Nebraska 2012 Recruiting

Nebraska Cornhuskers 2012 ... Head Coach: Bo Pelini

Nebraska Cornhuskers

2011 Record: 9-4

Sep. 3 UT Chattanooga W 40-7
Sep. 10 Fresno State W 42-29
Sep. 17 Washington W 51-38
Sep. 24 at Wyoming W 38-14
Oct. 1 at Wisconsin L 48-17
Oct. 8 Ohio State W 34-27
Oct. 15 OPEN DATE
Oct. 22 at Minnesota W 41-14
Oct. 29 Michigan State W 24-3
Nov. 5 Northwestern L 28-25
Nov. 12 at Penn State W 17-14
Nov. 19 at Michigan L 45-17
Nov. 26 Iowa W 20-7
Capital One Bowl
Jan. 2 South Carolina L 30-13

2010 CFN Prediction: 10-2
2010 Record: 10-4

Sept. 4 WKU W 49-10
Sept. 11 Idaho W 38-17
Sept. 18 at Washington W 56-21
Sept. 25 South Dakota St W 17-3
Oct. 2 OPEN DATE
Oct. 7 at Kansas St W 48-13
Oct. 16 Texas L 20-13
Oct. 23 at Oklahoma St W 51-41
Oct. 30 Missouri W 31-17
Nov. 6 at Iowa State W 31-30 OT
Nov. 13 Kansas W 20-3
Nov. 20 at Texas A&M L 9-6
Nov. 26 Colorado W 45-17
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
Dec. 4 Oklahoma L 23-20
HOLIDAY BOWL
Dec. 30 Washington L 19-7
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 The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Nebraska Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. QB Tommy Armstrong
6-1, 205, Scout.com 5th ranked, four-star quarterback. Armstrong is clearly the star when he is on the field. He has poise in the pocket and the arm to throw the ball deep down the field. As a run threat he is the type of player who will put his head down and grind out yards when needed, but if you give him the space he has the speed to take it to the house quickly.

2. OT Paul Thurston
6-5, 260, Scout.com 19th ranked, four-star offensive tackle. Physical and long prospect with a frame to be a 300 pounder. Still needs to bulk up a bit but that will come. Very technically sound player that has played a lot of football. Has some nasty in the run game, gets to the second level and has good feet in pass pro. Knee bender that plays with good pad level.

3. WR Jordan Westerkamp
6-1, 190, Scout.com 36th ranked, four-star receiver. Westerkamp is a technician who runs great routes and catches almost everything thrown his way. Can go up and get the ball at it's highest point although he's not necessarily a big guy, he has above average size and strength. He's not a burner, but can create separation and get downfield.

4. LB Michael Rose
6-0, 230, Scout.com 14th ranked, three-star middle linebacker. As a sophomore, Rose had 95 total tackles with two sacks, an interception, and two fumble recoveries. He missed six games in 2010, but still had a productive year on the field racking 68 tackles and 17 tackles for a loss.

5. CB Mohammed Siesay
6-2, 200, Scout.com three-star JUCO transfer.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... More players. It was a concern when Nebraska joined the Big Ten that it wouldn’t be able to fight off the top conference teams for talent in the Midwest, and that appears to be the case with a light class that’s painfully lacking in top prospects. The linebacking corps is loading up a bit with some hard-nosed options for the future, and JUCO transfer Zaire Anderson for now, but for an offense that needs more options the class is lacking in skill prospects.

Team Concerns For 2012: Offensive pop in the passing game. There’s Taylor Martinez, Rex Burkhead, and a prayer for good field position. The receiving corps is still young and emerging, but Martinez is hardly Tom Brady and the offense isn’t going to start pushing the ball down the field more. Most of the top defensive starters are back, but the stars – MLB Lavonte David and CB Alfonzo Dennard – won’t be easily replaced. The offensive line has to find three new starters including both tackles.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: Quarterback Taylor Martinez and running back Rex Burkhead return. Now the offense needs a third option. The O line loses three starters, and a wide receiver has to emerge, but as long as Martinez and Burkhead are healthy, the running game will work. The best offensive weapon could turn out to be kicker Brett Maher, possibly the Big Ten’s best all-around kicker. The defense will be air-tight with five starters returning to the defensive front, but tackling machine linebacker Lavonte David is done and top corner Alfonzo Dennard is off to the NFL. There’s good depth and a few nice options to fill in the gaps, but finding playmakers and stars early on will be a must.

The 2011 Class Was Heavy On … Quarterback. Either the coaching staff doesn’t 1) believe Taylor Martinez is a reliable part of the mix and/or 2) can’t stay healthy and other options are needed. Jamal Turner was taken away from Oklahoma and other Big 12 schools, and while he might be moved somewhere else, he could be a terror of a runner with his sub-4.5 speed. 6-5 Bubba Starling could be the answer with the passing ability to add more pop to the passing game to go along with the speed to be Martinez-like. The running will mostly be done by Aaron Green, a special back out of San Antonio who turned down Alabama, LSU, and Texas to be a Husker. Defensively, JUCO transfer safety Daimion Stafford will make an immediate impact.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 30. That Class Was Heavy On ... defensive backs. Again. Bo Pelini wants to make sure the defense remains special, and he reinforced the secondary with more great prospects after loading up the secondary last year. Corey Cooper is a talented safety who has the NFL size and speed to get the pro scouts drooling now, while Ciante Evans is a good looking corner who could play a role as a nickel and dime back early on. Overall this was a good class, but it would've been a special one had Pelini been able to win a few of the bigger battles, most notably the fight for top end Owamagbe Odighizuwa, who ended up signing with UCLA.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 31. That Class Was Heavy On ... defensive backs. It was a common theme for teams throughout this recruiting season after everyone’s defense got ripped apart … get better against the pass. Nebraska was no exception with five good defensive backs to go along with DE Jason Ankrah and linebackers Eric Martin and Chris Williams for the front seven. JUCO transfer Dejon Gomes is a big, fast corner, while Lazarri Middleton and Andrew Green have good size and excellent speed.

Capital One Bowl
South Carolina 30 … Nebraska 13
- CFN Thoughts on the Capital One

South Carolina: The Gamecocks came up with six sacks, and gave up four. … Connor Shaw completed 11-of-17 passes for 230 yards and two scores and ran 19 times for 42 yards and a score. … Kenny Miles ran 15 times for 67 yards and a score. … Alshon Jeffery caught four passes for 148 yards and a score. … D.J. Swearinger made seven tackles. … Jadeveon Clowney made four tackles with two sacks.

Nebraska: The Huskers committed ten penalties. USC six. … Taylor Martinez completed 10-of-16 passes for 116 yards and a score with a pick … Rex Burkhead ran 23 times for 89 yards, and led the team with five catches for 35 yards. … Lavonte David made 11 tackles with two sacks and forced a fumble.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Alshon Jeffery had 148 yards and a touchdown before getting tossed out of the game for fighting and No. 11 South Carolina's defense had six sacks and shut out No. 21 Nebraska in the final three quarters of 30-13 win at the Capital One Bowl on Monday.

The victory gave South Carolina (11-2) 11 wins for the first time in school history and snapped a string of three straight bowl losses.

Nebraska (9-4) lost its second consecutive bowl game and drops to 12-6 all-time in bowl matchups against SEC foes.

Both teams lost standout players in the third quarter when Jeffery, playing weeks after surgery on his hand, and Cornhuskers cornerback Alfonso Dennard were ejected for throwing punches at each other after a play.

But the Gamecocks kept the pressure on even without him and went up 23-13 with 12:25 to play on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Shaw to Kenny Miles. Miles then added a 3-yard touchdown run with just over three minutes left - his first of the season - to put the game out of reach.

Jeffery out-jumped the Nebraska secondary in the end zone to catch a 51-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass from Shaw at the end of the first half to send the Gamecocks into the locker room with a 16-13 lead.

Shaw passed for 161 yards in the half, hooking up with Jeffery on four of his five completions. Shaw finished the game 11 for 17 for 230 yards and ran for 42 yards and a touchdown.

It helped pick up the slack for a stagnant South Carolina rushing attack, which produced just 58 yards on 21 attempts.

It also made up for an offensive line that allowed Shaw to be sacked three times in the opening 30 minutes.

The Gamecocks led 9-6, but kept a Cornhuskers' drive alive late in the first quarter after picking up a third down, 15-yard face mask penalty. Nebraska scored three plays later on a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Ameer Abdullah.

Nebraska needed just 56 seconds to score the game's first touchdown when Martinez found receiver Kenny Bell for a 30-yard touchdown pass.

South Carolina defensive tackle Travian Robertson blocked the extra point, though, and Stephon Gilmore scooped it up and returned it for the 2-point defensive PAT.

The Gamecocks offensive kept the momentum going on their ensuing drive, capping an 11-play, 55-yard drive with a fourth down, goal line quarterback sneak by Shaw.

Nov. 25 at Nebraska 20 … Iowa 7
CFN Analysis: Rex Burkhead might have had a hard time earning First Team All-Big Ten honors in a league with Montee Ball, Silas Redd, Marcus Coker, and Fitzgerald Toussaint, but he did the job this week to show that there might not be a more important player in the conference to his team. Hobbling, with a bad ankle/foot, he was a man with 38 carries for 160 yards and a score. … The defense was phenomenal. It all but erased Marvin McNutt, allowing four catches for 29 yards, and it kept Marcus Coker to 87 yards and a score on 18 carries. Yeah, the Hawkeyes scored late, but it didn’t matter. … The Capital One Bowl? The Huskers are attractive, and if Michigan beats Ohio State and if Wisconsin wins the Rose Bowl, they’ll be first up in the pecking order, even past Michigan State. At worst, they’ll be Outback bound.  

Nov. 19 at Michigan 45 … Nebraska 17
CFN Analysis: Nebraska doesn’t have to throw to win, but it has to be effective when it puts the ball in the air. Taylor Martinez needed to hit on half his passes, but instead he connected on just 9-of-23 throws and he couldn’t keep the Husker defense off the field. … It’s not fair to Michigan’s performance to blame the emotion of Nebraska’s game last week at Penn State for a letdown performance, but the energy and the enthusiasm didn’t seem there like it was last week. It was as if Nebraska’s D knew it was on center stage last week. It missed too many stops and was out of position too often against the Wolverines. … A ten-win season is still possible with a win over Iowa and a bowl victory. This might not have been the season the Huskers were hoping for, but a 9-3 regular season finish would hardly be anything to criticize.

Nov. 12 Nebraska 17 … at Penn State 14
CFN Analysis: The story was all about Penn State, but don’t forget that Nebraska had to deal with a tough environment, too, and it came up with a big performance under emotional circumstances. The defense came up with a whale of a game, especially LB Lavonte David nine tackles, mostly in big moments, while Will Compton checked in with 13 tackles. … The D came up with just one sack, but it generated consistent enough pressure to screw things up. … Rex Burkhead continues to be the team’s MVP. Taylor Martinez threw well, but it was Burkhead’s 121 yards and a score that was the difference. … It’ll take a Michigan State loss, but Nebraska is still in the mix for the Legends title, first needing to beat out Michigan and Iowa.  

Nov. 5 Northwestern 28 … at Nebraska 25
CFN Analysis: A week after pitching a near-perfect game against Michigan State, Nebraska’s offense didn’t work. Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead tried to control the day, and while they moved the chains, they couldn’t put up points until late. Martinez had to turn into a passer, and while he threw for 289 yards and two scores in comeback mode, Northwestern had the game in hand after the Husker defense was grinded on for one final scoring drive. Michigan State couldn’t do that last week, and the Wildcats moved the ball time and again when they had to. In the end, this game didn’t really matter. With a win already over Michigan State, if the Huskers beat Michigan and Iowa after next week’s game at Penn State – a likely distracted Penn State – they’ll win the Legends.

Oct. 29 at Nebraska 24 … Michigan State 3
CFN Analysis: Nebraska pitched a nearly perfect offensive game. Coordinator Tim Beck and the coaching staff were always one step ahead of the Spartans, and while the 270 yards were anything special, the running game was effective and Taylor Martinez was terrific throwing the ball. While he missed a few wide open targets, including Kyler Reed in the end zone, he did enough to take advantage of an MSU secondary selling out against the run. This was the one win the team had to have to take control of the Legends race, and while there are some big games ahead, this was the one that proved the Ohio State win wasn’t a fluke and showed that this really might be the division’s team to beat. 

Oct. 22 Nebraska 41 … at Minnesota 14
CFN Analysis: Nebraska rolled at will against the hapless Gophers with a powerful running game that had few problems putting the game away immediately. Rex Burkhead ran for 117 yards and a score, and while he didn’t take off for many big dashes, he was steady and productive every time he touched the ball. Taylor Martinez threw for 162 yards and a score, with Minnesota concentrating almost solely on the run, and like Burkhead he ran well, even without many big dashes. The defense didn’t have any problem with an offense that didn’t have any life or pop; it didn’t give up a score until late in the third quarter when the Huskers were already up 34-0. When the game mattered early on, the defense didn’t allow the Minnesota offense to move. With a two game winning streak, everything is working just in time for a huge date against Michigan State. Beat the Spartans, and then the Big Ten title dreams are fired up again.    

Oct. 8 at Nebraska 34 … Ohio State 27
CFN Analysis: All of a sudden, the Husker offensive line started blocking. Just when the game appeared lost, and the Buckeyes seemed to be in total command, Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead got room to move and they started running more decisively and with more of a purpose. The offense didn’t have to throw the ball to get back in the game, the ground game was doing a good enough job of cranking out yards in chunks. Defensively, Lavonte David had his best game of the season with 13 tackles and a game-changing turnover, but he has to do too much thanks to the mediocre play from the defensive front. Jared Crick doesn’t look the same in the interior. He doesn’t have the same burst off the ball and he’s not getting in on enough plays against the run. With two weeks off before Minnesota, he’ll get a few weeks to rest up to try to get back to his old, dominant self.  

Oct. 1 at Wisconsin 48 … Nebraska 17
CFN Analysis: This could’ve been seen coming. The passing game wasn’t good enough to throw a scare into the Badger safeties, and the linebackers had no real worries about any short to midrange throws. Taylor Martinez ran relatively well, especially early on, but his three interceptions were a killer. The turnovers, the horribly ill-time nine penalties, and too many defensive mistakes helped the Badgers win, but the lack of enough big plays made it a blowout. The defensive line wasn’t even close to holding up against the huge Wisconsin front, and up next is a wounded Ohio State line that’s going to be blistered all week after its performance against Michigan State. There’s time to turn things back around in a hurry with three home games in the next four, but there’s a ton of work to do to polish up on both sides of the ball. 

Sept. 24 Nebraska 38 … at Wyoming 14
CFN Analysis: Is Nebraska just mediocre because it’s waiting to finally be able to focus on Wisconsin? No. There’s no passing game, the defensive front is shockingly bad at getting into the backfield, and the offense is all Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead. The ground game worked against Wyoming, rumbling for 333 yards and four scores, but the passing game relied on the big play and the defense failed to do enough to get into the backfield. Against Wisconsin, the Huskers have to manufacture ways to get behind the line and get to Russell Wilson or it’ll be a long, LONG day. 

Sept. 17 at Nebraska 51 … Washington 38
CFN Analysis: Uhhhh, Nebraska defense, whenever you’re ready to stop someone’s running game, the fans will probably be happy. It’s not that the Husker D has been awful; it just hasn’t been a brick wall. A week after having issues with Fresno State’s Robbie Rouse, Nebraska gave up 130 yards to Chris Polk, who managed to provide the balance needed to make it a game in the fourth quarter. Taylor Martinez ran for a score and threw for two more, but he was wildly erratic at times and only completed 10-of-21 throws. The positive is that Rex Burkhead got going, running 22 times for 120 yards and two scores. There’s only one more week left to tune up, going to Wyoming, before the showdown at Wisconsin. The Huskers have a lot of work to do before they can think of pulling out a win. 

Sept. 10 at Nebraska 42 … Fresno State 29
CFN Analysis: The Huskers are way, WAY, too reliant on Taylor Martinez early on. He’s running extremely well, taking off for 166 yards and two touchdowns against Fresno State, but his passing is off completing just 10-of-21 passes for 219 yards and a score with two picks. Rex Burkhead scored two touchdowns, but he only averaged 3.7 yards per carry and couldn’t find any room to move. Worse yet, going forward, the run defense is mediocre outside of Lavonte David, who came up with 15 tackles. The Bulldogs controlled the game way too much, and it took a magical return for a score from Ameer Abdullah to put the game away. There shouldn’t be too many problems with Washington next week or Wyoming to follow, but Wisconsin is coming up quickly. 

Sept. 3 at Nebraska 40 … UT Chattanooga 7
CFN Analysis: So that’s how the Nebraska offense is supposed to look. It might not have rolled up a bazillion yards against an overmatched team, but it was efficient and effective on the ground with Taylor Martinez looking as quick and decisive as he was over the first half of last year. He only completed half his passes for 116 yards, but he ran for 135 yards and three scores averaging 7.1 yards per carry, while the team finished with 229 rushing yards. The run defense wasn’t the brick wall it should’ve been, and UTC was able to move the ball relatively well, but this was a nice first game to get the season rolling. Next week against Fresno State, the goal has to be more effective through the air to take some of the pressure off Martinez.

The 2011 Recruiting Class Is Heavy On … Quarterback. Either the coaching staff doesn’t 1) believe Taylor Martinez is a reliable part of the mix and/or 2) can’t stay healthy and other options are needed. Jamal Turner was taken away from Oklahoma and other Big 12 schools, and while he might be moved somewhere else, he could be a terror of a runner with his sub-4.5 speed. 6-5 Bubba Starling could be the answer with the passing ability to add more pop to the passing game to go along with the speed to be Martinez-like. The running will mostly be done by Aaron Green, a special back out of San Antonio who turned down Alabama, LSU, and Texas to be a Husker. Defensively, JUCO transfer safety Daimion Stafford will make an immediate impact.

Five Nebraska Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. RB Aaron Green
5-11, 185, Scout.com’s 6th ranked running back. Green is a complete back. With the exception of his size, Green is everything you look for in an elite back. He has excellent acceleration, maintains good top end speed, has the ability to shift gears and change direction at the drop of a dime. And because of his low center of gravity he has phenomenal balance.

2. QB Jamal Turner
6-1, 170, Scout.com’s 7th ranked quarterback. Turner is a lightning bolt on the field. From his spot at quarterback he is able to beat you with his feet or his arm. He does not have ideal size to play QB in college, but he has all of the other intangibles and is a major playmaker with the ball in his hands. If he does not settle in as a QB he would also be a highly regarded slot receiver.

3. QB Bubba Starling
6-5, 190, Scout.com’s 10th ranked quarterback. Starling has a great arm and that is why he is also looked at as a MLB pitching prospect. His arm is a plus, but he is also a real threat to beat you with the run once a play breaks down. He also has a nice frame that screams NFL potential. He still needs to develop and hone the finer points of the game, but he has a world of potential at the position.

4. CB Charles Jackson
5-10, 175, Scout.com’s 2nd ranked cornerback. There has never been any doubt about Jackson’s ability to be an aggressive defender who will come up from the corner spot and make sure tackles and with his size and long arms. There was some concern about him being able to be the type of player you could put on an island and let him lock down the other team’s best receiver one-on-one and he answered those questions by dominating at the U.S. Army Bowl.

5. S Daimion Stafford
6-0, 210, four-star JUCO transfer. Graceful is not a word typically associated with football players, but Stafford has an easy, fluid motion about him that allows him to glide across the field. He's instinctive in reading running plays, and he's aggressive without being undisciplined. A solid open field tackler, Stafford moves well in space and has the size to make sure the ball carrier goes down. A good backpedal. Comes out of his breaks quickly,

2011 Entire Recruiting Class
Ameer Abdullah RB 5'9" 180 Homewood, Ala. Homewood HS
Taariq Allen WR 6'3" 190 Weston, Mass. The Rivers School
Mauro Bondi PK 6'0" 190 Boca Raton, Fla. West Boca Raton HS
Joseph Carter DE 6'5" 255 Jackson, S.C. Silver Bluff HS
Daniel Davie WR 6'1" 185 Beatrice, Neb. Beatrice HS
Aaron Green RB 5'11" 190 San Antonio, Texas Madison HS
Charles Jackson DB 5'11" 180 Spring, Texas Klein Collins HS
Ryan Klachko OL 6'4" 285 Springfield, Ill. Sacred Heart-Griffin HS
Tyler Moore OL 6'6" 300 Clearwater, Fla. Countryside, HS
Todd Peat Jr. DT 6'3" 295 Tempe, Ariz. Corona Del Sol HS
Max Pirman LB 6'5" 220 Orville, Ohio Orville HS
Givens Price OL 6'4" 275 Houston, Texas Alief Taylor HS
Ryne Reeves OL 6'3" 295 Crete, Neb. Crete HS
David Santos LB 6'0" 200 Spring, Texas Klein Collins HS
Daimion Stafford DB 6'1" 210 Norco, Calif. Norco HS/Chaffey College
Bubba Starling QB 6'5" 195 Gardner, Kan. Gardner Edgerton HS
Zach Sterup OL 6'8" 265 Hastings, Neb. Hastings St. Cecilia
David Sutton TE 6'3" 250 Lincoln, Neb. Southeast HS
Jamal Turner QB 6'1" 175 Arlington, Texas Sam Houston HS
Kevin Williams DT 6'2" 275 Holland, Ohio Springfield HS