The Recruiting Home Stretch

Recruiting is the life blood of most every college football program. For those who are in the running for conference titles and mythical national titles, talent is table stakes. It doesn't guarantee wins, but you can't compete without it. For months, sometimes even years, coaches cultivate relationships with prospective players. Many recruit-following fans hang on every cryptic word these young men say and tweet. After months of agonizing, verbal commits and de-commits, it really comes down to the next 9 days. National signing day is February 1st. That's when prospects can sign on the line which is dotted. Not to go too "Glengarry Glen Ross" on you all, but coffee is for closers! (warning language very NSFW) The numbers imply that Nebraska is destined to have a relatively small class this recruiting cycle. But, even with a limited number of scholarships to hand out, the makeup and overall talent quotient of that group can change dramatically with just a few key commitments. Let's examine NU's options for the home stretch.

Numbers Game
Nebraska has 12 players currently included in their 2012 class. You can review a list of the group so far right here.

One, cornerback Mo Seisay, has signed his letter of intent and will be with the team for winter conditioning and spring football. The remaining members of the class must wait until February 1st to sign. With wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp now firmly back in the fold (he had waffled momentarily before reaffirming his desire to play for NU) you can pretty solidly count on the players on this list signing with NU this year. 

Based on the number of players graduating or departing the program, the total class size for Nebraska appears to be 16. That's a small class, relatively speaking. There is a chance for the group to grow if NU has additional attrition that frees up scholarships. For example, JT Kerr's recent departure opens up a slot on the roster. Of course, those same scholarships can be used to reward walk-on players who have earned a spot on the 2-deep roster. Brent Maher and Seung Hoon Choi are examples of players who could have easily earned a scholarship in 2011.

Only the coaches can know their rate of attrition or their future plans for handing out scholarships. For the outsiders looking in at the program, 16 remains the number to watch. But, it's possible for NU to take anywhere from 15 to 18 players in this class. With 12 already in the fold, Nebraska is looking to add four to seven players in the next 10 days. So, basically, five guys. Which five guys will they land?

Top Drawer
Of the dozen or so players still active on NU's recruiting board, three stand out most - Andrus Peat, Devin Fuller and Alonzo Moore. Regardless of class need or their position, these three are the players NU has the highest combination of either overall talent and likelihood to sign with the Huskers. These are the first ones to watch.

Offensive tackle Andrus Peat it the biggest target remaining for NU. Arguably the best offensive line prospect in the country, Peat has offers from every program worth considering. Right now, it appears that Stanford is the top competition for NU in getting his pledge. Nebraska's case for landing Peat are helped considerably by the fact that his brother - Todd Peat, Jr - is part of NU's program currently (a redshirted defensive tackle from the 2011 class) and that his teammate and cousin - Avery Moss - is a defensive end in the current Husker class. This will come down to a signing day decision.

Quarterback Devin Fuller is another high-profile prospect that will likely come down to a signing-day decision. The top prospect in the state of New Jersey, the multi-talented Fuller could play a number of positions but is being recruited as a quarterback for NU. He's an extremely explosive play maker. Like Peat, Fuller has no shortage of suitors. He's narrowed his list from dozens of schools down to just NU and his home-state school of Rutgers. Any place other than one of those two would be a surprise. 

Alonzo Moore is another significant talent who is most likely to pick NU. Moore is being recruited as an "athlete" who could play on either side of the ball for Nebraska. He would likely first get a look as a wide receiver with the possibility of seeing a few snaps at quarterback as well. Moore is from Louisiana, so Nebraska's competition for him comes from SEC schools - Arkansas, Texas A&M, Mississippi and Mississippi State. He has publicly said that his choices come down to NU and the MSU Bulldogs. He's told the coaching staffs from both schools his intent. But fans won't know - and the commitment won't be real - until he signs in February.

Addressing Needs
Nebraska must also finish up addressing their roster needs with the remaining players in this class. Linebacker was the most screaming need for Nebraska in this class, and they have addressed it well - adding four quality linebacker prospects. But needs still remain at defensive back, defensive tackle and tight end.

As I said last week, NU appears to have some personnel issues in the back end of their defense. Right now, they have just one defensive back - Mo Seisay - in the fold for the 2012 class. They ideally need to add another cornerback and a safety to the group. The Husker coaches have visited or brought in more than a dozen defensive backs for visits throughout the last year. Boiling that list of names down to just the two that are the most likely to sign is difficult. But, at safety, the name to know is Devian Shelton. The 6'2'' Shelton fits the mold for what Nebraska wants at safety. The Huskers are a finalist for his services. Other schools in the mix include Oregon State, Washington, Arizona, and Arizona State from the PAC-12 and Tennessee from the SEC. At corner, Raymond Ford - the cousin of former Husker Ricky Thenarse - seems the most likely commit for NU. The Huskers are battling a dozen PAC-12 schools for this California product. The whispers are that he has already made his choice. But, again, things won't be revealed until signing day. 

Nebraska also appears committed to taking at least one defensive tackle in this class, possibly two depending on how the scholarships work out. The names to know are Vincent Valentine and Aaron Curry. They are very different players, despite both playing tackle. Valentine is a load. The 315 pound prospect is a real run stuffer. He has offers from most every school in the Big Ten and SEC. The Huskers are battling his home-state school Illinois and the Florida Gators for his services. Curry, from Texas, has an impressive offer list of his own. Nebraska is a finalist for him, along with TCU, Missouri and Iowa. The 6'3'', 275 pound prospect recently visited Lincoln, and would be welcome sight to see in scarlet and cream. 

Nebraska also needs a tight end in this class. They have seniors Kyler Reed and Ben Cotton at the spot now, and not a lot of developed players behind them. While walk-on players can often be cultivated to fill this spot, it certainly isn't a place where the now run-focused NU offense can afford to skimp on talent. Nebraska just missed out on Nate Iese, a TE prospect out of California. He picked UCLA instead. Nebraska is bringing in Keoni Bush-Loo, a tight end from Hawaii for a late visit. Bush-Loo attended camp and NU this summer, so the coaches are familiar with his ability. Nebraska is going up against California, Boise State, Arizona, Washington and Hawaii for this island prospect. 

Plan B
It's not likely that every player Nebraska targets will become a Husker. Far from it, in fact. And there are some positions that are too vital at this time to leave any gaps in the roster. The coaching staff needs to have some contingency plans in place. So, they also target and recruit other players at these spots. For Nebraska, this includes defensive backs Sabastian Smith and Mark Meyers and offensive lineman Corey Whitaker. That's not to say that these players are bad prospects. Any one of the could easily be a productive player or college star. But, at this time, they don't have the intense recruiting interest that players like Peat or Raymond might. Recruiting is a very inexact process. Some "can't miss" 5-star players turn out to be busts. Some less highly regarded players turn in to stars. The key, especially with a small class like Nebraska's, is to have as few "misses" as possible and to keep the roster stocked with quality players.