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 "last call", potential silver lining, 2021 baseball class drawing accolades.

On Sunday we just came out of the latest NCAA Dead Period, and we're now currently in a one-week Quiet Period before the start of fall camp.

According to the NCAA website: "A Quiet Period is that period of time when it is permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts only on the member institution’s campus. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts or evaluations may be made during the Quiet Period."

Colleges are not allowed to host official visitors before the next Dead Period, which kicks in on August 1 and lasts until September 1, but they are allowed to squeeze in as many unofficial visitors this week as they desire.

We do know of one significant unofficial visitor to Lincoln, and that is Illinois offensive lineman Valen Erickson. He recently told Rivals' Tim OHalloran [EdgyTim]:

"I've been focusing now on mainly Cincinnati, Nebraska and Missouri," Erickson said. "Those are my Top 3 schools and I'm planning to make some unofficial visits to all three schools next week. I'm going to visit Cincinnati next Wednesday.

"I'm then going to visit Nebraska next Thursday and Friday and then I'll head over to Missouri next Saturday and Sunday. My family is really big on making visits to these schools in person, because you just can't get a good handle on places over a Zoom call. It also makes it easier to talk and get to know the coaches in person and to just get a better feel for each school in person."

Even though the Cornhusker team reports to camp on July 29 for fan day, and then starts fall camp the next day, we are aware of numerous underclassmen recruit visitors who will be making a stop in Lincoln over the next several days before their own respective high school fall practices start.

Chandavian Bradley on Tuesday was just the first of many visitors to Nebraska between now and Saturday. We expect one more border state underclass recruit to visit today, and a few this weekend..

Keep in mind, the NCAA allowed FBS schools a separate waiver to permit on-campus evaluations of prospective recruits during unofficial visits to occur.

That waiver allowed coaches to work players out individually while on unofficial visits to help make up for time lost with missed evaluation periods over the last year, but that is unlikely to with any visitors this week with so much going on for the Nebraska staff in their preparations for a very pivotal season ahead.

- Mike Matya

This year is tough to swallow. A class that might get to 15 total commitments. It seems a little unfathomable that Nebraska is slowing down at eight commitments because they are over 50% complete with the class, and are now waiting on a few and identifying some new targets.

Know what they say about a man with small hands? Small mittens. So what comes along with a small class size? Low class rating. TCU was the only school last year that finished with 15 signees. They were the 67th rated class in the nation. There were actually two schools, Arizona State and Indiana, who each finished with 14 signees and slightly better at 64 (Arizona State) and 66 (Indiana).

That isn’t where those classes for TCU, Arizona State and Indiana should stop being compared with where Nebraska is at now and likely will be headed. The average stars per recruit for those three schools last year was just north of three stars. Nebraska’s average is exactly three.

And while I spell out all of the doom and gloom, there are some positives to look at. First of all, Arizona State and Indiana are both preseason top 25 teams this year. Texas Christian is just outside of the top 25 at No. 27. Like Nebraska, three stronger programs had some “smaller classes”. The Huskers have signed 74 players the last three seasons.

But let’s focus on the here and now. Nebraska has one open spot for the total 25 that can be added in a cycle. The Huskers should get credit back for Branson Yager who is now off of the roster. Additionally, what do those two spots mean with the very small recruiting class in 2022?

Nebraska may not be able to take a lot of kids for the December, or even the February signing periods, but the Huskers will have a lot of room to be active players in the grad transfer, transfer, late JUCO available/free agents, and other types of player additions.

There was a great question in the chat about how a player like Jailen Weaver takes pressure off of the 2022 class potentially. If Weaver can have an impact as a freshman, it most certainly does take pressure off and the Nebraska staff can start looking about how to find a defensive tackle or a versatile defensive lineman. It could save a number to the class and cost them one of their 25 later with a transfer.

It’s a bit of a silver lining. As you can clearly see from what I laid out earlier, if Nebraska gets to 14 or 15 commits with a three-star average, you can expect a class that will finish somewhere in the mid-60s or so. However, Nebraska will have an ability to still add players down the line up to their 25, just not through their signing day classes, and up to their 85 scholarship limit.

- Bryan Munson

Nebraska's 2021 baseball signee class stayed intact after the recent Major League Baseball Draft, which is very good news for the future fortunes of the Huskers' program.

After such a successful 2021 season, when they won the Big Ten conference championship and made a successful run in the Regionals, NU is bringing in, on paper, a very talented recruiting class. Perhaps their most talented class in quite a while.

Some national publications have taken notice of this.

Division I baseball website, which covers college baseball better than most anyone else, lists Nebraska's 2021 group of incoming freshmen among their post-MLB Draft "Winners".

DI Baseball's complete list of post-Draft "Winners" is below:

Arkansas

Duke

Nebraska

TCU

UCLA

On the flip side, here is a list of those they considered "Troublesome" due to their signee losses in the Draft.

LSU

Oklahoma State

North Carolina

Texas Tech

The ACC conference was also mentioned as taking a significant, with Clemson, Miami Virginia all joining North Carolina in suffering significant losses in the Draft.

Lastly, "Power Major" schools like UConn, South Florida, Tulane and Fordham all received mentions as having top recruits being high draft picks and headed straight to professional baseball.

In their synopsis of the incoming Cornhusker class, DI Baseball touched on in-state pitchers Drew Christo, CJ Hood and Jaxon Jelkin as being big additions to Nebraska's roster, as well as outfielder Luke Jessen.

But their highest praise was saved for South Dakota signee Chase Mason. DI Baseball said of him: "Mason, a physical specimen at 6-foot-4, 210-pounds, had the scouting community buzzing a year ago thanks to his five-tool potential, but an injury eliminated his spring season, and he will now be heading to Lincoln."

With Nebraska's baseball program now on a major upswing, those of you who really like to follow college baseball may want to subscribe to the DI Baseball website. You won't be disappointed in their thorough coverage of all developments regarding the sport.

- Mike Matya