Nebraska Football: Riley Has Huskers Working on a Return to Relevancy
By Matt Koeppe
Oh, that magic word. Every fan base longs for it to be true about their program. Nebraska football fans are no different. They all want relevancy.
College football fans want their program talked about. They want their team in the national spotlight. They yearn for it to be known and loved on the national recruiting scale, to dream of their team playing under the lights in primetime. They crave for their team to be discussed, debated, and analyzed on television by ESPN, Fox Sports and all the talking heads.
Relevancy. That is the goal. Slowly but surely, Nebraska football is working quickly on getting back there.
The Right Men for the Job
It all started with a hire. Athletic director Shawn Eichorst surprised most of the college football world when he appointed Mike Riley the head coach of the Huskers. That hire brought debate and criticism (plenty still to this day), but also raised some important eyebrows.
Some say it is not what you know, but rather who you know. Riley coached NFL star Keyshawn Johnson at USC, where they built a strong relationship. The bond was strong enough for Johnson to guide top-tier prospects to Nebraska including his own son.
A trend now known as the “Calibraska Movement” started. Top talent from the Golden State and others began to take notice of what was going on. It led to some big star power coming to Lincoln in the summer before the 2016 season for a Friday Night Lights camp.
When first hired, Riley quickly put together his new staff. He would bring in a bright-eyed, fun wide receivers coach named Keith Williams. Known as “Dr. Route”, Williams is held in high esteem. Many high-profile NFL players come back to work with him during the off-season. A very attractive thought for many top wideout prospects for a number of reasons.
Furthermore, Riley recently added assistant coach Donte Williams who is well-known among the West Coast and liked by big-time recruits. The addition of the latter Williams has brought the Huskers back in the mix with some major prospects right before National Signing Day. The attention is bringing Nebraska back to the minds of kids who never knew the glory days of the 1990s.
In addition, new defensive coordinator Bob Diaco has had a lot of success as at the position and is seen as a home run hire nationally. It is even believed Nebraska beat out Arkansas for the hire. People should take notice when a school wins battles like that.