Nebraska football offered a scholarship to three-star defensive end Jake Shipley and thanks to new defensive line coach Tony Tuioti, the Huskers have an in.
While many Nebraska football fans might be focused on finding out what happened on the first day of spring practice, the Huskers also stayed busy in recruiting offering three-star defensive end, Jake Shipley.
Shipley, who resides from the state of California, has a bunch of offers from Pac-12 schools, however, according to Husker Online ($), Nebraska football is the latest school to offer him and will also host Shipley on a visit.
At 6-foot-5, 245-pounds, Shipley appears to be an ideal fit the Huskers 3-4 defense and he could line up as an edge rusher. He also plays tight end and has some nice catches on film, proving he is a fluid athlete.
As a program, the Huskers haven’t done a lot of work in California recently and in the 2019 recruiting class, Nebraska didn’t have a single commit coming from the state. Yet, with the addition of new defensive line coach Tony Tuioti, it makes sense that the Huskers would have a lead on some defensive line prospects.
And after Shipley got an offer from California University, where Tuioti coached before, it makes sense for the Huskers to pursue him now. He also has been offered by Oregon, Oregon State, and Arizona State.
Having Tuioti on the staff isn’t going to mean that Shipley, the No. 34 defensive end in the 2020 class and the 54th ranked player in his home state, will automatically commit, but that familiarity can be huge.
Relationships really matter in college football and when it comes to the position coach, that relationship is important when it comes to locking down recruits. Tuioti has a solid reputation and was Cal’s director or personnel just like he was at Michigan, so he should be able to give Nebraska a leg up on some western recruits.
Shipley is a kid with a lot of upside and with his height, it’s possible he develops into a guy that could be a five-technique for Nebraska if he ends up not being an edge rusher. Either way, the pass rush needs to be a major focus for 2020 and adding a guy like Shipley would help.
The fact that Tuioti has a previous relationship with the kid should help in trying to convince him to come to Nebraska. The next step will be nailing down the visit but for now, at least the Huskers have a foot in the door.