So where does Frost and his merry men turn their focus after the dead period? Who are the top targets and needs from here on out? Thoughts?
Recruiting focus after dead period
- Thread starter Redblood23
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I believe Frost, himself, mentioned WR and DB as biggest needs to address
IMO, he probably thinks we can work with the linemen we have and make it work but he HAS to have more bodies for his offense at WR especially or we'll be playing lots of walk ons.
I'd go hard after Cam Jones and DL as well. Hate we missed out on Fleeks
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He would have to be a miracle worker to turn around the current oline talent. Can anyone remember the last time pancake blocks were a topic of discussion? (Hint, it was probably within five years of Scott’s graduation.) But whether it’s this group of players or new recruits, we’d better get that fixed or it won’t matter that we are running the successful UCF/Oregon offense.
We have talent at OL. We need a serious attitude adjustment and I think that's coming.
We just plain need to get nasty, AGAIN.
I heard from my aunt's nephew that we are going to move our bulldozer guards to OT because they move around better.
Speed everywhere. No more playing pattycake.
Speed everywhere. No more playing pattycake.
True enough. While I'm sure he'll be a great HC for us I doubt Frost can immediately turn around our inept Beaver OLine. It's going to be quite a challenge for him I bet.
Of all the guys that will be left who do you all think we have a legit shot and getting or flipping from another school? Any big names we could get or do you think Frost will focus on more realistic guys like more JUCOs and going after smaller program guys like UCF type players.
I remember when Barney cotton was here the first time. He said we would no longer be tracking pancakes.
Cam Jones and Daniel Carson have to be near the top of the list. Seems like we also need CB’s, at least one OT and a slot/apb guy like Hawkins or Pooka.
I wish it was just a “Riley” problem but as far back as Frank’s firing, oline has been bad. Maybe we just miss steroids.
A benefit to Nebraska is that this type of offense wont be anything complex for them and a mobile QB helps mask some problems we could have. There is no way we can effectively protect the pocket passers but a dual threat makes their job a little easier. It wont happen over night but I wont say is going to be some major challenge for them.
Yes, I would agree. These guys have played with an OL coach who teached "questionable" run blocking technique and who admitted to only coaching five linemen at a time during the season. So the starters were on easy street & healing up from the previous week while the backups, in their minds, had no reason to work hard since they were going to be overlooked anyway. Think about all of those blowouts where Cav refused to put in his 2nd team line.
The OL could show tremendous improvement next year. Granted though, that may only put them as average compared to other top programs.
read an article the other day stating keep an eye on this group from the offensive side:
4* RB Joshua Corbin (Rockledge, Fla)
4* WR Tommy Bush (Schertz, Tex)
tall, fast receiver
4* WR Isaah Crocker (Sacramento, Cal)
just states would be great fit
3* WR Gordon Porter (Rancho Cucamonga, Cal)
former Notre Dame pledge---speed
3* OL Hamilton Hall
6'6" 320
4* Ath Miles Jones (Plantation, Fla)
Vanderbilt commit but did not sign. could play
either side of ball, but, neb looking at WR.
4* RB Joshua Corbin (Rockledge, Fla)
4* WR Tommy Bush (Schertz, Tex)
tall, fast receiver
4* WR Isaah Crocker (Sacramento, Cal)
just states would be great fit
3* WR Gordon Porter (Rancho Cucamonga, Cal)
former Notre Dame pledge---speed
3* OL Hamilton Hall
6'6" 320
4* Ath Miles Jones (Plantation, Fla)
Vanderbilt commit but did not sign. could play
either side of ball, but, neb looking at WR.
One advantage we have now, Greg Austin actually knows what he is doing.
I’d like to see us get an elite pass rusher since we have none, a couple of big and nasty OTs and of course we all know the need at DB and WR.
My guess is on Offense we need 1-2 WRs and I believe we are good on offense (I know everyone keeps thinking OLman but we have a lot at the moment, we do have talent there it just needs real coaching and we will see a change fairly quick). So I’m guess it will mainly be defense.
Not going by our fans WANTS, I know we need DBs. Riley said this year DBs was a huge deal and big focus and I’m assuming Frost sees the same thing and this will be our main focus. We added Honas (no idea why he’s not a 4 star but he is a 5.7 3 star which is basically a 4 star, remember 5.8 is a 4 star), Wildeman a 4 star DE, Alston a DE and our local boys Jurgens (if rated as a LB I feel he’d have a 5 star and yes he wants to be a TE, Frost will give him his shot, my opinion is he ends up as a badass LB for us ) and are York DT (5.7 3 star and sorry I’d slaughter spelling his names so I’ll say it this way). So it appears DBs is our defensive needs, maybe a DT or DE if we can get a good one.
That’s my take on our needs and what we may see going forward the rest of the way. We will get our Florida DB that didn’t sign yet in February, he only wanted to wait and so it with his school which is doing a huge deal. We got our QB this year and appears another possible good one like Gebbia was projected. We got some speed at WR and size. We got the number Juco RB which will help a lot assuming he pans out and we got our center and kicker for the future. We are looking solid thus far.
Not going by our fans WANTS, I know we need DBs. Riley said this year DBs was a huge deal and big focus and I’m assuming Frost sees the same thing and this will be our main focus. We added Honas (no idea why he’s not a 4 star but he is a 5.7 3 star which is basically a 4 star, remember 5.8 is a 4 star), Wildeman a 4 star DE, Alston a DE and our local boys Jurgens (if rated as a LB I feel he’d have a 5 star and yes he wants to be a TE, Frost will give him his shot, my opinion is he ends up as a badass LB for us ) and are York DT (5.7 3 star and sorry I’d slaughter spelling his names so I’ll say it this way). So it appears DBs is our defensive needs, maybe a DT or DE if we can get a good one.
That’s my take on our needs and what we may see going forward the rest of the way. We will get our Florida DB that didn’t sign yet in February, he only wanted to wait and so it with his school which is doing a huge deal. We got our QB this year and appears another possible good one like Gebbia was projected. We got some speed at WR and size. We got the number Juco RB which will help a lot assuming he pans out and we got our center and kicker for the future. We are looking solid thus far.
That's not entirely true. Bad oline play is hard to mask in any system and when you have a QB who is asked to create with his feet, by design, bad oline play can get him (figuratively) killed. Just look at Ohio State...I can't quite remember the last time they had their starting QB make it through a full season and they've had very good OLs.
Don't confuse what a pocket passer who can also run can do in that type of system. In that case you have a QB who can take advantage of an unintended hole/gap in the D. When the run option is less about "broken plays" and more about design you will have Ds attacking it and a missed block will get your QB flattened. Moreover, the more your QB improvises (due to bad OL play) the more risk he can put himself in...now you have OLs who need to move very quickly (which is both physical and mental) to pick up a new block. They don't and all of a sudden you have a QB behind the line, with multiple defenders flying him, who might not have the option to just throw the ball away...
The entire point to the comment was the ability to avoid pressure when the pocket collapses. Dual threat guys excel here.
I would be interested in the opinions of some of our posters who coach football as to "pancakes". If a lineman drives a defensive man to the ground, yes he has humiliated him and over time can demoralize him, but he takes himself out of the play. If the lineman holds a defensive man up until the action has passed. He can then make another block at the next level. I was under the impression "zone blocking" refers not only to blocking an area, not a man; but also screening defensive men to keep the "zone" flowing down the field. That means the linemen have to stay on their feet - no pancakes.
But then, it is possible I don't know what I am talking about. Gotta go open presents......
I will bet that there will not be any "standing around", during practice,
and I will bet that there will be "real" work in the Strength and Conditioning department.
It would be interesting to know of the players that did not sign the percentage that are qualified or at risk of not qualifying.
Nebraska's Offensive line will collectively return more than 100 career starts. That combined number, while including a ****** amount of suck, will be among the most game experienced units in all of college football.
They will certainly have a new scheme, and shift in coaching philosophy. That won't be an easy transition. But Nebraska doesn't have to reinvent the wheel from a personnel standpoint.
There are 16 scholarship offensive linemen on the roster, and 7 of them have started games.
At the very least, Scott Frost's offenses seem extremely prepared for game day. That preparedness starts up front. Getting beaten in a one on one matchup or using poor technique was often unrelated to Nebraska's struggles. At times, the communication up front was dog ****. Your 3rd year guard with a 3.5 GPA and your 5th year tackle heading to Medical school shouldn't be perplexed about who is supposed to pick up the blitzing OLB. Your Center and LG shouldn't be laying down a combo block with help from the HBack while nobody blocks the NG sprinting through the A Gap.
We joke about Coach Cavanaugh, but its like he never even watched film on opponents with these kids. The Huskers gave away a ton of predictable plays before the snap due to personnell groupings and formations. Opponents seemed well versed on Nebraskas offensive tendencies. Sadly, the offensive line often seemed clueless about opposing personnell or situational defense.
My long point here is about preparation. I believe Frost and staff have coached offensive football at a high enough level that they will at the very least, have the offensive line ready for blitz recognition, pressure origination, and identifying opposing personnel for any down and distance situation.
This should be aided a bit because there are a lot of experienced linemen on the roster.
They will certainly have a new scheme, and shift in coaching philosophy. That won't be an easy transition. But Nebraska doesn't have to reinvent the wheel from a personnel standpoint.
There are 16 scholarship offensive linemen on the roster, and 7 of them have started games.
At the very least, Scott Frost's offenses seem extremely prepared for game day. That preparedness starts up front. Getting beaten in a one on one matchup or using poor technique was often unrelated to Nebraska's struggles. At times, the communication up front was dog ****. Your 3rd year guard with a 3.5 GPA and your 5th year tackle heading to Medical school shouldn't be perplexed about who is supposed to pick up the blitzing OLB. Your Center and LG shouldn't be laying down a combo block with help from the HBack while nobody blocks the NG sprinting through the A Gap.
We joke about Coach Cavanaugh, but its like he never even watched film on opponents with these kids. The Huskers gave away a ton of predictable plays before the snap due to personnell groupings and formations. Opponents seemed well versed on Nebraskas offensive tendencies. Sadly, the offensive line often seemed clueless about opposing personnell or situational defense.
My long point here is about preparation. I believe Frost and staff have coached offensive football at a high enough level that they will at the very least, have the offensive line ready for blitz recognition, pressure origination, and identifying opposing personnel for any down and distance situation.
This should be aided a bit because there are a lot of experienced linemen on the roster.
Good points there. I'm not joking about Coach Cav though. I remember several times over the last three years that I criticized his lazy practice of working with five guys and only playing them regardless of situation. People on here stood up for Cav and cited Coach Tenopir mentioning that NU didn't sub OL much in ONE of the National Championship games. Blah blah blah. Bottom line is their was zero talent development. All of that PT (playing time and practice time) didn't result in better play or communication. It got our guys mocked by the Gophers.
And the 2nd team guys, how do you think they responded to not getting in at the end of a blowout game and then Cav only invites "his five" to Cav's house for barbeque?
just pathetic, wringing my hands in their ineptness. We have some really good players and now we have a great coach.
There is a difference having a take on subbing vs. not (I would sub in guys who are prepared to play at or very near the level of the starter, Cav apparently not), and being an incompetent in term of player development and game prep. None of us would have complained if the top 5 played nearly all of the snaps but were road grading at their expected levels and 2nd teamers were ready when their number was called because of injury.
I would expect that given the tempo of Frost's offense, more than five guys will have to be ready to play.
I would expect that given the tempo of Frost's offense, more than five guys will have to be ready to play.
