The Nebraska football team has some new competition for one of its most recent JUCO scholarship offers. Nick Figueroa had been a defensive lineman that was a bit under the radar. It appears he's pinging the radar plenty these days. The Riverside C.C. defender is now up to 17 total offers with Georgia Tech being one of the latest teams to enter the fray. While there was a time when it looked like the Huskers might be the runaway favorites for this player, it appears now they are in for a real fight. Buckle up Huskers fans, because considering just how badly the school needs game-changing, pass-rushing defensive ends, the battle for Figueroa could be one heck of a fight.
Nebraska football needs to make case for position of need
If the Huskers are going to reel in Nick Figueroa, it appears they are going to make their case very clear. The Cornhuskers are in very dire need for someone who can rush the passer without the aid of a blitz. Erik Chinander's defense has had some up and downs this season. What has been obvious for most of the year is that the defensive line is not getting the job done when it comes to getting to the quarterback. Some of that is the defensive fronts Chinander uses it. A large part of it is simply not having the type of players that are able to get past their man unless they have numbers.
Yessir!!! Excited to receive an opportunity to continue my athletic and academic career at Georgia Tech!! #TogetherWeSwarm #biGTime19 #ATL pic.twitter.com/PiQmpjZ6xE
— Nick Figueroa 💧 (@nickafigueroa1) November 20, 2018
Figueroa certainly fits the bill of the pass rusher this team desperately needs.
Not only does he have a total of 35 tackles, but he gets to the quarterback at a rate the Nebraska football team desperately misses. Through 11 games this season, the defensive end has 11.5 sacks. That includes a sack in Riverside's 63-24 win over El Camino in the Southern California Regional Playoffs. He'll try and help his team win a championship on Saturday.
UCLA the team to beat for Nick Figueroa?
The defensive end is starting to look like he might be among the most highly sought after players when it comes to JUCO defensive ends. Despite Georgia Tech as the latest to offer, it appears that if the Nebraska football team is going to win this derby, they are going to need to fight off UCLA.
247Sports has the crystal balls heavily leaning towards the Bruins at the moment. He's got an official visit scheduled for November 30. That's just a few days before the early signing period. It stands to reason he would announce his commitment shortly thereafter. The real question here is whether or not the Cornhuskers can pull a rabbit out of their hat and reel him in.