Nebraska football: Defensive tackle target Ben Smiley reopens his recruitment

(Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
(Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)

The Nebraska football recruiting efforts have been going fairly well in the last month. A defensive tackle opening his recruiting again could be a boost.

Jumping into the Top 25 for recruiting rankings is just the tip of the iceberg for the Nebraska football team. The Husker coaching staff has been working overtime to get as much talent as possible to Lincoln.

Earlier this week, yet another target became available for a possible visit. Defensive tackle Ben Smiley III announced on his official Twitter account that he was officially reopening his recruitment.

Smiley was once committed to Virginia but he is a very free agent these days. The 3-star prospect according to 247Sports is on the radar for several of the biggest programs in the country.

It’s not clear what, if any chance the Huskers have at reeling him in. He’s quite a ways down the list when it comes to 247. Rivals, on the other hand, believes the Cornhuskers have at least a shot at landing the big defensive tackle.

If Nebraska is going to haul in the Virginia native, it looks as though they will still have to go through the Cavaliers. In the Big Ten, they will also have to beat out Penn State.

The Nittany Lions have been in on Smiley for quite a while now. It’s not out of the question that he might have announced he was reopening his recruitment precisely because he was tempted to commit to Penn State.

Even if he doesn’t go to Happy Valley, the Huskers are going to have to beat out some heavy hitters. That includes teams like South Carolina, Alabama, Oklahoma and Michigan State among others.

The first step for the Nebraska football team is to get Ben Smiley III on campus. If they can get him here, it’s hard to believe they won’t have at least a shot.