From their early days of conception to the Big 12 years and now to the Big Ten, Nebraska Football has always been one of, if not the biggest sporting event in the state. Huskers fans love their football. Now, as head coach Scott Frost prepares to enter his second full season as the man in charge, the Huskers are more than excited to hit the gridiron next fall - especially following a great recruiting class.
Just the beginning
Coach Scott Frost is not much different than other Big Ten coaches - he wants to get kids who are big and athletic. According to Frost’s first remarks following Wednesday’s signing period, Frost has reeled in several players that are cut from his style.
“I thought it was a good year in Nebraska talent-wise,” Frost told Omaha.com.
When you sign players like Bryce Benhart and Wandale Robinson you know you are on the right track! Benhart is one of the biggest offensive linemen ever to enter the NCAA ranks. According to 247 Sports, Benhart is listed at 6’ 8” and 305 lbs. That is one big kid! However, it is not just his size that is impressive. He is very mobile and light on his feet for a big guy, and should make the Huskers O-line a ton better in 2019.
As for Wandale Robinson, the question is what can’t he do?
Without going overboard and putting the cart before the horse, Robinson heads to Lincoln as one of the best prep players in America, period.
Listed as an all-purpose back, Robinson has had great success on both sides of the football in high school running for 70-yard touchdowns as a tailback and smashing quarterbacks on the defensive side of the ball.
If these two youngsters perform at even 50-60 percent of the hype, the Huskers are going to be a force in years to come.
Sleepers?
On paper, Huskers fans know which players are coming in with high praise - and high expectations. However fans know the game isn’t played on paper, it is battled out on the field. So which players could be flying under the radar at NU next season? 2011 had Ameer Abdullah, Chris Jones in 2014 and of course Devine Ozigbo in 2015.
How about 2019?
While the term "sleeper" can have many meanings, in sports it is usually the player or team that does better than expected. So to tag an incoming player as a sleeper could be taken as a negative thing by some, but to others, it is a positive - and should definitely be a motivating factor to the players.
Offensive lineman Matthew Anderson, Cornerback Javin Wright and outside linebacker Garrett Nelson are at the top of the sleepers to watch list according to the latest Omaha.com update.
Anderson is listed at 6' 6" and he should fit in the O-line with fellow newbie Bryce Benhart nicely down the road. The knock on him according to coaches is that he has to work on his strength. Conditioning coach Zach Duval believes he could be a regular on the line in a year or two.
Javin Wright has Husker blood. He is the son of former Husker Toby Wright and has the build of a cornerback. At 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, Wright has speed and ability to be a future game changer.
Last but not least is linebacker Garrett Nelson. Nelson is listed as "big, rangy and strong," who may see a lot of special teams play early on.
Who is ready for football season?