The University of Nebraska Cornhuskers successfully land defensive back Jaiden Francois for a commitment to its 2020 class. Francois made the dramatic announcement of his commitment to Nebraska at South Dade High School, where his other teammates also unveiled their commits. To stimulate excitement among the crowd and the press, he confirmed his Nebraska commit by unbuttoning his shirt to reveal a Husker's t-shirt beneath.
Within moments of his announcement, the Huskers themselves confirmed his commit. The team’s official Twitter account posted a short video of Francois and several buildings at the University of Nebraska.
The press conference was not without drama. The event started late because he is said to have gotten a phone call about his options. The defensive back seemed to agonize over his decision multiple times. At one point, he had to leave the venue so he can calm down and collect his thoughts.
Here is South Dade 4-star safety Jaiden Francois announcing for Nebraska to lots and lots of cheers. pic.twitter.com/ccaNWbCBlx
— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) December 18, 2019
Francois on his decision
Nebraska snatched Francois from the rival University of Miami, who he decommitted from twice in the past thirteen months. Florida University put on a major effort to land him, arranging multiple visits from the program’s coaching staff and numerous trips to campus.
It can be recalled that Francois first rescinded his commitment to Miami last year. He did not state the reason for his decommittment. However, experts say that it could be because of defensive coordinator Manny Diaz’ transfer to Temple University’s football program. Francois made his commitment to Miami again when the university hired Diaz back when coach Mark Richt resigned.
Scott Frost's impressive signing record
The past few days have been a major home run for the Nebraska Huskers, especially for coach Scott Frost. Within the past week, Nebraska was able to sign 23 players. All of them except one signed on Wednesday. Ever since Frost got on board as Nebraska’s head coach in December 2017, he has brought 121 recruits to the campus.
Of those recruits, a total of 68 ended up signing with the team. That represents an impressive 56.2 percent success rate.
Part of Nebraska’s success is due to Frost’s aggressive campaigning. It is important for the Huskers that the visiting potential player sees that he has a bright future on the campus. They also make sure to sell Lincoln’s nightlife and culture to them.
Nebraska's tough 2020 prospects
Even with a formidable team in the incoming football season, Nebraska has an uphill battle to the podium next year.
With schedules for next year’s season already available, the Huskers will be facing tough opponents consecutively. From October 31 to November 27, Nebraska will have the following teams to defeat: Ohio State, Penn State, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. This might result in the team struggling to maintain its ranking in 2020.