Three & Out: decommits, all-conference Huskers, and NU coaches on the road

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 decommits part of the process, potential all-conference Huskers, and NU coaches out on the road.

There are a number of folks up in arms about Hayden Schwartz decommitting and what some of my and Sean’s thoughts have been about Schwartz. What I understand now is Schwartz told Nebraska that he may have wanted to take another trip or two and based on that news Nebraska let him out of the class.

So, while Nebraska wasn’t looking for a reason to necessarily get Schwartz out of the class, they didn’t turn the chance away when it presented itself. As Sean and I said on the board earlier this week, Schwartz hardly looked the part of a Big Ten defensive lineman. The pictures don’t lie. Jake Appleget towered over Schwartz.

This is not the first time Nebraska has cut loose a player and it will hardly be the last. Heck, this staff cut a player loose just a year ago and, while there are no official records around this data, I have compiled a list to take all of you down memory lane.

Schwartz may be a little different than those listed above, but the situation still fits the bill with me. Schwartz was going to have a hard time getting his body ready to play defensive line in the Big Ten, if you ask me. It seems pretty clear that Nebraska did the right things with the majority of the other players they severed ties with.

Bottom line, Nebraska is better off keeping a player out of their program than bringing in someone they have questions about and then months later have to process him.

– Bryan Munson

In the unfolding debacle that has been the 2021 Nebraska football season to date, there have definitely been some bright spots on the team.

Several Nebraska players have been playing at an all-conference level, whether or not they will eventually be named to any All-Big Ten post-season awards teams.

Players on losing teams generally do not get much notice on the post-season all-conference lists, but below are some NU standouts this season who deserve to get those accolades.

Hybrid outside linebacker JoJo Domann is the straw that stirs the Blackshirt defense. The super senior has been a consistent playmaker for the Huskers ever since he started getting meaningful reps. He is tied for the team lead in solo tackles, and the NU defense is just always better with him on the field.

Over the past several games, Austin Allen has really come into his own. He has looked to be the best tight end in the conference this season. He is second on the team in total receptions [24], behind only Samori Toure. He has also markedly improved as a blocker. This is likely his last year in Lincoln and his consistency and playmaking ability will be missed next season.

All the hard work in the weight room and discipline with his diet during the off-season have really paid off for Damion Daniels this season. He’s been a rock in the middle of NU’s defense and a consistent disruptor in the backfield. Enjoy him while you can because he’s another junior who may be moving onto the NFL after this season.

Cam Taylor-Britt struggled in the early games by trying to do too much, but he has had a couple of outstanding games recently by letting the game come to him. He made two huge momentum-turning plays in the second half against Minnesota which should have allowed Nebraska to win that game. He came to Nebraska as a quarterback/athlete and he has turned into the Huskers’ best defensive back over the past couple of seasons.

You couldn’t ask much more from a pair of inside linebackers than what Luke Reimer and Nick Henrich have provided for the Huskers so far this season. The two Nebraska natives lead the team in total tackles with 67 and 65 respectively. Reimer has also been particularly effective in pass coverage. Both are still relatively young in the program, so if they stay healthy they could be very special before they’re done in Lincoln.

The above Husker players deserve all-conference recognition based on their play and production so far this season, but again, losing teams usually don’t get the benefit of the doubt with their players on the post-season honors lists.

There is legit talent on this Nebraska football team, which makes the continuing struggles to win that much more frustrating.

– Mike Matya

The Husker staff will be out on the road for the first time in two years this week. The 2022 class has been misunderstood and criticized a great deal for the lack of quality in the class or the lack of size to the class overall.

Nebraska has just eight commits in their 2022 class now, since Schwartz and Nebraska have parted ways. The projected size of the class has always been 13, but we could see Nebraska go beyond this number if the right players present themselves. There also may be more players choosing to leave Nebraska’s roster in the coming months.

Husker fans should expect Nebraska’s coaches to still be after a handful of high school players, although I feel like this is a select amount. There aren’t a lot of names to go along with this thought; however, I expect that this list is just a handful of recruits who are mainly players Nebraska couldn’t get to visit in June.

There may be one recruit that I wouldn’t be surprised if Nebraska stops in to see who hasn’t been touched on in a while. In July, Missouri picked up the commitment from Jalen Marshall. The Huskers had Marshall high on their board and after he committed elsewhere there were not a lot of options. Missouri has fired their defensive line coach and Marshall confirmed to me that Nebraska has been staying in touch.

There should also be a few junior college recruits that we will hear about Nebraska stopping by to see. Here is a list of the recruits I will be keeping an eye on, and remember that from this list, Zah Frazier, was supposed to visit, but canceled until a date later in the season.

Then there is the part of the class that will be “TBD” until things start coming clearer with the portal. Who will Nebraska lose? Who is out there for Nebraska to take a look at? Have to think that Nebraska will be in the market for a kicker and, depending on what they can get from either high school or junior college, possibly an offensive lineman or two, defensive lineman or two and a couple of defensive backs.

Around Thanksgiving things could get interesting. We should all be watching to see what premiere quarterbacks have been recruited over or outplayed and are out of a starting job. Depending on what happens with Adrian Martinez (and possibly regardless of what he decides to do), Nebraska should be active in the portal for one of those types of players.

We should have some answers in the coming days about some of the guys Nebraska is looking at to finish up the 2022 class. There is also another possibility that we won’t know. Nebraska could have some guys in their back pocket that they don’t want anyone to know about until it’s a little later in the process.

In a world with Covid and recruiting being mainly online the last year or more this doesn’t seem like a very likely answer, but keep an eye on it. It will be difficult to track it all, but what we can piece together we will bring to you in updates on HuskerOnline.

– Bryan Munson