While Nebraska football defensive coordinator Bob Diaco plans out his 3-4 scheme for this season, he’s already outlining what’s to come in his secondaries of the future.
If we analyze the defense that Diaco trotted out to face Alabama in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game, you’ll note that he utilized a duo of bigger safeties in Zeke Motta (6-2, 215) and Nicky Baratti (6-1, 206).
Considering this was his best scoring defense to date, it’s safe to assume that he’s going to probably want to mimic it as much as possible.
After reviewing this, it would make sense that the Huskers offered Jensen Beach, Fla. safety Jamien Sherwood.
A 6-1, 195-pound prospect, Sherwood does an excellent job of sitting back and playing center field as he reads the quarterback’s eyes.
His height not only gives him the opportunity to battle taller receivers for balls in terms of grabbing interceptions.
He also gets a little more length when it comes to batting potential completions away.
If he were to add on another 5-10 pounds and still manage to keep his speed — something the Nebraska football strength and condition coaches has shown is entirely possible — he could find a home in the same place that Motta and Baratti did at Notre Dame.
Another possibility is for him to take up the nickel role.
Current Nebraska nickel back Joshua Kalu checks in at 6-1, 195 pounds. However, he also has to keep up with some speedier receivers as he has played the cornerback spot in the past.
Going back to the aforementioned Notre Dame depth chart, Matthias Farley (5-11, 200) and Chris Salvi (5-11, 190) played the opposite safety spot.
With Kalu being given a look-see at safety this spring, could we be seeing a scenario where a player like Sherwood could play next to a Kalu-sized athlete?
As of now, the Sunshine State recruit appears to be giving the most love to programs very close to him that would afford his family and friends the opportunity to see him often.
Next: 2018 Class Huskers Recruiting Tracker
Florida, Florida State and Miami (FL) all appear to be in the lead for his services, so opening up a wedge to get his attention won’t be easy.
That said, this staff has shown that getting a prospect to Lincoln opens a lot of doors very quickly.