Nebraska’s 25-member recruiting class — coupled with four high-profile transfers — meant the Huskers had their greatest influx of players in a decade.
NU coach Scott Frost quickly turned over the roster and aggressively signed the nation’s No. 23 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports composite.
So, how’d the 29 players do? We broke them down into three main categories — those who used a year of eligibility, those who redshirted and those who left before the season or never showed up. Then we grouped them further based on how much they contributed this season.
While there were several impact players — like the best quarterback Nebraska has landed in a generation — we found that injuries hurt the class, and the jury is largely still out on the transfers.
Used a year of eligibility (9)
Regular Starters (3)
Quarterback Adrian Martinez: The best freshman quarterback in Husker history threw for 2,617 yards, ran for 629 and accounted for 25 total touchdowns.
Kicker Barret Pickering: He made 14 of 18 field goals and also became NU’s kickoff specialist halfway through the season.
Safety Tre Neal: The UCF transfer started all 12 games and finished with 57 tackles.
Major contributors (2)
Running back Maurice Washington: He was NU’s No. 2 running back (455 rushing yards) and No. 3 receiver (24 catches for 221 yards).
Safety Deontai Williams: The juco transfer finished with 23 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He made a difference when he was on the field.
Minor contributors (4)
Receiver Mike Williams: The junior college transfer caught 12 passes for 122 yards.
Cornerback Cam Taylor: He had 12 tackles and three pass breakups. He was NU’s No. 3 corner in some nickel and dime situations.
Outside linebacker Caleb Tannor: In 12 games, he had 10 tackles and one sack for 7 yards. He’ll have a shot at starting in 2019.
Receiver Jaron Woodyard: Caught one pass for 10 yards.
* Nose tackle Vaha Vainuku: Vainuku played in only one game, so it’s possible he has two years of eligibility left, but when did his clock start? He signed with Utah in 2012, went on a two-year mission, returned in 2015 and would be in his fifth year in 2019. My understanding is he’d have to request a sixth year of eligibility.
NU coach Scott Frost quickly turned over the roster and aggressively signed the nation’s No. 23 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports composite.
So, how’d the 29 players do? We broke them down into three main categories — those who used a year of eligibility, those who redshirted and those who left before the season or never showed up. Then we grouped them further based on how much they contributed this season.
While there were several impact players — like the best quarterback Nebraska has landed in a generation — we found that injuries hurt the class, and the jury is largely still out on the transfers.
Used a year of eligibility (9)
Regular Starters (3)
Quarterback Adrian Martinez: The best freshman quarterback in Husker history threw for 2,617 yards, ran for 629 and accounted for 25 total touchdowns.
Kicker Barret Pickering: He made 14 of 18 field goals and also became NU’s kickoff specialist halfway through the season.
Safety Tre Neal: The UCF transfer started all 12 games and finished with 57 tackles.
Major contributors (2)
Running back Maurice Washington: He was NU’s No. 2 running back (455 rushing yards) and No. 3 receiver (24 catches for 221 yards).
Safety Deontai Williams: The juco transfer finished with 23 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He made a difference when he was on the field.
Minor contributors (4)
Receiver Mike Williams: The junior college transfer caught 12 passes for 122 yards.
Cornerback Cam Taylor: He had 12 tackles and three pass breakups. He was NU’s No. 3 corner in some nickel and dime situations.
Outside linebacker Caleb Tannor: In 12 games, he had 10 tackles and one sack for 7 yards. He’ll have a shot at starting in 2019.
Receiver Jaron Woodyard: Caught one pass for 10 yards.
* Nose tackle Vaha Vainuku: Vainuku played in only one game, so it’s possible he has two years of eligibility left, but when did his clock start? He signed with Utah in 2012, went on a two-year mission, returned in 2015 and would be in his fifth year in 2019. My understanding is he’d have to request a sixth year of eligibility.
