Connect with us

FB RECRUITING

Why Bob Wager is a genius hire for Nebraska Football

Published

on

Nebraska Football
Nov 28, 2022; Omaha, Nebraska, US; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule at the introductory press conference at the Hawks Championship Center on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Rhule is building a solid staff for the Nebraska football program but his recent hire is one of the best.

Hey, Nebraska football fans! Huskerbigred.com is back after some technical difficulties and has a brand-new site. As our traffic grew, the old site wasn’t quite working up to snuff (as some might have noticed).

So we decided to upgrade and we are committed to a bunch of high-quality Nebraska content going forward. We weren’t just sitting around drinking egg nog in other words (because for one, gross) and two, we just needed to work out a few kinks.

At any rate, there’s going to be some news for Nebraska football in the coming days. Hopefully, that means a good thing on the recruiting trail as multiple targets — Cameron Lenhardt and Ethan Nation — will be announcing their decisions at the All-American Bowl on Jan. 3.

The Huskers are expected to pick up both commitments, which could push the 2023 recruiting class into the top 25 and even higher. However, the thing I’m excited about this week is the hire of Texas high school coach Bob Wager to coach tight ends.

Why this is a genius move for Nebraska football

Jake Peetz was expected to join the staff at one point and Mickey Joseph may have too. Yet, things are still working out pretty well for Rhule.

When he was at Baylor, Rhule hired Joey McGuire, a Texas high school coach to be his tight ends coach and McGuire is now the head coach at Texas Tech. Wager has been one of the most well-respected coaches in Texas high school football for decades. He’s coached his program (Arlington Martin) to 17 straight playoff berths and has been part of coaching the All-American bowl the last 10 years running, while also serving on the board of directors.

The guy knows football and he knows the state of Texas. He probably could have coached a number of positions but tight end had an opening and it’s a great move by Rhule.

We have seen McGuire and Jeff Traylor go from the high school ranks in Texas to being successful college football head coaches in Texas, so that experience of being a head coach for nearly two decades shouldn’t be overlooked.

Wager is going be an assistant special teams coach too, which makes sense, in part, because tight ends tend to play a lot on special teams.

It means even more for recruiting

In a broader sense, this is a home run for recruiting. Rhule already had a solid foundation in Texas from his time at Baylor but this will only help with that. Wager is going to be able to find players and Nebraska football will notch even more recruiting wins in the Lone Star State because of it.

Rhule has also added Miami Homestead head coach Phil Simpson to the staff as a defensive quality control assistant and he’s another guy who’ll be able to help with recruiting.

Nebraska needs to be able to recruit the state of Nebraska. But it needs other pipelines too and if you solidify Florida and Texas, along with Pennslyvania where Rhule has deep ties, you have a strong base.

And you also have the kind of recruiting footprint you need to build a winner at Nebraska. Texas and Florida have worked in the past and these coaching hires by Rhule will help them be fertile recruiting ground in the future.

For More Nebraska content, follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook Page, and Subscribe to the Husker Big Red YouTube Channel. 

 

FB RECRUITING

More crystal ball projections for Nebraska Football ahead of big weekend

Published

on

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska football has landed two more crystal ball projections ahead of a huge recruiting weekend for the Huskers.

There are going to be 26 recruits on campus this weekend visiting the Nebraska football program. Five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola is the headliner, along with a number of other top-100 recruits and the top-ranked player in the state of Nebraska Carter Nelson.

It’s one of the most impressive visit weekends for Nebraska football recruiting in a long time, maybe ever, but how many commitments are going to come this weekend if any?

I certainly wouldn’t expect a pledge from Raiola. As much as Nebraska football fans might want that, the top-ranked QB in the 2024 class just scheduled an official visit in June with Georgia, the defending national champs. This is on the heels of another visit to UGA, so the Huskers need to recapture some momentum.

The key objective with many recruits will be getting them back for an official visit. Gatlin Bair is a name that comes to mind since the kid is ranked 40th overall in the 2024 class via 247 sports. He’s visiting this weekend and if the Huskers got him back for an official visit in June, they’d have to feel good about their chances.

However, Nebraska football could land a couple of commitments this weekend. One candidate is three-star tight end Ian Flynt. He visited back in January, has family ties to Nebraska football, and just received another crystal ball projection for the Huskers. That’s four total for the No. 456 overall recruit in the 2024 class (247 composite).

A commitment might not happen this weekend, but I’d look for a commitment date coming soon out of this weekend. Flynt is out of Texas and so is three-star offensive lineman Gibson Pyle, who also received a crystal ball projection on Friday (Flynt did too).

Pyle is 735th overall and he teased an announcement a couple of weeks ago but it didn’t come. He’s got six crystal ball predictions for the Huskers and that’s another potential commitment to watch out for this weekend.

For More Nebraska content, follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook Page, and Subscribe to the Husker Big Red YouTube Channel. You can also find out podcast on Apple or Spotify

 

Continue Reading

FB RECRUITING

Nebraska Football hosting elite tight end, 4-star EDGE to return

Published

on

Nebraska Football
Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

The Nebraska football recruiting buzz has been off the charts and another top-100 recruit is on campus today plus more on the Huskers.

Matt Rhule and the Nebraska football coaching staff have been doing a spectacular job on the recruiting trail. The Huskers are set to host 26 recruits this weekend and that number could grow.

However, those weren’t the only visitors for Nebraska football this week. On Monday, the first day of spring ball, the Huskers hosted a three-star offensive lineman and also Willis McGahee IV, a four-star EDGE.

McGahee is out of Miami, Florida and his dad, of course, was a legendary running back for the Hurricanes who also played for the Bills and Ravens in the NFL. The pedigree is there and the 6-foot-1, 225 pounder who is actually a three-star in the 247 sports composite rankings, is expected to return for the Nebraska football spring game.

McGahee is listed by 247 sports as a linebacker, but he’s an EDGE. He had 13 sacks as a junior and he’s got the kind of athleticism that Rhule loves. This is definitely heading in the right direction for the Huskers but Florida, Tennessee, Texas, and UCF are all set to get visits too and are in the mix.

Nebraska football hosting top 100 tight end

Rhule and the Huskers are trying to make the state of Missouri a bigger priority and so far, it’s worked pretty well. Nebraska football is making headway in the state, especially with one of the best Missouri prospects in the 2024 class in Jaden Reddell.

Reddell is 6-foot-5, 225 pounds, and out of Raymore, Missouri. He’s ranked 68th overall in the 247 sports composite rankings for the 2024 class and is fourth among tight ends, as well as a third-ranked player from the Show Me State. He’s also visiting Nebraska football on Thursday according to his Twitter account.

The On3 prediction machine currently gives the Missouri Tigers a slight advantage, but this will be the second trip for Reddell to the Nebraska football program. The next objective will be getting him back for an official visit in June.

That’s the same with McGahee. If he comes back for the spring game and then takes an official visit, you’d have to feel good about Nebraska’s chances. And while fans want commitments, visits are an important part of building the relationship that can lead to a commitment down the line.

As of now, Rhule and company are doing exactly what they should on the recruiting trail and it’s refreshing to see.

For More Nebraska content, follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook Page, and Subscribe to the Husker Big Red YouTube Channel. You can also find out podcast on Apple or Spotify

Continue Reading

FB RECRUITING

Nebraska Football in good spot for 2024 WR Gatlin Bair

Published

on

Nebraska football has been recruiting at a high level ever since the new coaching staff stepped on campus. They have made their recruiting priorities clear, and that includes 2024 Idaho wide receiver Gatlin Bair.

Bair is the ninth overall wide receiver in the 2024 class. The wide receiver is the top player in the state of Idaho, and has a 95 overall numerical ranking on 247DSorts. He has two schools in the lead for his recruitment in Michigan and Nebraska. Garret McGuire is taking care of Bair on Nebraska’s end, and it appears the coach is making a good impression.

Bair could give Nebraska a downfield weapon that spreads the field. This is something that Nebraska football wants in the program, as they are targeting playmakers that open up the offense. He has the size and speed to be a legitimate threat, at six-foot-two, 180 pounds. The Huskers have gotten several playmakers already in the offense. Bair would fit the bill, and make the wide receiver room even deeper.

Initially, he was one of the more under-recruited prospects, but now more programs are catching on. Even still, the wide receiver spoke highly of the Nebraska football program during a recent interview with the Omaha World-Herald. Bair is coming to Lincoln this weekend, along with several other prospects for the big Junior Day. He really likes the energy   surrounding the program, and the willingness of McGuire to learn as transcribed by Sam McKewon.

“There’s just an energy about the program,” Bair said Tuesday evening. “It just seems like every single person in the building really wants to turn that program around and get things rolling. I was really drawn to that, and what they’re trying to do.”

“I really like people who are open to learning,” Bair said of the 23-year-old McGuire, perhaps the youngest assistant in major college football. “I don’t like people who are set in their ways. I really enjoy the fact that he’s open to learning and progressing. That would allow me to progress with him at the same time, allow me to grow.”

It seems as though Nebraska football recruiting pitch has been very good to this point. Several fans were worried about McGuire’s age, but it seems as though that is not a problem for recruits. It certainly bodes well for Nebraska football that Bair thinks so highly of them. This could be extremely important heading into the upcoming weekend.

Nebraska football will not have a shortage of wide receivers, nor will they have a shortage of talent in the room. Bair’s recruitment and subsequent interest is proof of that.

For More Nebraska content, follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook Page, and Subscribe to the Husker Big Red YouTube Channel. You can also find out podcast on Apple or Spotify

Continue Reading

Trending