The Nebraska football team wants to keep as many in-state prospects as possible. That's one of the reasons the Huskers recently became just the second Power 5 team to make an offer to Bellevue West tight end Micah Riley. The Cornhuskers are just the third FBS team to give the 2022 prospect an official offer.
While that may scare some Husker fans away from the big-bodied receiver, analysts have discussed the increased attention on Riley. Iowa State and Northern Illinois have come calling as well. With over a year to go before his class will need to sign on the dotted line, there's a chance he could be getting additional offers as well.
Nebraska the latest in a string of offers
The Huskers kicked off the week with the offer to Micah Riley, closely following the recent interest shown by Iowa State. Nebraska and Iowa have been doing battle for in-state prospects quite a bit more since Scott Frost came to town. Some of that is the natural rivalry between the two schools. There has also been a noticeable uptick in the talent base in the two states.
The Omaha-area schools especially have seen more interest from FBS and Power 5 schools in the last couple of years than they had in the previous decade. There was a time not that long ago, when it would have been unheard of for a Nebraska kid to be receiving three offers despite the fact that he can't sign until next December.
Recruiting up and downs for Nebraska
Despite a few gut punches on the recruiting trail in the last few days, the Huskers are picking themselves off the mat and going after future generations. The Nebraska football team lost out on a receiver target it hoped to rope in for the 2020 class late last week. They're hoping to pick up the pieces a bit with a surprise commitment from a top 2021 prospect later this week.
There is at least one more player the team is hoping to get to sign on the dotted line for the 2020 class, but they are going to need to beat out Utah in order to do it. They should find out if they did enough to lure one more signee to bolster their current recruting class before they officially move onto the next.
Nebraska talent not limited to football
The uptick in talent around the Omaha-metro area isn't limited to the gridiron. Basketball programs around the state are starting to see a bigger influx of top talent than it has in years as well. The way the overall talent is going up quickly is best illustrated by Hunter Sallis.
It was recently proclaimed that the Millard North Junior is the highest-rated prospect in the state since online recruiting services became a "thing." He's rated as a five-star prospect by both Rivals and 247Sports and continues to get offers from the best programs in the country.