Nebraska Cornhuskers Recruiting Wish List
With just 85 days remaining until national signing day, recruiting nut jobs like me are getting more and more excited about the possible additions to his/her favorite team’s recruiting class. Nebraska recently obtained a commitment from St. Louis, Missouri running back Tre Bryant to push their class up to 16 players, making their class two-thirds full heading into the home stretch. While Nebraska has filled their quarterback, running back, guard, and linebacker positions, there are still openings and a bevy of talented prospects that Husker fans can’t wait to have fill them. Here we will look at the top 10 prospects remaining on Nebraska Cornhuskers’ recruiting wish list, why they need them so badly, and who NU will have to beat out for them.
#10: Noah Fant: TE/DE, 6’5″ 210 lbs. 4.6 40, Omaha, Nebraska, Currently committed to Iowa
Nebraska appeared to be set at the tight end position early on in the cycle, as the Huskers held commitments from Lincoln, Nebraska native Jared Bubak and Aurora, Colorado’s Jack Stoll. Unfortunately for Nebraska, Bubak decommitted from the Huskers to join the Arizona State Sun Devils, leaving Nebraska with just one tight end commit in their class. Nebraska first attempted to replace Bubak with Mesquite, Texas’ Donte Coleman, but the Coleman committed to Fresno State in mid-October, putting the Huskers back at square one. Enter Fant, a hyper-athletic prospect who could fit in either as a tight end or as a speed rusher for the Cornhuskers. He committed to the Hawkeyes over Nebraska, UCLA, and Vanderbilt in late August, but visited Nebraska for the Wisconsin game and stated that he planned to take all five of his official visits. Nebraska isn’t desperate for a tight end, as current start Cethan Carter is only a junior, but a commitment from Fant would give the Huskers an extremely talented prospect while also keeping him off the roster of a division rival.
#9: David Reese: MLB, 6’1″ 238 lbs., Farmington, Michigan, currently committed to Michigan
Most Husker fans thought that Nebraska was done recruiting linebackers after securing a solid four man class of Jojo Domann, Greg Simmons, Quayshon Alexander, and JUCO recruit William Johnson. That apparently is not the case, as recruiting whiz Trent Bray is still searching for one more linebacker recruit to add to the Blackshirt defense. Most believed that David Reese becoming a Wolverine was a done deal heading into the season, as the linebacker prospect committed to Michigan way back in April and had been solid with them ever since. Circumstances must have changed, though, as Reese visited Nebraska for the Michigan State game and has official visits scheduled for Florida and Texas. Reese would give Nebraska the true middle linebacker that the Huskers have been missing since Will Compton departed. One advantage that the Cornhuskers may have in stealing Reese away from the Wolverines is that they can offer him the opportunity to enroll early and begin school in January.
#8: CJ Riley: WR, 6’5″ 188 lbs., Coconut Creek, Florida, Current Top 4: Duke, Nebraska, NC State, Pittsburgh
Nebraska wouldn’t seem to be in dire need of receivers, as their top six are all underclassman, but coach Keith Williams is still looking for a big bodied wideout to pair with current Husker commits J.D. Spielman and Derrion Grim. While Nebraska’s receivers have been solid this season, none have the size and physicality of Riley, and he could see playing time early for the Huskers as a red zone target. Nebraska has to be considered the favorite to land him at this point since they have secured the only visit from Riley so far; he visited Lincoln for Nebraska’s game against Wisconsin, and no plans have been announced for him to visit any other schools.
#7: Jaleel Laguins: OLB, 6’1″ 210 lbs., Watkinsville, Georgia, currently committed to Georgia
Nebraska has been after Jaleel Laguins since the recruiting cycle began, as the Huskers offered the talented linebacker in March and hosted him and a teammate, Appalachian State commit Zeb Noland, on the last weekend of March. Despite enjoying the visit and having a very good relationship with Trent Bray, Laguins committed to the in-state Georgia Bulldogs on September 19th. Nebraska stayed in contact with Laguins despite his commitment, and were able to get him on campus when the Huskers faced the Wisconsin Badgers. Laguins was blown away by the family atmosphere of Nebraska and left Lincoln very impressed. While Laguins is still committed to Georgia, he has scheduled additional visits to Kentucky and LSU. Prying Laguins away from some very good SEC teams would be a huge recruiting victory for the Huskers, and Laguins would give the Huskers a athletic defender who could be placed at any of the three linebacker positions in Nebraska’s defense.
#6: Desmond Fitzpatrick: WR, 6’2″ 189 lbs., Waterford, Michigan, currently committed to Louisville
Fitzpatrick wasn’t on many Husker fans radars until fairly recently, when Nebraska offered Fitzpatrick and his good friend David Reese and got both of them on campus for the Michigan State game. Fitzpatrick committed to Louisville on Halloween of 2014, but he kept his options open and appears to be ready to depart from the Cardinals. Nebraska impressed Fitzpatrick on his official visit and has to be considered one of the front runners for his commitment, as he currently has no other official visits scheduled. Fitzpatrick would give Nebraska another receiver similar to current freshman Stanley Morgan, and would have the added bonus of stealing a coveted recruit from the state of Michigan away from both the Wolverines and Spartans.
#5: Devron Davis: CB, 6′ 210 lbs. 4.45 40, Merced, California (Merced C.C.), current top 4: Nebraska, Florida State, Oregon, Arizona State
Nebraska’s struggles defending the pass have been well documented. The Huskers rank 125th in pass defense and their corners have struggled mightily in one-on-one situations against receivers. Devron Davis could be the answer to the Huskers problems, as the talented JUCO prospect is one of the top cornerback recruits in the country and would likely be able to contribute early. Davis is one of the most complete cornerback recruits in the country, as he is more than capable of playing zone coverage but thrives when manned up against a receiver. Davis has been extremely quiet on the recruiting front for the majority of the season, so Husker fans will have to hope that they can get him on campus after the season is over and hope they can beat out the three recruiting heavyweights.
#4: Lamar Jackson: SS, 6’2″ 206 lbs., Elk Grove, California, Current top 5: Nebraska, Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, Michigan
Nebraska scored a huge recruiting victory just by getting Jackson to visit Lincoln for Nebraska’s upset win over Michigan State, as the Elk Grove native chose to use his final official visit to see Nebraska instead of USC and/or UCLA. Nebraska went after Jackson hard during the summer camp circuit but appeared to fall behind Pac-12 schools heading into the season The hard work of Brian Stewart and prior connections with Keith Williams got Nebraska back into the picture with him. Jackson would give Nebraska a true enforcer in the back end of their secondary to pair with the athletic Marquel Dismukes, shoring up the back end of Nebraska’s secondary for the next four years. Jackson will be announcing his decision in January, so Husker fans will have to be patient for a few more months.
#3: Matt Farniok: OT, 6’5″ 319 lbs, 5.19 40, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Current Top 4: Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan State, Florida State
Matt Farniok has long been considered to be Nebraska’s top target of the entire 2016 class, as the South Dakota native is not only an elite tackle prospect, but he also resides in within Nebraska’s 500 mile recruiting radius, making him that much more crucial to reel in. Farniok was considered to be a Husker lean early in the process, as he has a good relationship with Nebraska offensive line coach Matt Cavanaugh and is good friends with current Husker commit John Raridon. Farniok has been very quiet during the season in regards to recruiting, as he wanted to focus on his senior season and then take his visits after the season was over. He did name a top four in October and announced his intentions to declare his commitment during the US Army All-American game, so Husker fans will have to stay tuned.
#2: Tremayne Anchrum: OT, 6’3″ 270 lbs., Powder Springs, Georgia, Current Top 3: Nebraska, Clemson, Colorado
This one might just be me, but I think Tremayne Anchrum is one of the best offensive tackle prospects I’ve seen in recent years, and the Huskers are in fantastic position with him. Anchrum was a relative unknown early in the recruiting process due to erroneous reports of him being just 6’2″ and 255 pounds. A tremendous showing at the Atlanta RCS camp got Anchrum on Nebraska’s radar, and the Huskers have been going after the young man hard ever since. Nebraska hosted him for a visit when they played BYU, and Anchrum was impressed with the family atmosphere in Lincoln. Anchrum appeared set to decide after a visit to Colorado, with many expecting him to become a Nebraska commit. Unfortunately for Husker fans, Anchrum visited Clemson for their game against Florida State and was blown away by the game-day atmosphere. It now looks like a dead heat between the Huskers and the Clemson Tigers and I, for one, sincerely hope the Huskers can win it. Anchrum is one of the few recruits that I think could play as a freshman due to his incredible athleticism and natural pass blocking ability.
#1: Jonathan Kongbo: DE, 6’6″ 260 lbs. 4.69 40, Yuma, Arizona (Arizona Western C.C.) Current Top 4: Ole Miss, Auburn, Tennessee, NU
Nebraska’s secondary has gotten the brunt of the criticism for Nebraska’s defensive struggles this season. While they certainly haven’t been great, I would argue that an larger portion of the blame deserves to be placed on a complete lack of pass rush from Nebraska’s defensive ends. Jack Gangwish, Greg McMullen, Ross Dzuris, and Freedom Akinmoladun have combined for just 9.5 sacks this season, with only 3.5 in Big 10 play. Nebraska is very high on current redshirt Alex Davis, a 6’5″ 230-pound speed rusher, but more help is needed to boost a pass rush that ranks 67th in the nation in sacks. Enter Kongbo, a young man who was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo before moving to British Columbia when he was five years old. He committed to play football at Wyoming despite playing just 6 game of organized football in his entire life. After one redshirt season at Wyoming, Kongbo transferred to Arizona Western C.C., where he has emerged as one of the top defensive end prospects in the JUCO ranks. Kongbo has already visited Ole Miss and plans to visit Auburn and Tennessee in November, meaning that Nebraska is in for a fight for his commitment. Kongbo is worth the battle, as the 6’6″ 260 pound man is an absolute physical freak, boasting a 36 inch vertical leap and a squat max of over 700 pounds. Kongbo would be able to come in and replace Gangwish at strong side defensive end and give Nebraska the true pass rusher they have been missing since Randy Gregory left early for the NFL.
