If you followed Nebraska football recruiting during the summer of 2016, you were no doubt inundated with talk about a pipeline from California to Nebraska otherwise known as The Calibraska Movement. The question must be asked, is this an actual movement or just hype?
Nebraska fans no doubt follow recruiting with a fervor that few other NCAA football programs can match. These same fans love to cling to catchphrases as well, so when fans were led to believe that Nebraska football was going to start gaining recruits from California left and right, the hashtag #Calibraska was born on Twitter.
While there was early proof that this movement could be legitimate as Nebraska quickly gained two commitments from the state of California, there has been little evidence since then that the Calibraska Movement has any true staying power. After those two early gains, the pipeline that was supposedly opened has somewhat dried up.
The origins of the Calibraska Movement can be traced back to Mar. 23rd, 2016 when Nebraska gained the commitment of three-star wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson Jr. from Calabasas, Calif. Johnson’s father, Keyshawn Sr. played under Nebraska head coach Mike Riley while he was the offensive coordinator at USC.
The Calibraska Movement gained momentum just under two weeks later when Johnson’s teammate, four-star quarterback Tristan Gebbia, made the choice to join Nebraska’s 2017 recruiting class. These two gains by the Huskers’ coaching staff led many to believe that several other high-profile California high school players would be joining them in Lincoln.
As quickly as the movement started, it slammed to a screeching halt. After Gebbia declared his intention to join Johnson in playing at Memorial Stadium, Nebraska went nine months without any gains from California. This lull would reach a high point at the US Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 7th, 2017.
During the all-star game, Nebraska was expected to gather the commitment of at least one California player that was making their selection with the possibility of doubling that number. In the first quarter, Los Angeles standout wide receiver Jamire Calvin, long considered a Nebraska lean, made the shocking decision to go to Riley’s former school, Oregon State.
Later on, Johnson and Gebbia’s high school teammate, five-star defensive back Darnay Holmes made the decision to stay home and play for UCLA.
There has been a recent resurgence in the Calibraska Movement though, as Nebraska recently was able to flip four-star wide receiver Tyjon Lindsey from his commitment to Ohio State. Lindsey currently plays his high school football in Las Vegas, Nev., but previously played in Corona, Calif.
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After Lindsey made the switch to Nebraska, his close friend and 2018 four-star cornerback Brendan Radley-Hiles took to Twitter and said, “Ima eat who I starved with #GBR”. Radley-Hiles originally played for Calabasas High School before transferring to IMG Academy in Florida.
While there is some traction being made by Nebraska in California, there is still a ways to go before we can determine if the Calibraska Movement is real. All we can do is keep watch on what develops on National Signing Day and in the upcoming recruiting classes. At least for the moment, the jury’s still out.