Three & Out: Nebraska Signing Day primer
Three & Out is Nebraska On3’s feature in which recruiting analyst Bryan Munson gives his weekly takes on topical issues concerning Nebraska football and recruiting.
In this week’s edition of Three & Out, we talk about what’s going to happen on National Signing Day, we talk about the 2023 recruiting class, and Matt Rhule makes big impression in Kansas City during the contact period.
RELATED: Nebraska offers 2024 Elkhorn South lineman Ashton Murphy
National Signing Day
The February or second signing date now for high school seniors isn’t what it used to be. This year with a new staff at Nebraska, it still has some significance. We anticipate that Nebraska will get at least four signatures today and possibly a fifth.
Here is a rundown of who will be signing today, some thoughts about adding their names to the class, and some details about the signing day ceremony for each recruit:
Demitrius Bell committed to Nebraska just a week ago after taking an official visit on the weekend of January 20th. Bell was committed to Michigan State and became the sixth On3 top-500 recruit to join the Nebraska commitment list under the leadership of Matt Rhule. Bell held over 50 offers and got heavy attention from Alabama and Georgia. Kentucky was also showing interest into January.
National Signing Day ceremony info: The original plan was during a ceremony on Wednesday at 9:00 AM CT. Bell tweeted last night that he was delaying his commitment announcement until Thursday. Bell could technically still sign ahead of time and have a ceremony after the fact.
Nebraska was fortunate to enter the picture with Ismael Smith Flores when they did. He had been to Iowa on an official visit in the fall and had one set up to Rutgers when Nebraska offered. Smith Flores’s father is originally from Camden, N.J. Nebraska assistant coach Bob Wager, who coached Flores in high school after encouraging him to pursue the game, will be his position coach at Nebraska. Smith Flores will be more of a hybrid Y or Flex tight end that can move around pre-snap and create difficult mismatches.
National Signing Day ceremony info: School has been canceled because of a winter storm. Flores will be signing from home on Wednesday at 7:00 AM CT.
Sua Lefotu officially visited Washington and committed to the Huskies. He announced his decommitment in November. Matt Rhule and Nebraska offered the 6-foot-4 and 285-pound defensive tackle on January 14th. He visited Nebraska on January 20th and committed to the Huskers on the 28th. Lefotu has heard from Nebraska that they can see him playing three-technique or inside shade of the offensive tackle. That would create a role for Lefotu in both even and odd fronts from defensive end to defensive tackle.
National Signing Day ceremony info: 7:30 AM PT/9:30 AM CT at the high school.
Jeremiah Charles is one of the most intriguing players in the 2023 class. Like Flores, Charles has only played football for a single season. His film highlights Charles’ great athleticism and explosiveness at the receiver position. UNT was keeping Charles warm up until when Nebraska offered. Again, Wager offered one of his former players. Nebraska told Charles on his official visit that they plan to take a lot of shots downfield, and they see him as a homerun threat.
National Signing Day ceremony info: Like Flores, schools have been canceled in the Dallas area, and Charles will sign from his home at 7:00 AM CT.
Anticipated signee
D’Andre Barnes snuck into Lincoln last week. The Huskers were in Barnes’ school in January, were shown his film, and immediately took an interest. Barnes plays wide receiver and defensive back, and it seems that Nebraska initially saw Barnes on offense but now sees him on defense. Barnes is another track guy in the 2023 recruiting class for Nebraska. He is a 200-meter state champion in Colorado and has a 21.49 PR and 10.79 PR in the 100 meter dash.
National Signing Day ceremony info: Barnes reports a 7:00 PM MT/8:00 PM CT ceremony at his school and will not announce his decision before signing. That time is very late, and I would anticipate him signing earlier in the day for Nebraska and again at the ceremony that evening.
Let’s talk about the 2023 class
Nebraska may add as many as 39 new players to the roster via the commitment class and portal transfers. This is the most players being added to the roster in a single cycle. Scott Frost and his staff brought in 34 new players in 2022.
There is a ton of talent in the class, rated 28th in the nation and 5th in the Big Ten according to On3, but here are some of my picks among all the commits that stand out.
Gem of the class – Princewill Umanmielen just got bumped to a four-star with On3. The 227th-rated player in the country is in an ideal situation. He’s an early enroller and will be able to watch and learn from players like MJ Sherman and Chief Borders at the hybrid outside linebacker position.
Sleeper of the class on offense – This was a tough one for me, but after watching Charles play basketball, there may not be a player that I am more interested in seeing how he is doing after a season in Nebraska.
Sleeper of the class on defense – Another tough one for me, but Vincent Carroll-Jackson has some real ability and needs time in an S&C program to develop. He has a big body and can move but must adjust to better competition and the speed of the game.
Immediate Impact – Back in September, I called Jaidyn Doss the best wide receiver in the class. He’s incredibly versatile and will find a role on offense, but where he will have an impact will be with coach Ed Foley in the special teams’ room returning kicks. Hard to look over Tristan Alvano here. He will definitely play a role in the fall.
Keep an eye on him – There is something about Flores that has me thinking that he will find a role in Lincoln in some of the 12 and 13 personnel sets that coach Satterfield runs. It’s going to be hard to overlook the type of athleticism that Flores has.
It wouldn’t surprise me – If Jason Maciejczak ends up on defense, it wouldn’t surprise me if he finds a role as a true freshman. Maciejczak is also the player in the class that, if he grew up in Kansas City, would have been a strong regional recruit. He has a motor and tremendous strength.
Biggest Miss – I meant for all of my picks to be members of the recruiting class, but I had to make this one exception. This one still hurts, and I know this is probably salt in the wound for some of you. When Walter Rouse decommitted, it changed a lot of things on the offensive line and how he allowed Nebraska to move some people around. It still stings. If I had to pick a recruit in the 2023 class, it would be hard to overlook Zalance Heard.
Best position group: How do you not say wide receiver? Nebraska must find a new No. 1 with Trey Palmer going pro. The Huskers will add eight players into the room. Nine, if you want to include Kwinten Ives, that will have a role to play in both the wide receiver and running back rooms, it sounds like.
Position group that needed more help: Offensive line and, more specifically, offensive tackle. This goes back to Rouse. It also goes back to Nebraska not landing Heard, Cayden Green, or Bo Hughley and missing on Ajani Cornelius or even Micah Mazzccua.
Rhule makes big impression in Kansas City
Kansas City Rockhurst head coach, Kelly Donohoe, was born in Nebraska. He moved away at a young age, but his father had a big family, and he understands what it means to be a Nebraska fan.
“I was born in O’Neill,” Coach Donohoe said. “And I get the Big Red thing. You guys crack me up. There is nobody that follows recruiting like the University of Nebraska. I am not sure Alabama follows it that damn close.”
Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule was at Rockhurst during the last week of the contact period. Coach Donohoe came away with a solid impression of coach Rhule while he was there.
“I really love Matt Rhule,” coach Donohoe said.” He’s a real genuine guy and such a super, super guy and I am glad he came through at Rockhurst.
“I am really impressed with all the coaches from Nebraska and I really liked the linebackers coach, coach (Rob) Dvoracek, he came a couple of weeks ago by himself and brought coach Rhule with him the second time. It’s really good to see coach Rhule.”
Coach Donohoe said there was a discussion with coach Rhule about Kansas City and its importance for Nebraska. Coach Bill Busch had been doing a good job in the recruiting trail in K.C., and coach Donohoe came away with the feeling that would continue under Rhule.
“We talked the importance of Kansas City, and coach Rhule knows,” coach Donohoe said. “There are a lot of good kids in Kansas City every year. I am sure they will have a strong presence here every year.
“And it’s not like they haven’t had a presence here. You have to get that pipeline going again. It’s like I told coach during those glory years, and there were some dudes playing on Saturdays in Lincoln that were from the Kansas City area. He knows. He has a lot on his plate. He’s trying to get Nebraska kids, the 500-mile area, and Kansas City.”
Coach Donohoe has one of the top players in the Kansas City area. Andrew Sprague is a four-star 2024 offensive tackle, according to On3, and is regarded as the No. 13 offensive tackle in that nation. Sprague visited Nebraska last year and was again in Lincoln two weeks ago.
“He’s excited about coach Rhule,” Donohoe said. “He has a good first impression of coach Rhule, and Andrew came down and talked about the visit and Nebraska coming to see him at the school. I think that Nebraska is definitely on his radar.
“The problem with Andrew is he has a million schools that are hard after him, he’s trying to take this all in right now, and that’s not an easy thing when you are his age, and everyone is coming at you left and right.
“I told him to take all of the information in, and he will have to pick four or five schools to visit this summer and make that decision. It’s going to be a tough decision for him for sure.”
Coach Donohoe said Andrew is feeling the excitement around Nebraska now. He said it’s not because of what Nebraska wasn’t doing before. It’s more about being the shiny-new toy right now.
“They talk to people, the way that social media is, and they have talked to the coach and seen the new facilities. There is some general excitement around Nebraska football with coach Rhule because of his success at the college level, the staff he’s brought in, and everyone knows Nebraska is a great brand. It’s not that Busch or Nebraska before did a bad job. It’s just new and exciting now, there is a lot of momentum, and that’s the real difference you see.”
Donohoe said that he wasn’t sure if Sprague was doing any interviews with anyone and not to take it personally. He said that Sprague is focused on playing basketball, giving football recruiting the attention he needs to give to it, and even said he isn’t just avoiding interviews but also some schools.
