Nebraska football has made the cut for a playmaking tight end.
Nebraska football is still in search for an impact tight end. If Nebraska were to miss out on Thomas Fidone, they certainly have a decent backup plan. Erik Olsen, who hails from Littleton, Colorado released his top six teams on Monday. Nebraska was on that list.
Olsen is the 19th overall tight end in his class, and the fifth overall player in the class from the state of Colorado per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. In addition to Nebraska, Colorado, Notre Dame, Stanford, and UCLA have all extended offers his way. Right now, the 247Sports Crystal Ball favors him going to UCLA.
According to official statistics on Maxpreps.com, Olsen recorded 533 receiving yards on 28 catches. Averaging 19 yards per catch, he tallied eight total receiving touchdowns. For his high school career he recorded 53 catches for 836 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns. He recorded 13 touchdowns in total.
He would be able to give Nebraska a playmaking tight end. When you look at how the position is stacked right now, Jack Stoll and Brian Perez are seniors while Austin Allen and Kurt Rafdal, are both juniors. The depth and playmakers are going to be needed in the near future. There are many upperclassman at the position, and the younger depth at tight end does not have a ton of experience.
Top 6!!! @CUBuffsFootball @NDFootball @HuskerFBNation @StanfordFball @UCLAFootball @UW_Football pic.twitter.com/LGZeyQAo0S
— Erik Olsen (@e_olsen12) June 8, 2020
Olsen would give Nebraska football an athletic tight end. He is not afraid to make plays and is able to go up and leap for passes. He can get yards in bunches, and he can certainly set the field in favor of the offense. This is certainly something that Nebraska football needs.
It seems as though Matt Lubick and the rest of the coaching staff want tight ends to be more involved with the offense. Getting the tight ends that are game-changes is certainly a step in the right direction. At the very least, it doesn’t hurt to try to swing for the fences, especially at a position of need.
I’ll be interested to see how Olsen’s recruitment plays out. Usually, the 247Sports Crystal Ball is very accurate. The fact that Crystal Ball is pointed for Olsen to go to UCLA is not a good sign for Nebraska. However, if they can land Fidone, that point will be moot. At the end of the day, the program needs an impactful tight end. Olsen would certainly fit that bill and with the talent on offense, it could benefit him and the program moving forward.