The first domino of Nebraska's first big recruiting weekend coming out of the dead period fell Tuesday night as defensive end Casey Rogers announced his commitment to the Huskers.
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound prospect out of Avon (Conn.) Avon Old Farms is Nebraska's 16th know commitment in its 2018 class.
Here are some quick thoughts and analysis on Rogers' commitment and how it impacts the Huskers.
1. It's clear Rogers became a major priority for the Huskers over the last few weeks. The big defensive end landed an offer from Nebraska shortly before the dead period and scheduled his official visit for the first weekend after the dead period was over. NU rolled out the red carpet while Rogers and his family were in town. However, what is really telling is that Scott Frost, defensive coordinator Erik Chinander, and defensive line coach Mike Dawson flew out to see Rogers the first thing Monday, just hours after he had been on campus for the weekend. The coaches spent all morning with Rogers, then they flew to Syracuse, New York to spend the afternoon with his parents.
2. At 6-foot-5, 240-pounds, Rogers has great size and growth potential for what the Huskers are looking for out of their defensive ends in their 3-4 scheme. He's a big, athletic kid that should be able to do whatever is asked of him in Nebraska's defense.
3. Rogers is strong at the point of attack and doesn't allow defenders to get into his body in the run game. He's also very good at getting to the quarterback against the pass. His pass rushing skills are not overly refined so you know he's only going to improve with more coaching and better technique.
4. Rogers is extremely disruptive on defense. It seems like he's always blowing things up in the backfield, getting a sack, deflecting passes at the line, or causing fumbles in his film. Some players have a knack for making big plays and Rogers is one of those guys.
5. I really like the fact that Rogers is a multi-sport guy and that he plays tight end on offense. You can really get a sense of how well he runs from his tight end film. Plus, as a standout lacrosse player, he has very good feet and stamina. I feel like multi-sport players are usually more well-rounded athletes in general that tend to have a higher ceiling than prospects that have already been specializing in one sport.
6. Rogers is a great kid that will be an excellent fit in the culture Scott Frost is building at Nebraska. The New York native is extremely competitive and has an excellent work ethic. He's a leader on and off of the field from all accounts and is a very intelligent individual.
7. The addition of Rogers gives Nebraska two defensive ends in this class with the other being Tate Wildeman out of Colorado. I happen to think these two players are very similar to one another in a lot of respects. They're both disruptive players that are always going full-tilt. I think Nebraska fans are going to have fun watching Rogers and Wildeman be book ends on NU's defense for years to come.
8. 2018 Nebraska commit breakdown
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) - 3 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
6/17/16 - Masry Mapieu- DT - 6-5, 290 - York, NE - 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
3 - Wide receiver
1 - Tight end
1 - Offensive linemen
1 - Defensive tackle
2 - Defensive end
1 - Outside linebacker
1 - Inside linebacker
2 - Safety
0 - Cornerback
1 - Athlete
1 - Special teams
10. Where are they from?
4 - Florida
2 - Nebraska
2 - California
1 - Alabama
1 - Colorado
1 - Georgia
1 - Kansas
1 - Maryland
1 - Minnesota
1 - New York
1 - South Dakota