Nebraska football might have a transfer wide receiver on its radar, but it also just landed one of the more talented players on the other side of the ball in the country. Henry Gray announced his commitment to the Huskers on Thursday night and instantly boosted their 2020 recruiting class.
Gray, a defensive back out of Miami, Florida was one of several visitors for the Cornhuskers' game against Northern Illinois and he was clearly impressed with what he saw from Memorial Stadium.
On his own, the DB is a heck of a get. What it could mean for the Nebraska football team's recruiting in the coming days and weeks is even better news.
Corner or safety, the Nebraska football commit excels at both
One thing that stands out from watching Gray's film is that he is a welcome addition to the "no-fly" secondary being put together by Travis Fisher and Eric Chinander. The 12th ranked corner in the class according to 247 Sports, he handles one-on-one coverage just fine. He can also drop back into the zone and make whatever section of the field is his a place offenses go to die.
He's got the speed to hang with whatever is thrown at him.
He's also got the instincts and hands to be a turnover machine in the right defense. Gray isn't someone that is a diamond in the rough for Nebraska football, but it's possible he's still somehow underrated.
Shunning the home state schools
Any worries that the Huskers might eventually lose out to Gray's love of home seems to have been shot down on the day of his commitment. No, this isn't a naive hope that announcing a commitment means the player isn't going to look elsewhere, but the timing of the commitment is interesting.
Gray already boasted an offer from Miami (Alabama and Auburn too) before Thursday. He'd also gotten offers from Florida and Florida State. This isn't a player looking for that dream offer.
He'd already got several that would qualify. He still picked the Nebraska football team.
Nebraska football snatching one from Big Ten squads
With a grand total of 28 offers, it's almost quicker to mention the big-time schools that haven't come calling for Henry Gray. The Huskers got a big win, not only because they robbed SEC and ACC programs of a top prospect.
Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan also came calling. Those are the three schools Nebraska is going to have to beat out in order to rise up the ranks of the conference and eventually turn this thing all the way around.
Sign of things to come?
The best news of all for Nebraska football fans is what this commit could signify. One thing that has been true for most of Scott Frost's tenure in Lincoln, is these events tend not to be one-offs. Once a player announces his commitment, especially after a big visit weekend, other dominos usually fall. Now it's just a matter of who is next up.