Huskers 2021 Recruiting Class

Hey guys, I do a breakdown of the class most years on a different medium, and thought I’d share my analysis with you guys. Hope you enjoy! If you think I’m an idiot and disagree with anything…that’s just fine because you’re entitled to your opinion and I’m just some guy on the internet.

**QB: Heinrich Haarberg 6-5 185lbs 3* (.8702) Kearney, NE**

Haarberg is a must take in this class, but he fits the same mold as McCaffrey and Smothers in that they are better athletes than they are QBs right now. Haarberg however, has the best raw QB tools of the 3. He has a quick, compact release and the ball explodes out of his hand. He completed ~59% of his passes this year against low level competition so he needs a lot of refinement, but he has everything needed to be an absolute stud of a QB. With the uncertainty of the QB position on the team, it would have been nice to see the staff take a more traditional QB that is a little more advanced, but Haarberg if Haarberg turns into what he’s capable of, then it doesn’t matter.

**RB: Gave Ervin 6′ 200lbs 3* (.8662) Buford, GA**

Irvin is the definition of a stable, consistent back. He’s a good RB to have on the roster, but I don’t see him as a “game changer”. He’s a one-cut, hit the hole kind of back. He lacks top end speed and wiggle but makes up for it in his ability to read blocks and hit the hole hard. Has great balance. Always has his pads above his feet and makes the defense properly tackle him before he goes down. No arm tackles or glancing blows work on him. I think he could be rated higher and I think he’s a welcome addition to the team.

**WR: Latrell Neville 6-3 195lbs 3* (.8675) Missouri City, TX**

Big framed WR with a long stride. His ability to go up and catch contested jump balls is great, but he needs to work on his ball tracking and body positioning. Has a very large catch radius but can sometime let the ball get deep into his body. Limited route running and low career stats can be attributed to the team he plays on. Faster than he looks with his strides and a very good blocker.

**WR: Shawn Hardy 6-3 190lbs 3* (.8622) Kingsland, GA**

Another great frame for a WR. Not a quick twitch guy, but pulls away from DBs when he gets moving. Shows great awareness and body positioning on contested balls. Route running it pretty raw but he shows the ability/desire to improve. Has a very impressive offer list. He is easily the best WR in our class IMO and could easily be a 4*.

**ATH: Kamonte Grimes 6-2 205lbs 3* (.8669) Naples, FLA**

Recruited as a WR. I don’t think anyone would classify Grimes as “explosive” but he makes people miss in open field. Like Hardy and Neville, Grimes looks his best when he’s in full stride. He’s a very raw, but solid route runner and has good hands. I imagine Grimes lining up multiple places for Nebraska, much like Wan’dale Robinson, even though they are wildly different players. Whether he’s split wide, in the backfield, returning punts/kicks, or a wildcat QB. I actually really like his tape at Safety as well.

**TE: Thomas Fidone 6-5 230lbs 4* (.9604) Council Bluffs, IA**

The crown jewel of the class. Brings attributes to the team that no one else provides, from day 1. Will play early and often. He can/will play both inside and outside. An absolute matchup nightmare for opposition. Has elite route running and ball skills. He has a great frame and body already, but needs a little more muscle if they want him to be an in-line TE more at the next level.

**TE: James Carnie 6-5 220lbs 3* (.8767) Firth, NE**

Late bloomer who forced his way into a scholarship. Probably would have walked on prior to this year, but his play and interest from other schools forced Nebraska to offer. Carnie has the attitude/work ethic that you want on the team. Projects as a prototype in-line TE after he adds the needed bulk. He plays a lot outside right now which has helped him in his route running/ball skills for when he moves inside. Good athlete who runs in the 4.6 range.

**TE: AJ Rollins 6-6 220lbs 3* (.8593) Omaha, NE**

A bit of an odd take. Nothing he does really jumps off the screen at you. He seems to have pretty good hands, but sometimes looks very slow off the line and stiff in his route running/athleticism. It wouldn’t shock me if the staff bulks him up and moves him to DE.

**OL: Teddy Prochazka 6-8 280lbs 4* (.9108) Omaha, NE**

Has the frame and athleticism that you want in a tackle prospect. Needs to fill out and add 20-30 pounds of bulk. Has great hands and moves his feet very well. He can tend to play a little high, which is understandable at 6-8. If he can refine his pad height and run blocking, he’s an NFL level athlete at tackle.

**OL: Henry Lutovsky 6-6 320lbs 3* (.8809) Mount Pleasant, IA**

An imposing, boulder of a human being. He moves whoever is in front of him. Needs to stabilize his weight a little better as he could stand to drop some bad weight and add muscle. Has pretty decent feet, but needs to work on his pass blocking footwork. Profiles as a snowplow of a guard who should be rated higher than he is, IMO.

**OL: Branson Yager 6-7 330lbs 3* (.8566) Grantsville, UT**

Incredible frame for an 18 year old. Is more advanced than Lutovsky in his pass blocking, but still needs work. Just like Lutovsky, he absolutely mauls whoever is front of him. If you watch his film and see him get pushed backwards once, please let me know because I didn’t see it happen. He can be a little slow to get out of his stance, but is a road grater when he gets moving. I think he profiles as plow of a guard just like Lutovsky, and hope they form the hellacious guard duo that I envision.

**DB: Koby Bretz 6-2 185lbs 3* (.8672) Omaha, NE**

Maybe my favorite player in the class. Makes plays all over the field. Reads the offense exceptionally well and absolutely FLIES when coming downhill. He is always around the ball on defense. Instincts and attitude are 5*. He shows good hands/ball skills on offense that translates well to his play on defense. Most under-rated player in the class.

**DB: Malik Williams 6′ 185lbs 3* (.8463) Buford, GA**

Maybe the quietest of all commits. Williams holds a pretty decent offer list. His brother is a DB at Clemson. I didn’t have much film to go off of, but he looks like he runs well. Have read some local reports on him saying that teams do not challenge him anymore because he breaks up/picks off anything in his direction.

**LB: Randolf Kpai 6-3 185lbs 4* (.9080) Sioux Falls, SD**

Lanky athlete with great burst and explosiveness. Could play any LB position at Nebraska. I think they like him inside, kind of like they envisioned Keyshawne Greene, but his speed and length may play better outside in a Jojo Domann typle role. He shows some potential to develop a solid edge-rush game but plays best when flying downhill. Kpai does not arm tackle, he runs through tackles.

**LB: Mikai Gbayor 6-2 220lbs 3* (.8701) Irvington, NJ**

Really good body control which allows him to play with great pad level. This lets him either blow between blockers and blow up others. Doesn’t have great straight line speed, but plays fastest coming downhill. Looks capable in coverage, not special. Brings all 220lbs when tackling which doesn’t always require him to wrap-up, which he’ll need to do at the next level. I really like Gbayor and think he is pretty under-rated.

**LB: Seth Malcolm 6-3 195lbs 3* (.8430) Tabor, IA**

Surprise take in the class. Small school player who always looks like the best player on the field, which you would hope for. I don’t have much to say on Seth, the staff must have a plan for him. He does look like a pretty fluid athlete who also sees the field well.

**DL: Ru’Quan Buckley 6-6 280lbs 3* (.8709) Three Rivers, MI**

Plays both sides of the ball but we’re putting him on defense. Has a great frame and excellent athleticism. Once disengaged from blocks, he rockets into the backfield. Very raw prospect but he plays with exceptional pad level. When moving his feet, he looks above average at disengaging blocks and making a play, when his feet get stationary he can get lost in the play pretty quickly.

**DL: Jailen Weaver 6-8 280lbs 3* (.8669) Antioch, CA**

Very intriguing developmental prospect. He carries his 280lbs incredibly well. He has a lot to work on, but has all of the things you can’t teach. Size-speed-athleticism combo is legit. Plays way too high much of the time and can get lost in plays. He makes up for it by being bigger/stronger than everyone else right now, which won’t work at the next level. Needs a lot of work, but could be great.

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