Recruiting in the Midwest has been particularly kind to Nebraska football over the past couple of weeks. Just in the 2022 class alone, Nebraska has two commitments from the state, and one from Minnesota.
This is a trend that I personally like, given the fact that I’ve always wanted Nebraska football to make a higher push in the state. Over the past couple years, we’ve seen instances where the Huskers have not been able to seal the deal. The tides appear to be changing, and the staff appears to be a little bit more cognizant of just how much damage they can do in the Midwest.
The newfound cognizance was revealed by defensive coordinator Erik Chinander. in speaking to the media earlier this week, he hinted at the fact that he thought it was easier to recruit in areas that are close by.
This certainly makes sense to me for a number of reasons. It was very interesting to hear his logic and I hope this is something that Nebraska football continues to do. There is just too much talent in the Midwest to pass up. As the classes get better and better in terms of recruiting, and the talent continues to come in, I truly believe recruiting will get easier.
In the meantime, it was interesting to hear what the defensive coordinator had to say. In this regard, he may have touched on a strategy that Nebraska football may employ moving forward. It is, I believe, a smart one. Mike Schaefer touched on this a little bit Monday.
Chinander told the crowd in Columbus for the Big Red Blitz that the Huskers want to find the right mix of guys from in the radius who might have a stronger understanding about Nebraska football and what makes it special and blending that with some players from out of the region, who will learn about Nebraska, but can also fill needs at positions where NU might to be able to find closer to home.
Now, when I talk about building a fence, that is exactly what I mean. Nebraska has needed to build this fence over the past couple of seasons. Now, they are beginning to do it. I’m happy that they are taking this initiative and trying to get more players from a specific area. It will make for a nice future pipeline.
I’ll be interested to see how this affects recruiting, and if they can continue to pull in recruits. As evidenced by the 2022 class, it’s working so far.
