The Nebraska Football team has almost filled its 2018 class. With that in mind, it's a safe bet you're going to be reading more stories about how the Husker coaches are working on the 2019 class over the next few days, weeks, and months. Such is the case with a scholarship offer to an in-state linebacker for the 2019 class.
The Nebraska football coaching staff made an offer last Friday to Omaha Burke linebacker Nick Henrich, who tweeted out he had received an offer later that day.
Henrich appears to be a player that could be getting, even more, attention as the year rolls on, thanks to a solid linebacker's frame and some well-documented athleticism. He currently has six offers, with the Huskers being that sixth team. For now, the offers are largely regional but that could change in the very near future.
In-state scholarship bid should staunch fears
News that the Nebraska football coaching staff offered Henrich broke about the same time that it was announced they had basically decided to stop recruiting another in-state player. Bryson Williams told the media over the weekend he had been informed by the Husker staff they were not longer interested in offering him a scholarship.
While the door was apparently still open to a walk-on gray shirt type situation, Williams' comments seem to indicate he was moving on as well.
As it is wont to do, the news that the Nebraska football team had pulled even the possibility of an offer from an in-state kid was met with some anger and a bit of worry. There were some fans who believed this was the beginning of a sea change in the way Riley recruited from the Huskers' home state. The offer to Henrich appears to underline the coaching staff understands the important of recruiting from their own back yard, but getting the best talent from anywhere is paramount.
Nebraska football and the talent conundrum
The outcry that followed the Husker coaches' decision to no longer recruit Williams underlines the tightrope the staff walks.
On the one hand, it's quite evident they need to get as much talent from outside their home area as they can. The Huskers are never going to be able to match the talent level of Ohio State and Michigan by recruiting just Lincoln and Omaha.
The Nebraska football team is also clearly still going after the best of the best in their backyard. Henrich is someone who has drawn the attention of other power five conference opponents. Minnesota and Iowa State are chief amongst the competition. Iowa is interested as well. It will pay off going out of their way to try and bring someone like this linebacker into the fold.