Nebraska Football Recruiting: Tyler Shough Could be Patrick O’Brien 2.0
The Nebraska football staff hasn’t offered Chandler, Ariz. quarterback Tyler Shough yet, but after watching him for about a month or two, there may be a very familiar reason why he gets one.
If you look at the ratings, Shough may seem like a solid quarterback. Not great, but a good option. 247Sports ranks him as the No. 16 pro-style signal-caller as of this writing.
It’s unlikely that he stays that low as he’s already attracted new attention from South Carolina.
He’s already getting longer looks from those who get an opportunity to see what he can do at camps such as The Opening and the Pylon 7-on-7 national championships.
Colson Yankoff, the No. 1 quarterback on Nebraska’s board and an athlete chased by others, recently committed to Washington. This leaves the Huskers looking at the likes of Tanner McKee and Shough.
If the Huskers got McKee’s commitment, there is the possibility that he takes a two-year mission leaving the Big Red’s quarterback depth chart with a potential hole where the 2018 pickup would be.
While that would be a risk, considering McKee’s talents, it’s an option to consider.
Another one would be offering Shough, aggressively recruiting him as the new No. 1 guy and locking him up.
It wouldn’t be a shock if that became the eventual plan of action as he shows a resemblance to a quarterback already on Nebraska’s roster. In fact, that one is battling for the Huskers’ starting spot as we speak.
At 6-5 and 195 pounds, Shough already has a good foundation of footwork and mechanics.
Not only does he stand tall in the pocket, while not what recruiting gurus would traditionally label a dual-threat, he can pick up yardage once things break down.
He can put a feather touch on a screen pass or launch the ball downfield.
In short, he looks a heck of a lot like Patrick O’Brien.
O’Brien, now a redshirt freshman, has the physical presence of how Shough might appear after a year in the weight room and with Nebraska’s nutrition staff.
At 6-4, 230 pounds, he also spent time in a pro-style system in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
While Shough still has yet to play his senior year, it appears that he has a softer touch to his passes as opposed to the rocket that O’Brien fired during his final year in high school.
Regardless, the two quarterbacks are comfortable in a system like the one that Nebraska will be working with during the Mike Riley era.
Tanner Lee’s future is up in the air as Riley may not even name a starting quarterback at the end of spring football (this wouldn’t be a shock) and even if he did start, there’s the option of returning for another year.
In the meantime, O’Brien would become a sophomore and Tristian Gebbia will have finished up a likely redshirt year.
This staggered depth chart would be perfect for a player like Shough to step in and continue the steady stream of quality athletes flowing in at the position.
As a recruit, O’Brien started out as a three-star prospect before hitting the camp circuit much like Shough is doing now. He ended up as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 11 pro-style quarterback by 247Sports.
It’s not a stretch to think that Shough could wind up in a very similar position and if Nebraska would like to wrap up their quest for this cycle’s quarterback, they could do much worse than him.
Keep in mind that the Nebraska football staff will also be hosting 2019 cycle quarterback Grant Gunnell during this year’s Spring Game.
Next: Spring Game Loading Up With Major Visits
Think of what a boon it would be for Danny Langsdorf to not only get Shough committed early on before flooding Gunnell with love for the upcoming year’s class.
Fantasy recruiting aside, Shough would be an excellent get for the 2018 crew. He almost looks like a taller Gebbia and has the abilities of a younger O’Brien. Seems like a match made in Heaven for the Cornhuskers.