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Ten prospects the next Nebraska coach should target

Michael Thompson
Michael Thompson (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

The Mike Riley era in Lincoln is over, and Nebraska athletic director Bill Moos is searching for the next Cornhuskers head coach. The early signing period is less than a month away, but there are many intriguing, legitimate class of 2018 prospects targets in the Midwest when a new head coach is hired. Here are 10 we see as good fits.

FULL COVERAGE OF NEBRASKA'S FIRING OF MIKE RILEY: What happens to Calibraska movement? | Mind of Mike | Who is next in Lincoln? | Riley's failure to develop QBs | Recruiting misses that doomed Riley | Which teams will benefit? | Recruiting busts under Riley | HUSKERONLINE.COM

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Jefferson just finished up a state championship-winning senior season and is an obvious Nebraska target for several reasons. The most compelling of those reasons is the fact that Jefferson was previously committed to UCF and head coach Scott Frost, the top name on the Cornhuskers' coaching hot board. Jefferson also has a former teammate, linebacker Andrew Ward, who signed with the Cornhuskers in the 2017 class. Michigan State is the current favorite following their offer earlier this month, but if all the connections play out at Nebraska, the Cornhuskers would be a serious threat.

Thompson listed a top five this summer, but he recently did away with that top group and is pretty open heading into post-season recruiting. The Rivals100 prospect took his first official visit of the process the weekend of Nov. 17 to USC, but has not set any further official visits. He plans to bypass the early December signing period and take his recruitment into February, which is a great situation for a new head coach at Nebraska to get involved with. There was significant mutual interest between Thompson and Nebraska, but he was never able to make an off-season visit which probably sunk their chances of making that summer top five.

When discussing strongest potential additions for Nebraska on this list, Craddieth may be the most likely. The Cornhuskers were considered the team to beat for the St. Louis safety at several points during the process and he had a Dec. 1 official visit scheduled with Nebraska. Official visits to Iowa (Dec. 8) and Illinois (Dec. 15) and also been set, with Indiana, Minnesota and Vanderbilt also among the schools in a top six Craddieth listed in September. He is close with current commit Cameron Brown and has already made an unofficial recruiting visit to Lincoln.

What is going on with Babb’s recruitment? The four-star wide receiver from St. Louis has been a ghost since tearing a knee ligament over the summer that forced him to miss his senior season. Only one official visit has been taken and that went to Ohio State last month. The Buckeyes are rumored to be the strong favorites here, but Nebraska was in Babb’s original top nine and had a lot of momentum in this recruitment last spring. Could a new coach spark new momentum for the Cornhuskers here, especially with his teammate Cameron Brown committed?

The rating and the fact he remains uncommitted are the two biggest reasons Waggoner is on this list, but when I spoke to him just before the season the four-star from Iowa said, regarding Nebraska, “I definitely have some interest there.” Under Mike Riley, Nebraska was a late offer for Waggoner, coming through right at the beginning of his senior season. The home-state Iowa Hawkeyes appear to be the team to beat here, but since he has not committed yet this is definitely a highly-talented prospect the Huskers should try to get in on when a new coach is hired.

There is no quarterback commit in this 2018 class for Nebraska. You better believe the next head coach is going to want to get a guy, his guy, as soon as possible. If the next guy is Frost, Jefferson may be that guy because he was that guy for Frost early in his 2018 class at UCF. Coaches are so particular about their quarterbacks, it’s tough to accurately project who a new head coach may target. In the Midwest, though, let me make the statement that, among reasonable candidates, Eleby is far and away the most talented. He is committed to Western Michigan, but a Nebraska offer should get his attention.

There are several potential running back candidates in the Midwest that Nebraska could target if it so decides, including Tulsa commit TK Wilkerson, St. Louis three-star Canaan Brooks and Indiana-based power runner Kristian Pechac. The highest-ranked, and most dynamic, though is Indianapolis Ben Davis’ Johnny Adams. Committed to Ball State, Adams has received increased Power Five interest off his play this fall, including an offer from Cal. He has shown the desire to check out those options, and has already scheduled a visit to Berkeley.

The number of prospects who go from zero FBS offers prior to their senior season to Power Five offers after has dwindled down to almost nothing, but that is exactly what has happened with Peterson. Possessing good size and athleticism for the defensive end position, Peterson has earned offers from Illinois and Kansas State this month and interest from other Power Five programs. He may not be the type who can turn a program around, but he can definitely be a quality depth addition for a class that needs numbers so it does not leave a gaping hole in the roster.

This is probably not a surprising addition to the list considering how high we have him ranked relative to his recruiting interest. But, we have seen Haney extensively against the best the 2018 class has to offer and this kid has length and instincts and more speed than given credit for. He is a prospect we strongly believe Power Five programs missed on, and Northern Illinois gets him as a gem of their MAC-leading 2018 class. Kansas City is ground zero for Nebraska among major metropolitan areas, though, and this is a kid they should have a chance to flip if they pursue.

Since their move to the Big Ten in 2011, Nebraska has been largely ineffective recruiting the Midwest’s top talent-producing state. Ohio is traditionally an important part of Big Ten recruiting success, and the next regime could get off to a good start in the state by landing a prospect like Taylor, who is coming off a big senior season. Although he has plenty of offers, Taylor has been very inactive with his recruiting process thus far and no official visits are scheduled. Even with his 6-foot-5 frame, Taylor is definitely an outside wide receiver and is moving up in the next wide receiver rankings update.

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