Nebraska pulled off what many would call a huge National Signing Day surprise by securing the signature of four-star Caleb Tannor Wednesday morning.
The 6-foot-3, 235-pound outside linebacker out of Lithonia, Ga. picked the Huskers over Florida and Auburn among several others. The former Georgia pledge becomes NU's 20th known commitment in its 2018 recruiting class.
Here are some quick takes on what Tannor's commit means for Nebraska.
1. Nebraska kicked off National Signing Day with a bang by landing arguably the top uncommitted player in the state of Georgia in Caleb Tannor. You've got to tip your cap to the job NU's coaching staff did in recruiting Tannor. The Huskers made up a ton of ground in a short amount of time as they offered the four-star prospect on Dec. 30, got him on campus for an official visit as soon as the dead period ended on Jan. 12, and eventually received his NLI on Feb. 7. At this time a week ago it appeared Tannor was destined to stay in the SEC. Instead, Scott Frost, Javon Dewitt and Sean Beckton convinced him to be part of the new era of Nebraska football.
2. The Huskers desperately needed to add an explosive pass rusher or two in this recruiting class, and Tannor does just that. He shows the ability to get to the quarterback with his hand in the dirt as a defensive end or as a stand-up edge rusher from his outside linebacker position which is what he'll do when he gets to Lincoln.
3. Tannor has a great speed rush off the edge, but that is far from his only move as a pass rusher. He uses his hands well and does an excellent job of not allowing much bigger offensive tackles to get into his body.
4. One of the things I find most impressive about Tannor's film is just how strong he is at the point of attack. He consistently shows the ability to knock linemen back and even blow up pulling guards and lead blockers. He does a great job of not allowing the offense to set the edge and string outside runs to the sideline.
5. Tannor has excellent speed and change of direction. He's a sideline-to-sideline player that is a physical tackler. He's a disruptive defender that has a knack for getting the football away from ball carriers and even knocking down passes at the line of scrimmage.
6. Versatility - Tannor shows the ability to play defensive end, outside linebacker, and middle linebacker on defense. He played receiver on offense and was a special teams contributor for his high school team. Part of what will make him a good fit as an outside linebacker in defensive coordinator Erik Chinander's 3-4 scheme is his ability to play at the line of scrimmage among players much bigger than he is as well as the athleticism to drop back in coverage and operate in space.
7. Tannor has the intangibles you like to see as well. He's known to have a strong work ethic and is a tough, competitive player on the field that is always giving maximum effort.
8. 2018 Nebraska commit breakdown
2/7/2018 - Caleb Tannor - OLB - 6-foot-3, 235 - Lithonia, GA - 4 Stars
1/27/2018 - Cam Jones - DB - 6-foot-2, 187 - Mansfield, TX - 4 Stars
1/21/2018 - Braxton Clark - CB - 6-foot-3, 188 - Orlando, FL - 3 Stars
1/18/2018 - Dominick Watt - WR - 6-foot-1, 200 - Hollywood, FL - 4 Stars
1/18/2018 - Miles Jones - ATH - 5-foot-9, 166 - Plantation, FL - 4 Stars
1/16/2018 - Casey Rogers - DE - 6-foot-5, 240 - Avon Old Farms (NY) - 3 Stars
1/10/2018 - Mike Williams - WR - 5-foot-10, 175 - East Mississippi C.C. (FL) - 3 Stars
12/21/2017 - Will Honas - LB - 6-foot-2, 225 - Butler County C.C. (KS) - 3 Stars
12/20/2017 - Greg Bell - RB - 6-foot, 200 - Arizona Western C.C. (CA) - 4 Stars
12/20/2017 - Katerian LeGrone - WR - 6-foot-3, 220 - Atlanta, GA - 3 Stars
12/17/2017 - Deontai Williams - DB - 6-foot, 180 - Jones County C.C. (FL) - 3 Stars
12/12/2017 - Adrian Martinez- QB - 6-foot-3, 198 - Fresno, CA - 4 Stars
12/11/2017 - Justin McGriff- WR - 6-foot-6, 210 - Tampa, FL - 3 Stars
12/10/2017 - Jaron Woodyard- ATH - 5-foot-11, 175 - Arizona Western (MD) - 3 Stars
12/10/2017 - C.J. Smith- DB - 6-foot-3, 190 - West Palm Beach, FL - 4 Stars
10/6/2017 - David Alston- OLB - 6-foot-5, 215 - Woodbury, MN - 3 Stars
5/2/2017 - Barret Pickering- K - 6-foot, 185 - Hoover, AL - 3 Stars
4/16/2017 - Tate Wildeman- DE - 6-foot-6, 245 - Parker, CO - 4 Stars
4/8/2017 - Will Farniok- OL - 6-3, 260 - Sioux Falls, SD - 3 Stars
8/7/15 - Cameron Jurgens- TE - 6-3, 235 - Beatrice, NE - 4 Stars
9. Commits by position
1 - Quarterback
1 - Running back/fullback
4 - Wide receiver
1 - Tight end
1 - Offensive linemen
2 - Defensive end
2 - Outside linebacker
1 - Inside linebacker
3 - Safety
1 - Cornerback
2 - Athlete
1 - Special teams
10. Where are they from?
7 - Florida
2 - Nebraska
2 - California
2 - Georgia
1 - Alabama
1 - Colorado
1 - Kansas
1 - Maryland
1 - Minnesota
1 - New York
1 - South Dakota
1 - Texas