staff gets that. More importantly they have fun doing this. They will make this work here.

Nailed it. Expectations for Frost to be pulling in high 4 and 5 star recruits this first full cycle are not realistic. Assuming he shows it on the field these next 2 years, IMO the "highly ranked studs" Tuco is pining for will line up to play for Frost. There is no reason for us to take a back seat to anybody in the B1G. It may be a little tougher to fill our classes with difference makers from the 500 mile radius, but this staff has already shown that distance is not a big problem for them.

 

[jlb321_rivals110621]

Nailed it. Expectations for Frost to be pulling in high 4 and 5 star recruits this first full cycle are not realistic. Assuming he shows it on the field these next 2 years, IMO the "highly ranked studs" Tuco is pining for will line up to play for Frost. There is no reason for us to take a back seat to anybody in the B1G. It may be a little tougher to fill our classes with difference makers from the 500 mile radius, but this staff has already shown that distance is not a big problem for them.

I appreciate yours and spinner’s responses. You certainly make good points and history may prove you right.

Before further discussion we need to define what consistently elite means. For me it means:

Consistent top 10 (4-5x per decade)
Playoffs at least twice per decade
3 conf champions per decade
Win west more than 50% of the time

I think we can be a consistent top 25 team with an occasional top 10 finish - but believe we are going to be out of the top 10 more than we are in it.

Most of us believe we have an elite coach - history will give us some insight if elite coaching can consistently achieve elite results at Nebraska

 

[inWV]

Wisconsin had a 2017 season that NU fans would be very satisfied with. 11-1, close loss to tOSU and an Orange Bowl win. Their 2018 schedule sets up for a run at the CFP. The Badger's Rivals ranking over the past 5 years in the B1G has ranged between 5-7. NU has ranked between 3-5. NU has led the West in recruiting per Rivals for the past five years with Wisconsin 2 or 3. Nebraska has had two losing seasons in the past three years and is projected to finish in the middle of the West.
Hornibrook was rated a 5.5 3*, with an offer list that was underwhelming. He split time at QB as a RS frosh. The Badgers offensive line is very productive, year in and year out. The starting line for their game against tOSU included a coverted TE, a guy recruited as a DT, and a guy whose Rivals recruitment page lists ATH 6-6/220. This is the line that owned NU in the second half last year. Wisconsin has a system that is long standing and they recruit and develop to that system. If NU does the same, maybe the NU/Wisconsin game becomes the West's version of tOSU/MU.
NU's road to the B1G title probably includes an uptick in recruiting. But there is sufficient talent on the roster right now to field a much more competitive football team. Blue chip talent generally head to teams that are winning at a high rate. Some of these kids are probably intrigued by Frost and could be kicking the program's tires a bit. But Frost will most likely have to show proof of concept for his offensive and defensive system in the B1G for a couple of seasons. Maybe the team will actually overperform relative to its talent this year and NU will make a run at some high flying recruits. But it's more likely that Frost will continue to evaluate the roster to gets kids in position to be successful, and continue to turn over the roster.

 

[inWV]

For anyone head scratching about Anderson, here is one of the reasons Wisconsin consistently fields a top notch Oline.
David Anderson, Wisconsin OT 6-7/315. 2017 - First-team All-America (AFCA), second-team All-America (FWAA, Walter Camp), third-team All-America (AP), second-team All-Big Ten (consensus), Academic All-Big Ten
And below is his Rivals page. The kid once played QB, and would have been a big TE for a lot of other teams. Now he's a monster OT.

 

[jlb321_rivals110621]

For anyone head scratching about Anderson, here is one of the reasons Wisconsin consistently fields a top notch Oline.
David Anderson, Wisconsin OT 6-7/315. 2017 - First-team All-America (AFCA), second-team All-America (FWAA, Walter Camp), third-team All-America (AP), second-team All-Big Ten (consensus), Academic All-Big Ten
And below is his Rivals page. The kid once played QB, and would have been a big TE for a lot of other teams. Now he's a monster OT.

That kid had 7 power 5 offers including the home state school and most neighboring states including Iowa. I am fine getting 3* offensive lineman that Iowa and Wisconsin are also after. As it stands we are Anderson’s only power 5 offer although that could certainly change.

 

[bshirt73]

8-9 wins would be a great boost.
I still look back at Frost's 1st year at UCF where he went 6-6 with a roster that in year 2 had undefeated talent.

I'm not sure we have more talent than that UCF squad relative to the schedule. The relative coaching talent between this staff and other power 5 staffs also isn't going to be as pronounced when compared to mid-major staffs. I am sure the staff learned some things from the 1st year at UCF which may make things a bit smoother here.

The biggest wildcard in trying to project this season is what type of QB play are we going to get ... complete unknown.

The Colorado game will be a very good metric heading into the conference.

I humbly disagree. The OLine & Dline have me shaking in my boots.....hope to hell I'm dead wrong.

 

[bshirt73]

This. Contrary to what many pundits are saying about this year being a kind of Mulligan year for Frost, I think this season is VERY important. The Nebraska "brand" has very little bite left to it for the recruits today. I read an article about a kid we are recruiting from Oklahoma who said that he had just been taught about the history of the NU-OU rivalry. He said he now knows that those two teams used to be a rival. Yikes. Makes you feel old.
But the point is Nebraska is just another school among many to these kids. In the middle of nowhere in their eyes. With no identity and little success putting guys into the League of late. And Frost has some mojo going his way but not enough to sway a bunch of 4 and 5 star dudes to come to a school that has had two losing seasons in 3 years. We need Frost to have a good year THIS year in order to generate more recruiting mojo.

A good year would be 8-4 in my view. Maybe 9-3.

8 - 4 works for me!

 

[bshirt73]

Yeah we were super close to playing for a national title under Callahan and Riley.. We've been outrecruiting Wisconsin for a while now and we don't need to be like Ohio State. Doing the exact same thing everybody else does isn't going to bring us any closer to a national title either.

Amen!! I couldn't possibly agree more.....let's do it the real-deal Husker way.

 

[bshirt73]

It shouldn't be. What does OU have that NU doesn't? You telling me the allure of Norman, Oklahoma is something nobody can compete with?

There is no reason Nebraska can't recruit like UM, PSU and the rest. Those 90s teams had great classes that paved the way to titles. They weren't a bunch of corn-fed nobodies.

Being Wisconsin isn't good enough. They get a long way, but not to the top.

Exactly. It HAS been done before and it CAN be done again.

 

[SoFL Husker]

UCF’s talent has no bearing on Nebraska’s success. Frost’s teams at UCF didn’t play a B1G schedule. He had enough talent on 1st string to compete with the big boys, but he didn’t have to play multiple P5 teams in a row where your depth is tested.

Again, I am not complaining, being a top 10 team would be awesome. But that will only last a while. I want to be Ohio St, not Wisconsin.

I would then move to Ohio.

 

[SoFL Husker]

For anyone head scratching about Anderson, here is one of the reasons Wisconsin consistently fields a top notch Oline.
David Anderson, Wisconsin OT 6-7/315. 2017 - First-team All-America (AFCA), second-team All-America (FWAA, Walter Camp), third-team All-America (AP), second-team All-Big Ten (consensus), Academic All-Big Ten
And below is his Rivals page. The kid once played QB, and would have been a big TE for a lot of other teams. Now he's a monster OT.

Exactamundo