Signing day has changed, recruiting plan of action, and Husker legacy targets.

This is HuskerOnline.com’s feature in which recruiting analysts Mike Matya and Bryan Munson give their weekly takes on topical issues concerning Nebraska football, baseball and recruiting.

Today in our next installment of “Three and Out” we hit on signing day has changed, recruiting plan of action, and Husker legacy targets.

Today, February 2, is the beginning of the NCAA regular signing period, which used to be somewhat of a national holiday among college football recruiting junkies.

College football fans across the country used to take the day off to follow all recruiting developments throughout the day of their favorite teams.

But those days seem to be in the past for good. The recruiting calendar has dramatically changed, whether for good or ill.

Most of the action now takes place during the early signing period in December, when and least 90% of the recruits come off the board and sign letters of intent with their respective college destinations.

Today for Nebraska, we are essentially waiting on signing day announcements from two offensive recruits who could very well decide to play for the Cornhuskers.

Allan will be announcing his decision between Nebraska and TCU at 9:00 AM this morning.

That will be followed up by Bonner’s college commitment at 11:00 AM. He is deciding between Nebraska, Georgia Tech and Memphis.

Don’t forget that NU head coach Scott Frost will be having a signing day a press conference later this afternoon and we will be covering all the details on HOL.

– Mike Matya

Someone over social media sent me a quote that Nebraska will finish the 2022 class having extended nearly 400 total offers and wondered what I thought of it. I am not sure that there is any value in trying to decode what Nebraska did in 2022 or before, but what they need to do going forward could be important.

I have been very impressed with how quickly the staff has been getting back to their roots and hitting the areas that should make up 90+% of their class. The plan is simple. It’s sustainable. It also plays to the current staff’s strengths. It’s a five step plan:

1. In-state – The Nebraska staff has already been clear with the players from the state of Nebraska that they don’t want them to leave. It’s not a good look and you don’t want to compete against them when they leave.

2. Neighboring states – Nebraska has been all over Kansas, Missouri and Iowa; laying the groundwork for the 2023 class in the weeks leading up to the dead period.

3. Rest of the 500 mile radius – The Huskers have also been after players from Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois, and brought in players from many of these states to the January junior days.

4. Texas/Louisiana across to Florida – First it was Louisiana when Coach Joseph was making the rounds; then coach Applewhite extended a number of offers across Texas. Then the Huskers were in Alabama and Georgia. The week before the final junior day, the Nebraska staff was in Florida.

5. Big 10 footprint – So get outside of the radius of Lincoln and that brings you all the way to Chicago. The Huskers have already put their best foot forward with Aycen Stevens from Indiana and the Husker staff was also in New Jersey last week extending new offers.

What areas are now getting neglected? Some might say California, but with Riley now at USC, getting the best of the best from Cali to leave has become very difficult. I would actually say Colorado and Arizona are the two states that Nebraska still needs to find a way to make inroads.

Simplify the plan. Get out of the numbers and get back to the areas. These are the areas Nebraska needs to carry to be successful. These are the areas Nebraska still has brand appeal and can persuade players to come to Lincoln to play for the Huskers.

– Bryan Munson

The revamped Nebraska coaching staff hosted junior days in Lincoln the past two Saturdays and they would have to be considered a big success, judging from the comments we received from the prospects in attendance.

Of particular note were the offered recruits who visited and had connections to the Husker program through various family members.

Though he was not a junior day attendee, the Huskers received a commitment from legacy recruit Dwight Bootle this week, who is the brother of former NU DB Dicaprio Bootle.

Some of the other legacies who came to a junior day are listed below:

Other offers: Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Arizona State, Kansas State, Iowa, Iowa State and Kansas

The son of former Husker defensive lineman Danny Noonan has been high on Nebraska’s target list since they offered him last year. He has taken numerous visits over the past year to check out the Huskers’ program.

Other offers: Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas State and South Dakota

The brother of current Husker defensive end Mosai Newsom has also taken multiple unofficial visits to Lincoln over the past year.

“The conversation with the coaches went really good and everything went really good. I spent time with Coach (Erik) Chinander a good amount, and I talked to Coach (Barrett) Ruud a little bit. I also talked to Coach Frost a little bit, and to Coach (Mike) Dawson, too.”

Other offers: Kansas and Miami (Ohio)

The son of former Husker offensive lineman Bob Sledge was offered by the Nebraska coaches during his junior day visit to Lincoln.

“I really wasn’t expecting an offer. I was talking to coach (Donovan) Raiola the whole day and then he pulled in his office. It was pretty awesome.

“(Nebraska) said they were going to (offer) earlier, but they just wanted to make sure I got to meet Coach Raiola. They wanted for him to get into his spot, and then they offered me today.”

Other offers: Minnesota

The son of former NU running back Damon Benning, Caleb had a strong year starting in the secondary for Omaha Westside last season.

“I really liked the hospitality of the visit. We got to meet with all of the coaches. I have a pretty good relationship with a lot of the coaches and the facilities that Nebraska has are really nice. I think that Nebraska is just looking at me as an athlete. Coach (Mckey) Joseph said that he could see me going either way in college possibly.

“I don’t know about the recruiting territories or anything, but coach Joseph told me today that Nebraska was not going to let in-state kids leave the state. They want to let other schools to know they can’t get those kids to leave the state Nebraska is emphasizing that.”

Other offers: Oregon, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Illinois, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Boston College, UCF and Arizona

He is the brother of current Husker cornerback Marques Buford, and this was his second trip to Lincoln after attending a Nebraska home game last season.

“It went great, I enjoyed my time a lot today. I got to speak with a lot of the coaches, and learned a lot of things about the program I didn’t know previously. What stood out to me the most was the DB meeting with Coach Fisher. I spent a lot of time with my brother today. He’s loving it here!”

Other offers: Iowa State, Minnesota and Kansas

He was offered last year by the Nebraska coaches during his freshman year at Omaha Burke. His father is former Husker Dave Jones.

“It was a very fun experience. They were very inviting and they did a lot of the small details, so they didn’t miss anything. They were very hands-on the and they really made me feel like they wanted me there.

“You know, [the highlight] was probably just being with the coaches and just talking with Scott Frost and all that. Just bonding and building those relationships. It was really cool. Coach Frost talked about what he sees in me and how my parents are from a small town nearby where he lived. Just stuff like that.”

Every single one of the above Nebraska legacy recruits will remain a high priority for the NU coaching and personnel staff. They need to eventually get commitments and signed letters of intent from as many of them as they can over these next couple of years.

It would be a signal of confidence in the direction of the current coaching staff and administration in Lincoln, and hopefully, assist in getting the football program back on a more solid footing.

– Mike Matya