Nebraska Football: Ohio State game formulated vision for 2021 recruiting

The Ohio State game gave Nebraska Football a blueprint.

When you take a look at the 2021 Nebraska football recruiting class, there are some legit studs in it. It’s interesting to think about where the 2021 class all started.

However, several journalists have been able to pinpoint the start of this recruiting momentum to the Ohio State game. As I watched Nebraska get beaten badly on prime time television, I remember thinking that they needed studs in the upcoming recruiting class to compete.

Sure, they had some talented players on the field that night. However, I remember thinking that they needed big lineman and playmakers on defense. Teddy Prochazka committed to the Nebraska football program that night, and I remember being excited about it.

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A lineman of his stature is definitely what Nebraska football needed. Little did I know that this class would feature some of the best lineman in the near area, and some of the best players in the state.

Of course, building a class with some of the top players in the state takes time. There is no doubt that Prochazka was a major part in having a domino effect. His type of caliber recruit, a four-star tackle, is going to make people notice. Since then, Nebraska has landed several other big-time players from the state. Heinrich Haarberg and Koby Bretz are just two of the names that come to mind.

When you take a look at the talent that Nebraska football has landed from the state of Iowa as well, there are definitely positive trends there as well. Seth Malcolm, Henry Lutovsky, and Thomas Fidone are three of the biggest names of the class. That is certainly not by accident, and it’s definitely good in terms of building camaraderie between the players.

Henry Lutovsky told Parker Gabriel of the Lincoln Journal star as much following the Fidone commitment.

"“I think it kind of draws eyes from opposing teams, like particularly Iowa,” Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, offensive lineman and Husker commit Henry Lutovsky told the Journal Star minutes after Fidone committed. “We’ve got three guys from here going over there. Football games are won on and off the field, and I think recruiting guys from their state is a big win. I think a lot of guys we’re bringing in from the Midwest can match their toughness. That’s what this coaching staff is looking for. Already being used to the climate is huge.“I think mostly, though, other schools that we’ll be competing against see Nebraska coming up. They start to see us coming up by winning these big recruiting battles. For example, Iowa and Michigan now might not look at Nebraska the same way they did an hour ago.”"

The thing about all of this is that you know what type of athlete you’re getting from Nebraska and Iowa. Big-bodied, hard-working, and tough are just some of the qualities to describe the athletes. I’ll be interested to see if this starts a trend for future classes. Those aren’t bad states to pick from in recruiting.

It’s crazy to suggest that one commitment gets an entire class rolling. However, with the commitment of Prochazka and the loss to Ohio State/, that certainly set the vision for this recruiting class. I said it at the time, Nebraska needed to get bigger and stronger. They certainly did that, and I think the loss to the Buckeyes was an eye-opener for the program.

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It showed them how far they needed to go in order to be successful, and the type of players they needed to recruit. So far, it looks like they are well on their way.

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