OL dominoes, new FutureCast prediction, Gates leaving

Good morning, and welcome to a rare weekend edition of the Husker Hurry Up! This is your guide to news, analysis and other tidbits as we get you caught up and prepared for everything that’s going on in Nebraska football, recruiting, volleyball, basketball and more throughout the week. So grab your coffee and sit down to read up on your favorite Huskers players and teams.

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You wouldn’t be able to miss them if you saw them on the streets, and you likely didn’t miss the news of their commitments over the past two days:

Amir Herring, a 6-foot-3 and 280-pound offensive guard out of West Bloomfield (Mich.), committed to Michigan on Thursday, and Cayden Green, a 6-foot-5 and 315-pound offensive tackle out of Lee’s Summit North (Kansas City), committed to Oklahoma on Friday.

Each offensive lineman in the 2023 class spoke with Rivals national recruiting analyst Clint Cosgrove to detail the reasons they picked their respective schools, as Herring said that the opportunity to stay home and play in front of family and friends was one of the primary reasons and Green said that he had opportunities at Oklahoma that he “couldn’t pass up.”

Their commitments to a Big Ten opponent and a former Big 12 rival have left Nebraska with two more top-of-the-board targets now off that recruiting board.

The Huskers made a good run at each player, but neither commitment decision was unexpected.

Herring picking the Wolverines stings in the sense that Nebraska seemed to have the upper hand for a little while in his recruitment, but losing him to his home state school makes the pill ever so slightly easier to swallow.

Green chose to go back to his roots, committing to Oklahoma which lies less than two hours from his Tulsa birthplace that he lived in until he was 4 years old. His commitment to the Sooners, though, is not at the same he stayed home so it doesn’t sting quite as bad level as Herring.

Whatever the case, the Huskers have a need for at least one more offensive lineman in this class, so seeing two primetime targets commit elsewhere on back-to-back days is a bit of a kick to the you-know-what.

In the aftermath of Herring’s commitment, information came my way that a player we have not been writing about that much has come to the forefront among Nebraska’s top targets.

I placed a FutureCast prediction on Friday morning for the Huskers to land three-star Mountain Ridge (Utah) offensive lineman Jr Sia.

The 6-foot-6, 310-pounder has the positional versatility to be a tackle or a guard at the next level, but he appears on film to fit more of the mold of an interior offensive lineman. The Huskers have a need for that spot with Herring off the board, and I’m predicting that Nebraska will be the ultimate destination.

Cameron Lenhardt, a four-star defensive end/outside linebacker hybrid out of Florida powerhouse IMG Academy, released a top three on Friday evening.

Nebraska is on the list and is up against Penn State and Michigan State to win his commitment.

Lenhardt spoke with Inside Nebraska prior to releasing his list to tell us why the Huskers are a finalist. Read that by following this link.

Armon Gates, one of top assistants on the Nebraska men’s basketball coaching staff, is leaving the Huskers program.

Fred Hoiberg issued a statement to confirm the news on Friday night, saying that he appreciates “all of Armon’s contributions to Husker Basketball over the past four-plus seasons.”

No. 49: Kicker Timmy Bleekrode and tight end Nate Boerkircher

Quick facts on Bleekrode: 5-foot-8, 185 lbs., sophomore from Marist School (Atlanta) and Furman College where he was a two-year starting punter and placekicker

Quick facts on Boerkircher: 6-foot-5, 230 lbs., redshirt freshman from Aurora (Neb.) who played in three games in 2021 before redshirting

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