Nebraska added a huge piece to its recruiting class on Wednesday as Rivals100 athlete Wandale Robinson announced his commitment to the Huskers.
The 5-foot-9, 180-pound Frankfort, Kentucky native originally committed to Kentucky on November 1 over the likes of Nebraska, Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan and Purdue. However, a change of heart as the early signing period approaches led to him flipping from the Wildcats to the Huskers. Robinson becomes the 23rd known commit for Nebraska's 2019 recruiting class.
Here are some quick takes on what Robinson's commitment means for Nebraska.
1. This is a huge recruiting victory for Nebraska as they had targeted Robinson as a high priority prospect last February. The Huskers coaching staff put an awful lot of time and effort into Robinson's recruitment and looked to have his commitment locked up in the weeks leading up to his original announcement date on November 1. Things did not play out that way though as he switched to Kentucky, but NU did not stop in their pursuit of Robinson and were able to eventually secure his commitment just two weeks before he will sign his letter of intent. You have to give a lot of credit to the job NU running backs coach Ryan Held and offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Troy Walters did in this recruitment.
2. There was an awful lot of pressure for Robinson to stay home and go to Kentucky, but at the end of the day his fit in Nebraska's offense played a deciding factor. He looks to be tailor-made to play the Duck-R position in Scott Frost's explosive offense. He will primarily line up as a slot receiver, but will also be featured in the backfield as a running back at times as well. It's a role that not only features all of his skills, but also creates a lot of mismatches for opposing defenses.
3. As a receiver, Robinson shows to have very reliable hands. He primarily worked out of the slot in high school which is where he will mostly work at when he gets to college. He's a player that can not only turn a bubble screen into a long play by making a defender miss in the open field and taking it the distance, but he also has the top-end speed to be a vertical threat in the passing game as well. He's not the biggest target, but he certainly has the leaping ability to go up and get the football and make catches in a crowd when he needs to.
4. Robinson is a powerful runner with the ball in his hands whether that is after a catch or as a running back. He's got plenty of speed, but I think what really separates him from most others out there is his quickness and overall elusiveness. He's a nightmare to square up and tackle in the open field. His change of direction and ability to cut without losing speed is pretty special. He has the strength and power to break tackles and the breakaway speed to be a big play threat whenever he has the ball in his hands.
5. Aside from impacting the game as a receiver or as a ball carrier, Robinson is also a pretty dynamic kick returner. He's someone that the Huskers will definitely be able to take a look at as both a punt returner and kickoff returner which are definitely areas that need improvement from last season.
6. The bottom line is that the Huskers will return a potent offense for next season and it now has added a very special weapon to the mix with Robinson. Quarterback Adrian Martinez had a fantastic season as a true freshman and he will now have another versatile playmaker at his disposal along with guys like JD Spielman and Maurice Washington as well. Nebraska's offensive coaches are very creative and should have a lot of fun coming up with different ways to maximize Robinson's talents for years to come.
7. Robinson might be one of the more decorated players they've secured a commitment from in quite awhile. The dynamic athlete was named the 3A Player of the Year, he won the Louisville Quarterback Club's 26th annual Paul Hornung Award and most recently was named Mr. Football in the state of Kentucky. He finished his high school career as the state's No. 2 all-time scorer with 781 career points, 284 of which he scored as a senior this past season. He's an early enrollee, but before he arrives on campus for the spring semester he will play his final high school football game in the 2019 All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.
***Senior season stats: 8 of 10 passing for 173 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. 206 carries for 1,973 yards (9.6 ypc) and 30 touchdowns. 31 catches for 725 yards (23.4 ypc) and 11 touchdowns. On defense he recorded 113 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, one sack, three interceptions one of which was returned for a touchdown, five pass breakups, six forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery which was returned for a touchdown. He also had five kickoff returns for 111 yards and six punt returns for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Robinson scored 45 total touchdowns and had seven 2-point conversions on the year.
8. 2019 Nebraska commit breakdown
12/5/2018 - Wandale Robinson - WR - 5-foot-9, 180-pounds - Frankfort, KY - 4 Stars
12/2/2018 - Jamin Graham - OLB - 6-foot-6, 220-pounds - Attalla, AL - 3 Stars
11/18/2018 - Myles Farmer - DB - 6-foot-3, 190-pounds - Atlanta, GA - 3 Stars
10/31/2018 - Javin Wright - DB - 6-foot-3, 190-pounds - Chandler, AZ - 3 Stars
10/28/2018 - Bryce Benhart - OT - 6-foot-9, 300-pounds - Lakeville, MN - 3 Stars
10/25/2018 - Darien Chase - WR - 6-foot-1, 185-pounds - Vancouver, WA - 3 Stars
9/15/2018 - Chris Hickman - TE - 6-foot-6, 205-pounds - Omaha, NE - 3 Stars
9/4/2018 - Dedrick Mills - RB - 6-foot, 200-pounds - Garden City, KS (Waycross, GA) - 4 Stars
8/6/2018 - Quinton Newsome - CB - 6-foot-2, 180 - Suwanee, GA - 3 Stars
8/5/2018 - Michael Lynn - OT - 6-foot-7, 280 - Greenwood Village, CO - 3 Stars
7/23/2018 - Mosai Newsom - DE - 6-foot-5, 260 - Waverly, IA - 3 Stars
7/21/2018 - Nick Henrich- LB - 6-foot-3, 210 - Omaha, NE - 3 Stars
7/19/2018 - Tony Fair - DT - 6-foot-3, 330 - Tucson, AZ (South Bend, Ind.) - 3 Stars
6/29/2018 - Jamie Nance - WR - 6-foot, 160 - Blanchard, OK - 3 Stars
6/22/2018 - Matthew Anderson - OL - 6-foot-7, 250 - Leesville, LA - 3 Stars
6/15/2018 - Ronald Thompkins - RB - 6-foot, 195 - Loganville, GA - 3 Stars
6/6/2018 - Jackson Hannah - LB - 6-foot-3, 234 - Nashville, TN - 4 Stars
6/4/2018 - Luke McCaffrey - QB - 6-foot-2, 180 - Highlands Ranch, CO - 3 Stars
6/1/2018 - Desmond Bland - OL - 6-foot-4, 300 - Yuma, AZ (Flossmoor, Ill.) - 4 Stars
5/5/2018 - Rahmir Johnson - RB - 5-foot-10, 170 - Oradell, NJ - 4 Stars
3/5/2018 - Ethan Piper - DE - 6-foot-4, 280 - Norfolk, Neb. - 3 Stars
11/24/2017 - Garrett Snodgrass - ATH - 6-foot-3, 220 - York, Neb. - 3 Stars
6/24/2017 - Garrett Nelson - OLB - 6-foot-3, 236 - Scottsbluff, Neb. - 3 Stars
9. Commits by position
1 - Quarterback
3 - Running back
3 - Wide receiver
1 - Tight end
4 - Offensive linemen
1 - Defensive tackle
2 - Defensive end
2 - Outside linebacker
2 - Inside linebacker
1 - Safety
2 - Cornerback
1 - Athlete
0 - Special teams
10. Where are they from?
5 - Nebraska
4 - Georgia
2 - Colorado
1 - Alabama
1 - Arizona
1 - Iowa
1 - Illinois
1 - Indiana
1 - Kentucky
1 - Louisiana
1 - Minnesota
1 - New Jersey
1 - Oklahoma
1 - Tennessee
1 - Washington