The Nebraska football team found itself among the final candidates for yet another talented young player this weekend. Southlake Carrol, Texas tight end Blake Smith announced the 10 schools he will be focusing on for the remainder of the recruiting cycle and the Huskers were in that group. As has been the case with a number of the prospects who have announced their final list in the last week or so, making the cut is just the first step.

Now Scott Frost and company are going to have to show the 3-star prospect why he should choose to come to Lincoln, rather than attend some of the other premiere football schools in the nation.

Nebraska football's uphill battle

The Cornhuskers have won the first salvo when it comes to luring Smith to campus but from here on out, things only getting tighter. In addition to Nebraska, the prospect named Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, North Carolina State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, and Washington.

As has been the case with some of the other targets Scott Frost and his staff have taken aim with lately, the good news is that there doesn't appear to be a clear cut regional bias.

Smith does have a few home state schools in the mix, but he's looking all over the country for his Top 10.

Set to climb the ranks

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Blake Smith is that a look at his recruiting rankings doesn't scream "blue-chip prospect." When looking at the composite rankings, he is a decent 3-star player but he's only the 25th ranked tight end in the 2020 class and around the 700th best player overall.

He's not a prospect that stands out in talent-rich Texas either. There he inside the top 100 for the state, which is no small feat. Still, his offer list belies someone who could grow into something much better. With a build of 6'4", 247 it's possible more than a few schools are seeing a tight end that could eventually move to the defensive side of the ball.

It's also possible programs like Nebraska football just like his height at the position. Frost and his group have made no qualms about going after pass catchers who have height as one of their main attributes. The Huskers are also not shy about stockpiling as many tight ends as possible.

The Huskers are waiting on the announcement of former Rutgers player Travis Vokolek who had been thought to be announcing his choice at the end of last week. It now appears he will be making his final call the beginning of this week. Should they nab Vokolek, the Cornhuskers would have a deep bench at the position.

Adding Blake Smith would make it deeper still, with a position that can be quite versatile as far as where you end up putting a player when they finally get on the field. The next step for the Nebraska football team will be getting Blake Smith to come see what Memorial Stadium has to offer.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED