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Sign up for our email list to be notified when we update the HF Blog. February 5th, 2008
Nebraska's 2008 football recruiting class bios
***Updated as of Thursday, February 7th
Meet the 2008 Nebraska football recruiting class, broken down by position. A list of known walk-ons follow. One note, Mason Wald is expected to become the 28th commitment to the class. He has yet to sign a letter of intent, but is expected to do so on Thursday.
Quarterbacks (1)
Kody Spano is a 6'2" 202 pound dual threat quarterback from Stephenville, Texas. Kody and his family took an official visit to Lincoln in early January and he committed days later. Shawn Watson was the lead recruiter on Kody, who is ranked as the #9 dual threat QB by Rivals.com and the #47 player in the Texas Top 100. He is rated a 3-star prospect by both Rivals and Scout. Also in the running for Kody's services were Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Tulsa, and Georgia Tech.
Running Backs (3)
Collins Okafor is a 6'1" 210 pound running back out of Omaha Westside High School. Ranked by Rivals as the #4 player in the state of Nebraska and the #27 running back in the country, Okafor is one of those players that Nebraska needed to keep in-state. He is rated as a 3-star prospect by Rivals and Scout. Collins committed to NU in late October and briefly entertained the idea of heading elsewhere, until the Huskers coaching situation cleared up. Other schools recruiting Okafor included Stanford, Iowa, and Kansas.
Lester Ward is a 6'3" 186 pound running back out of Brenham, Texas who committed to the Huskers on February 1st. Originally committed to Baylor, Ward must have liked what he saw in Lincoln. Lester joins former high school teammate Shawn Sullivan, who was a member of the Huskers 2007 recruiting class. Ward is rated a 2-star recruit by Rivals and Scout. Miami, Missouri, UCLA, Tulane, Baylor, Vanderbilt, and TCU also recruited the Brenham back.
Justin Rogers is commitment #27 for the Huskers, as the 5'11" 180 pound running back out of Birmingham, Alabama came onboard just before signing day. Rogers is a 3-star back according to Rivals and Scout. Among the other schools going after Justin were UCLA, Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, and Kentucky.
Wide Receivers (4)
Antonio Bell is a 6'2" 177 pound wide receiver out of infamous Spring Break party spot, Daytona Beach, Florida. Bell is rated a 2-star by Rivals and a 3-star by Scout.com. He was also recruited by West Virginia and Florida International. Receivers coach Ted Gilmore was the lead recruiter on Antonio.
Khiry Cooper committed to the Huskers after he took his official visit the first weekend of February. Cooper and his mother spent part of Saturday sitting with NU athletic director Tom Osborne at the Husker men's basketball game against Iowa State. Khiry is rated as a 3-star receiver prospect by Rivals and Scout. He stands 6'2" and weighs in at 175 pounds and hails from Shreveport, Louisiana. He was also recruited by Arkansas and Michigan as well as several Louisiana schools.
Steven Osborne joins his brother Courtney in the Huskers 2008 class. The brothers with the famous Husker last name make their way to Lincoln via Garland, Texas. Steven is listed as a 6'4" 182 pound wide receiver, and rated as a 3-star recruit by Rivals and a 2-star by Scout. Steven was also recruited by UNLV, Utah, SMU, and Kansas. To my knowledge, the Osborne brothers are not related to Tom Osborne or Ozzy Osbourne. There were some questions about this initially.
Tim Marlowe has known Bo Pelini his whole life and comes to the Huskers via the now well-known high school of Cardinal Mooney in Youngstown, Ohio. The wide receiver/kick returner/utility player is listed at 5'9" and 160 pounds soaking wet, but he has had a knack for making big plays when he's on the field. Offered by mostly Division II schools, Marlowe jumped at the scholarship chance offered by Pelini. According to Rivals, Tim is a 2-star recruit, while Scout.com lists him as a 1-star. He's no Santino Panico, Husker fans.
Tight Ends (2)
Tyson Hetzer became the first to sign on the dotted line as the lone JUCO player in this year's class officially became a Husker in mid-December. The 6'7" 265 pound tight end is rated a 3-star prospect by Rivals and Scout. Hetzer has two seasons of eligibility remaining and comes to Lincoln via Glendora Citrus Community College in California.
Ben Cotton follows his father, and new Husker offensive line coach, Barney, back to Lincoln. The younger Cotton is a 6'6" 216 pound tight end from Ames, Iowa who also drew interest from Purdue, Stanford, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Iowa State among other schoools. Cotton is rated as a 3-star prospect by Rivals and Scout. For those who listen to 1620 The Zone, Omaha's ESPN radio, que up "FNA cotton" now.
Offensive Line (4)
Baker Steinkuhler has a last name known to all Husker football fans. The son of former All-American Dean Steinkuhler, Baker soon will be teammates with his older brother Ty, a defensive lineman for the Huskers. Steinkuhler comes in as the most heralded of the 2008 recruiting class, having played in the Army All-America Game in San Antonio, which invites the elite of high school football players from around the country. Baker stands 6'6" tall and weighs in at 292 pounds. Nearly everyone who has watched him play notes how dominating he is against even the best of opponents. The Husker coaches will have to decide whether they want to groom him for the offensive or defensive side of the ball, as he is equally capable. According to Rivals.com, Baker is the first in-state player to receive the coveted 5-star ranking. It didn't matter who else recruited him, Baker was born to be a Husker.
David Grant heads north from Killeen, Texas to the land of Big Red. The 6'6" 280 pound offensive lineman is rated a 3-star prospect by Rivals and Scout and was listed as a member of the Rivals Texas Top 100. He committed to the Huskers on January 8th after fending off Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Houston.
Ricky Henry is a name familiar to followers of Husker recruiting. Henry was originally committed to the Huskers two years ago, before academic issues forced him to take the junior college route. Having taken care of the books, Ricky is back to claim his spot on the offensive line for the Cornhuskers. At 6'4" and 300 pounds, many have compared Henry to former Husker Richie Incognito as far as style of play goes. Ricky is a 3-star prospect according to Rivals and a 1-star by Scout (but honestly, what do they know).
Brandon Thompson is a 6'6" 280 pound offensive lineman from The Woodlands, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Rated a 3-star prospect by both Rivals and Scout, Thompson is looking to join Steinkuhler and Henry as part of the next great "Pipeline" of Nebraska. Brandon was also courted by Colorado, Arizona, Virginia, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, and Purdue.
Defensive Line (3)
Cameron Meredith is a 6'4" 222 pound defensive end out of Santa Ana, California. He is rated as a 3-star prospect by Rivals and Scout. Meredith committed to the Huskers in late August and hasn't wavered since. Rivals ranks him as the #63 player in the California Top 100 for 2008. Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado were among the others schools competing for his services.
Josh Williams was once thought to be looking elsewhere, but the only day that matters in recruiting is signing day and Josh is officially a Husker now. Williams is a 6'3" 220 pound weakside defensive end from Denton, Texas. He is rated as a 3-star prospect by Rivals and a 4-star by Scout. Additionally, Rivals ranks him as the #48 player in the Texas Top 100 for 2008. Josh also considered Colorado, Arkansas, Kansas, Texas, and was recruited by ex-Husker D-line coach, Buddy Wyatt, for Texas A&M.
Quentin Toailoa no doubt wins the award for having hair most like Stewart Bradley's from a few years back. The 6'5" 275 pound defensive tackle from Redlands, California committed to the Huskers in late December, which followed his visit in the middle of October. He is rated as a 3-star prospect by Rivals and Scout and was also recruited by Oregon State, Washington, Arizona, and Utah.
Linebackers (4)
Sean Fisher is one of a handful of homegrown kids in the 2008 class, hailing from Omaha Millard North High School. Fisher will play linebacker for the Huskers and is listed as 6'5" and 210 pounds. Sean is rated as a 3-star recruit by Rivals and Scout and is ranked as the #3 player in the state of Nebraska by Rivals. He committed to the Huskers back in June and gave a stiff arm to Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Colorado, and Iowa along the way.
Micah Kreikemeier became Tom Osborne's first recruiting commitment in some time, as well as the first in-state verbal of the Bo Pelini era. The 6'4" 215 pound linebacker from West Point, Nebraska, was also courted by Kansas (a basketball school) to play football, but the smart young man from West Point decided (and rightly so) to attend The University of Nebraska. After all, how could anyone turn down Tom Osborne? (Evidently, some of you could. I seem to recall a certain legendary coach losing an election for governor, and even in his home district. But I digress.) Kreikemeier (pronounced Kreik-e-meier) is rated as a 2-star commit by Rivals and Scout, but honestly, how do you measure a kid's heart?
Alonzo Whaley is another of the Texans heading north to truly restore the order for the Huskers. The 6'1" 210 pound linebacker from Madisonville, Texas is rated as a 3-star by Rivals and a 2-star by Scout. Whaley committed to Nebraska in mid-January, the same weekend he took his official visit to Lincoln. Alonzo was recruited by Mike Ekeler, his new position coach on the defense. He was also recruited by Missouri, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, and Arizona State.
Will Compton was originally thought to have lost interest in the Huskers after the coaching changes were made. Former NU star commit Blaine Gabbert was trying to lure him to Missouri, but the Mizzou native decided he'd rather tackle Gabbert than be on his team. Compton is listed as 6'2" and 215 pounds and is rated as a 4-star by both Rivals and Scout. Will was also recruited by Notre Dame, Missouri, Michigan, Iowa, Michigan State, and Arkansas. Take that Charlie Weis! We'll let you have Trevor Robinson and his girlie hair, but you can't take Will Compton, who might just be Matt Damon's long lost brother.
Defensive Backs (3)
Alfonzo Dennard is a cornerback from Rochelle, Georgia. He stands 5'10" and weighs in at 185 pounds. Dennard was originally recruited by Marvin Sanders to North Carolina, to which he was once committed, before he changed his mind in favor of the Huskers. Other schools interested in Alfonzo were Purdue, Marshall, Troy, UAB, and Clemson. Dennard is rated as a 3-star by Rivals and Scout.
David Whitmore is another of the 4-star commits in the 2008 class, as rated by Rivals. Scout.com thinks less highly of him, weighing in with a 3-star rating. Whitmore is a 6'2" 190 pound cornerback from Port Arthur, Texas, who committed to the Huskers three days before income taxes were due in 2007. Oklahoma State, Kansas State, and Missouri were also after David's services.
P.J. Smith was one of the last commits to join the '08 class, declaring he wanted to be a Husker on February 4th. Smith is a 3-star safety prospect from River Ridge, Louisiana, tipping the scales at 6'2" and 205 pounds. John Papuchis was the lead recruiter and he beat out the likes of Arkansas, Southern Miss, Baylor, and Purdue for Smith's commitment. In addition, Rivals ranks him as the #15 player in the state of Louisiana for 2008.
Mason Wald proves that "better late than never" works in recruiting as well. Wald, from Birmingham, Alabama, is expected to become the 28th commitment of the 2008 Husker class. The 5'11" 195 pound defensive back is rated as a 2-star by Rivals and Scout.
Athletes (3)
John Levorson hails from Crete, Nebraska where he led his high school team to the Class B state championship two years in a row. Levorson will most likely play safety for the Blackshirts. The 6'4" 185 pound recruit handles his business in the classroom as well, carrying a 3.95 GPA. Rivals rates him a 3-star commit while Scout pegs him as a 2-star.
Courtney Osborne joins brother Steven on the road from Garland, Texas to Lincoln, Nebraska. Courtney tips the scales at 6'2" and 170 pounds, slightly shorter and lighter than his brother. Rivals likes the Osbornes better than Scout, rating both brothers 3-stars versus 2-stars, respectively. This Osborne will likely play wide receiver or defensive back. Additionally, Courtney wins the first annual Mo Purify Mo-Hawk Award for 2008, given to the incoming freshman whose hair most resembles Mo's hawk.
Kyler Reed comes to Lincoln via Overland Park, Kansas after turning away the likes of KU, K-State, Colorado, Colorado State, and Northwestern. The 6'3" 204 pounder is rated as 3-stars by Rivals and Scout as well as being the #8 player in Kansas according to Rivals. Reed committed to the Huskers back in September after being recruited by Ted Gilmore and Ron Brown.
Here is a breakdown of the class by state:
Texas - 9
Nebraska - 5
California - 3
Louisiana - 2
Alabama - 2
Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, North Dakota, and Ohio - 1 each
Twenty-eight recruits from 11 different states. In addition, 19 walk-ons have been announced as having enrolled at the University of Nebraska with the intent of playing football. The 19 known walk-ons are listed below:
Kenny Anderson - Omaha Millard West
Damon Bechtold - Omaha Westside
Jase Dean - Bridgeport, NE
Taylor Dixon - Wauneta, NE
Ronnell Grixby - Omaha Central
Justin Jackson - Roca, NE
Jordan Makovicka - Ulysses, NE
Matt Manninger - Omaha Creighton Prep
Mychael McClure - Wisner, NE
Colin McDermott - Omaha Creighton Prep
Conor McDermott - Omaha Creighton Prep
Sam Meginnis - Lincoln East
Josh Molek - Omaha Skutt
Brent Moravec - Grand Island Central Catholic
David Pillen - Sugar Land, TX
Zach Ruiz - Beatrice, NE
Steve Spratte - Waukesha, WI
Graham Stoddard - Lincoln Southwest
Jeremy Wallace - Omaha Bryan
Comments (2)
Posted by Tyler Hughes
I saved the front copy of the 2005 OWH as well as today\s. I\ll be interested in two years to see which class results in more contributors. The highly-touted \05 class or the ignored 2008 class. I already have an opinion on who might win out. I loved the staff\s comment last week: we don\t look at stars, we make them stars. Coach \em up BoStaff.
Posted by Sharon
It looks like a great class of recruits and it\s so good to see the list of walk-ons. Just seems like we are getting back to the Nebraska of \old\ and I can\t wait for the season to start.
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