Recruiting, love for Betts and ‘stand-up comedy’: Inside Scott Frost’s Omaha coaching clinic show of force | Recruiting

Nebraska coach Scott Frost knows the score when it comes to his program’s in-state recruiting efforts.

After the Huskers hit on nearly every player they wanted from within the state’s border during his first two years here, the success rate has slipped the past two. Losing doesn’t help. The pandemic didn’t help, either. Some kids are going to want something different no matter what.

But the perception, recently, has been that the Huskers need to do more, do something different or both in their approach to recruiting local kids and, in particular, kids in the Omaha Metro.

In the 2022 class, NU flipped Millard South’s Gage Stenger from Kansas State but whiffed on Bellevue West tight ends Kaden Helms (Oklahoma) and Micah Riley-Ducker (Auburn), Omaha Burke linebacker Devon Jackson (Oregon) and was out of the running early for four-star Omaha Central offensive lineman Deshawn Woods, who ended up at Wyoming. In 2021, NU got Elkhorn South tackle Teddy Prochazka and Omaha Westside safety Koby Bretz out of the Omaha area, but lost Westside cornerback Avante Dickerson to Oregon and Bellevue West wide receiver Keagan Johnson to Iowa.

Frost acknowledged NU needed to redouble its in-state efforts last week, and said that began in January when his staff spread out around the state on the first day coaches were allowed to visit schools. It’s also become clear that wide receivers coach Mickey Joseph is handling more of the recruiting in the Omaha area along with inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud, who has coordinated the in-state efforts up to this point.

“It’s been tough, especially with COVID,” Frost said. “We haven’t had a chance to get around Nebraska coaches as much as we want to and some of those relationships need our attention. …

“We want Nebraska kids here and obviously Mickey has a lot of relationships and people know him. Barrett also has a lot of relationships and people know him, so those will be the primary Nebraska recruiters for us.”

A recruiting dead period is in place now, but Frost engineered maybe his biggest show of force yet on Wednesday night when he brought his whole coaching staff to the annual Omaha high school coaching clinic, where he was on the docket to speak.

“The entire staff, which was impressive,” Creighton Prep coach Tim Johnk told the Journal Star. “I told Scott that and I told all of his guys, ‘Really impressive that you brought everybody.’”

“He brought everybody in, man. That was really neat,” Bellevue West coach Michael Huffman said. “We’ve always had a couple guys come up, but dang, the whole staff was there. That was cool.”

The timing for such a move makes sense, given that Frost has turned over half of his 10-man coaching staff this offseason after firing four offensive assistants and losing defensive line coach Tony Tuioti to Oregon. Joseph has made the rounds in Omaha over the month of January and special teams coordinator Bill Busch is a Pender native who’s recruited the state for years, but the night provided an opportunity for area coaches to meet NU offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, running backs coach Bryan Applewhite and offensive line coach Donovan Raiola, as well.

“The changes that they have made on the offensive side of the ball especially, I think, are really, really good. I’m telling you,” Johnk said. “I’ve been impressed by everything from Coach Applewhite, the running backs coach, to Coach Whipple to Mickey to Coach Raiola. The way they’re going to coach and the way they’re going to teach some things is going to be top-notch. You can just tell.

“They’re going to do some things better, they just are. Including recruiting in Omaha.”

Applewhite, in particular, got rave reviews from Johnk and Huffman both. But that might be in part due to the fact that he got new-guy treatment on Wednesday night.

“The juice is good, man. I met the RB coach for the first time. He’s sharp. Really liked him,” Huffman said. “They made him speak at the clinic. New man on the totem pole.”

Johnk and Huffman are among the Metro coaches who have players in their program that NU is recruiting currently. Creighton Prep 2023 offensive lineman Sam Sledge picked up an offer last month from the Huskers and so the head coach said he spent considerable time getting to know Raiola last month. Huffman has 2024 receiver Dae’von Hall and 2024 quarterback Daniel Kaelin and a consistent flow of talent through his Bellevue West program in addition to current NU sophomore wide receiver Zavier Betts, who now is playing for Joseph.

“Oh man, (Betts) loves him. That’s another super-cool thing,” Huffman said. “Every offensive coach that was there brought up Zavier starting to turn the corner. Zavier has always been athletically gifted. He struggles a little bit in focus and drive and Mickey was telling me that he’s always the first one in the room now. …

“Mickey called him right there while we were standing there because he wanted Zavier to know that they were bragging him up. Zavier needs that kind of stuff. He’s a kid that needs an arm around his shoulder and needs a little love and I’m pumped because it sounds like he’s doing great.”

This was new ground for Frost, bringing his whole staff to a clinic, and the commitment clearly impressed the coaches in attendance. Huffman, though, said the Husker head coach himself also left an impression.

“Frost went up there and basically did a stand-up comedy show,” Huffman said. “It was good to see him in that light because he had never really done that before. He really put himself out there, threw some zingers out there. You don’t do that unless you’re feeling more comfortable. I was happy.

“I talked to him for probably for a half hour and he just seems a lot different in a good way. A really good way.”