Three & Out: Impact frosh RBs, Mikey Pauley solid and R250 Ben Brahmer

This is HuskerOnline.com's feature in which recruiting analysts Mike Matya and Bryan Munson give their weekly takes on topical issues concerning Nebraska football, baseball and recruiting.

Today in our next installment of "Three and Out" we hit on Husker impact freshman running backs, baseball commit Mikey Pauley still solid, and Ben Brahmer's R250 rating.

Maybe I am a little nostalgic, but I couldn't help but take some time to compare Gabe Ervin as a true freshman to some other players who played running back as true freshmen.

In my advanced age, I have seen a few.

Like Ahman Green and his role as a freshman during those amazing years in Lincoln.

What gets lost, going back to Ahman Green, and for those of you playing along who remember 1995, are the other running backs that have come to Nebraska since. They have not all been Green; yet as I reflect these are some of the best running backs in Nebraska's storied history.

Arguably, it's fairly safe to say that we are dealing with top 15 running backs to go along with Ervin on this list. One thing of note is that Ervin is the only player on this list to make a start in his first college game. That's saying a lot.

Ervin's numbers are already in-line with those of Marlon Lucky. What stands out the most here is the varying degrees of success that each player had in their freshman year and how each ended up being considered one of the best to play the running back position while at Nebraska.

The fact is they all improved. They obviously came in prepared to play as 17- or 18-year-old kids fresh out of high school, with some of them having the benefit of a spring semester under their belt after enrolling early.

It's going to be very interesting to watch Ervin as he develops and matures as a runner to see if he, like the others on the list above, can be included in the conversation of one of the best to ever play the running back position in Lincoln.

- Bryan Munson

Mikey Pauley is currently a commitment to Nebraska's baseball program, and he was in Lincoln over the weekend for an unofficial visit to take in his first Cornhusker football game.

After he committed to Nebraska as a catcher, Pauley was offered football scholarships by both Kansas State and Kansas as a quarterback.

"I thought it was one of the coolest football games I have attended," Pauley said about his first game experience in Memorial Stadium. "I thought the fans did a great job of being into the game and it was a lot of fun.

"Just getting to go to the locker room and to be on the field before the game and getting great seats to watch the game."

The Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley Northwest product has been a multi-sport athlete in high school, and he believes he could pull it off in college as well.

"Yeah, if I had the chance to play both sports in college that would be my dream," Pauley shared. "I believe in myself to do both of them well."

Blue Valley Northwest is 1-0 on their season and Pauley had a good start to his senior campaign.

"We beat our cross-town rival, Blue Valley high school, who is a highly ranked team in our district 35-21," Pauley stated. "I think I went 11 for 16 passing and I had two rushing touchdowns, one for 73 yards. I do well extending plays with my legs and making plays on the run.

During his summer baseball season, Pauley hit .350 with eight home runs and eight stolen bases.

"At this time, my commitment to Nebraska is still pretty solid with the baseball guys," Pauley expressed. "There's definitely a reason I committed there that early on the baseball side. That's still where my head is at right now."

Pauley will be making a return trip to Lincoln this coming weekend for his baseball official visit, and he will also be attending Nebraska's football game against Buffalo.

- Mike Matya

The Huskers may not have a four-star rated player in their 2022 class, but there are already two of them in the 2023 class, including a recruit that is part of the Rivals250 list. Ben Brahmer was the first commitment in the 2023 class for Nebraska and the Pierce (Neb.) tight end is very excited to be back playing this fall.

"It's been great to get back on the field with all of my teammates," Brahmer said. "This year we have quite a bit of guys who are inexperienced so we have been helping those guys get used to the faster game."

When you see Brahmer, it looks like he could add 25 pounds and you wouldn't know it. He has such a long frame that will allow him to distribute those types of future gains very nicely.

"This summer I really focused on putting on some weight. Right now, I am around 200 pounds. This season I think that the extra weight and strength is going to help me be more physical and I have been feeling good about it so far."

Brahmer was made aware of his early four-star rating and being included in the 2023 Rivals250 list. His answer might come off initially as a jab at ratings in general because he's not a finished product.

"I am very blessed, but to me the stars mean nothing," Brahmer said. "I am just going to ignore it and keep working because there is always room to improve in everything. But without my teammates, coaches and coach Steve Warren, I wouldn't have any stars so I am very thankful to them."

Brahmer has plans to get to some Husker home games, but he's not sure yet for which games.

"I am planning on going to a few games this season at Nebraska," Brahmer said. "It will be awesome to see Memorial Stadium packed again. I am not sure if I will be there this weekend or not yet. I will know more soon."

Brahmer says that he hasn't given a lot of thought to graduating early. Being from a small school, there is a dependency on him to participate in winter and spring sports for his high school.

"I likely won't graduate early just because I go to a small school so I have to finish basketball in the spring semester and run track."

- Bryan Munson