Published Dec 18, 2019
Jaiden Francois commitment: What does it mean for Nebraska?
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Nate Clouse  •  InsideNebraska
Recruiting Analyst
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@NateClouse

Nebraska landed another big fish out of the state of Florida on signing day with the commitment of Jaiden Francois.

The 6-foot-1, 182-pound defensive back out of Homestead (Fla.) South Dade announced his commitment at a ceremony on Wednesday. The four-star prospect committed to the Big Red over offers from Miami, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and several others. He becomes the 22nd known commitment in the 2020 class.

Here are some quick takes on what the commitment of Francois means for the Huskers.

1. Nebraska has recruited well in the state of Florida in the past and it's not a surprise that the Huskers are getting players out of the Sunshine state under Scott Frost. However, the addition of Francois now gives the Big Red six commits from the state in their 2020 class, including all four of its defensive backs and a major reason why is because of the job DB coach Travis Fisher has done recruiting these guys. A year removed from not signing a single players from Florida no one saw NU bouncing back to have this type of success in this class. Fisher was able to do some major work from the panhandle of the state all the way down to Miami and landing guys like Francois should only help to ensure that trend continues down the road.

2. Francois fit the mold that Fisher likes to recruit for his defensive backs in pretty much every way imaginable, starting off with his size. At 6-foot-1, the talented DB has excellent height and the length Fisher typically looks for. Francois joins a secondary that is looking to be loaded with potential.

3. You'll notice from watching Francois' film that he plays pretty much every position in the secondary. You see him line up in press man coverage as a corner, working as a nickle and also playing a lot of safety, especially in his junior season film. Fisher really values that type of versatility and the chances of us seeing Francois get a chance to work everywhere in the secondary once he gets to Lincoln are very high.

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4. Francois looks to have fluid hips and the speed to to cover wideouts in man coverage. He's a physical defensive back which is another requirement Fisher always looks for. Francois is not afraid to tackle and loves to lay a big hit.

5. While he looks good at corner, Francois really looks his best at safety. He has great range in the back end of the defense and just tremendous ball skills. Francois recorded 12 interceptions as a junior which tied the all-time Dade County record. 12 picks doesn't just happen by accident.

6. There was a time when both Francois and fellow Husker DB signee Henry Gray were both committed to Miami. Now, they're headed to Lincoln to play together in the same secondary instead. NU was able to close strong here despite the Hurricanes getting the last official visit. The addition of Francois allows the Huskers to shut things down with its defensive back recruiting unless there was one more special player out there that NU wouldn't say no to.

7. Francois is a tough kid. He's no stranger to hard work and has played against great competition in South Florida virtually his entire life. He should be able to make the transition to Nebraska very well.

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8. 2020 Nebraska commit breakdown

1. 7/26/2018 - Logan Smothers - QB - 6-foot-1, 180 - Athens, Ala. - 4 Stars

2. 4/3/2019 - Zavier Betts - WR - 6-foot-3, 190 - Bellevue, Neb. - 4 Stars

3. 4/13/2019 - Turner Corcoran - OT - 6-foot-6, 270 - Lawrence, Kan. - 4 Stars

4. 6/23/2019 - Tamon Lynum - CB - 6-foot-2, 177 - Orlando, Fla. - 3 Stars

5. 6/24/2019 - Alex Conn - OL - 6-foot-6, 275 - Derby, Kan. - 3 Stars

6. 6/29/2019 - Nash Hutmacher - DL - 6-foot-5, 305 - Chamberlain, S.D. - 3 Stars

7. 7/2/2019 - Blaise Gunnerson - OLB - 6-foot-5, 250 - Carroll, IA - 3 Stars

8. 7/8/2019 - Will Nixon - WR - 5-foot-11, 185 - Waco, TX - 3 Stars

9. 8/21/2019 - Sevion Morrison - RB - 6-foot, 190 - Tulsa, OK - 4 Stars

10. 8/24/2019 - Marvin Scott III - RB - 5-foot-9, 195 - Port Orange, FL - 3 Stars

11. 9/19/2019 - Henry Gray - CB - 6-foot-1, 185 - Miami, FL - 4 Stars

12. 10/8/2019 - Ronald Delancy - CB - 5-foot-11, 165 - Miami, FL - 3 Stars

13. 10/12/2019 - Marquis Black - DL - 6-foot-4, 280 - McDonough, GA - 3 Stars

14. 11/26/2019 - Junior Aho - OLB - 6-foot-3, 245 - Roswell, NM (France) - 2 Stars

15. 12/11/2019 - Eteva Mauga - ILB - 6-foot-2, 220 - Pleasant Hill, CA (Am. Samoa) - 4 Stars

16. 12/13/2019 - Omar Manning - WR - 6-foot-3, 215 - Kilgore (Texas) J.C. - 4 Stars

17. 12/15/2019 - Keyshawn Greene - ILB - 6-foot-2, 210 - Crawfordville, FL - 4 Stars

18. 12/15/2019 - Niko Cooper - OLB - 6-foot-4, 225 - Hutchinson, KS (Memphis, TN) - 3 Stars

19. 12/16/2019 - Jimari Butler - OLB - 6-foot-4, 210 - Mobile, AL - 3 Stars

20. 12/16/2019 - Isaac Gifford - ATH - 6-foot-1, 195 - Lincoln, NE - 3 Stars

21. 12/17/2019 - Jordon Riley - DL - 6-foot-5, 300 - Garden City, KS (Durham, NC) - 3 Stars

22. 12.18/2019 - Jaiden Francois - DB - 6-foot-1, 182 - Homestead, FL - 4 Stars

9. 2020 commits by position

1 - Quarterback

2 - Running back

3 - Wide receiver

0 - Tight end

2 - Offensive linemen

3 - Defensive tackle

0 - Defensive end

4 - Outside linebacker

2 - Inside linebacker

4- Defensive back

1 - Athlete

0 - Special teams

10. Where are they from?

Florida - 6

Alabama - 2

Kansas - 2

Nebraska - 2

Texas - 2

American Samoa - 1

France - 1

Georgia - 1

Iowa - 1

North Carolina - 1

Oklahoma - 1

South Dakota - 1

Tennessee - 1