Rankings, Stars, and Recruiting: Huskers Making a Splash

The 2015 recruiting cycle is done. Oh there may be a Walk On added here or there, but Nebraska Head Coach Mike Riley can focus on 2016 and beyond. If you like to follow recruiting I think you would agree with me that it was certainly an exciting 2 months after the Pelini era came to an end. It has to be hard for a head coach to do what Mike Riley did in the short amount of time he had, but as Husker fans, did we expect anything less?

Dec 5, 2014; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Mike Riley poses for the media at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

So how did Mike Riley do with his first Husker recruiting class? Well, nationally, the press and fans alike were pretty impressed. Of all the new coaches hired, only Florida’s Jim McElwain had a higher ranked recruiting class. Not even the consensus best new hire in college football, Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, had a better recruiting class than Nebraska. Surprised? How is that possible? Mike Riley is just an underwhelming hire, according to thebiglead.com. It was Athlon who had the best new coach rating for Mike Riley at a B+. And if you don’t remember, here is what I thought when Mike Riley was hired.

When all was said and done, the 2015 Husker Recruiting Class ended up ranked by the Big Four Recruiting services at 31st in the nation by Rivals, 247, and ESPN, while Scout ranked the Husker recruiting class at 33rd. You can see all the class rankings here. The Huskers finished 4th in the Big Ten behind Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan State. The 2016 recruiting class will show us the stuff Mike Riley is really made of in getting the stars the Huskers need to compete in the Big Ten.

So what about star rankings for players, just how accurate are they? National recruiting services will rank the high school and junior college football players with star rankings. (5 stars being the best) If a recruit doesn’t have any stars by their name, they will probably end up a walk-on somewhere or might not play football. Mike Riley and his staff pulled in five 4-star, twelve 3-star, and three 2-star recruits. But why go after 2 and 3 star recruits when we really want 4 and 5 star recruits? {By the way, check out how many 4 and 5 star recruits started the Super Bowl this year!]

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There are 2 things that really hurt the Huskers when it comes to recruiting. The first is location. Many of the top rated recruits want to play where it is warm, or play in an area where there is a multitude of things to do when not participating in football. Many recruits think Nebraskans drive around in tractors all day and plow the fields. That misperception usually changes when the recruit visits Nebraska, and many admit the pleasant surprise they felt after they visiting. Add in the fact that most recruits today were not even born when Nebraska was winning championships so the nostalgia of the Huskers means very little to them. This makes it very hard to get four and five star recruits to Lincoln for the chance to fall in love with Nebraska.

In rating recruits, mistakes are made and sometimes the national recruiting services evaluate a recruit incorrectly or perhaps recruits can’t afford to go to any of the national football camps to get their rating. This happens and will continue to happen. The ones that end up performing better than their ratings are known as “Diamonds in the Rough.” Let’s just hope that Coach Riley and company know how to find them. He seemed to have done a good job at Oregon State finding and developing these kids. Does that mean we stop trying to recruit these high profile recruits to Nebraska? Heck no, but lest not we forget, Ameer Abdullah was ranked only a 3 star recruit, a true Diamond in the Rough!

Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

So far in the 2016 recruiting class the Huskers have offered scholarships to 54 four and five star recruits, 23 three star recruits, 1 two star recruit, and another who is currently not rated. It appears the Coach Riley is going after the big dogs right away and trying to make a recruiting splash. Here’s to hoping it turns into a tidal wave. GO BIG RED!