The Huskers are revving up for another wave of big official visitors this weekend and Husker Hype takes a look at who the next most likely commit could be and what they bring to the table.
With 9 visitors scheduled today, the Huskers could secure multiple commitments from both official visitors and unofficial ones this weekend. Picking up 2-3 commitments this weekend would be huge as Frost looks to finish strong in the 2018 class.
Many thought that the Huskers would merely salvage this class after firing Mike Riley but Frost looks to be bucking the trend and working to potentially land a top-25 class.
In addition to those official visitors, Nebraska will host two unofficial visitors this weekend with safeties Cam’ron Jones and Corbin Frederick. You may remember Jones as he used his official visit to Nebraska back on December 15th and raved about his visit in the weeks after.
Frederick and Jones are both teammates at Mansfield High School and Frederick received a preferred walk-on offer from the Huskers
Looking over the list of visitors this weekend there are a few recruits who we believe are on the edge of committing to the Big Red.
Mike Williams – Wide Receiver – East Mississippi Community College
Williams is a junior college wide receiver that can help the Huskers stretch the field with an injection of raw speed and terrific hands. He has 3 years to play 2 seasons at Nebraska and after speaking with him this week he would be right at the top of my “commit watch” list.
I asked Mike Williams what he brings to the table as a recruit and he echoed my sentiments from above:
“Speed, lots of Speed, my catch radius, sure hands, and my route running ability. I would say those are positive things about my game but I’m always looking to be better in every aspect.”
Williams is a juco player who graduated last December and needs to sign by the end of the juco signing period that ends January 15th. With no other visits on the docket and a scrubbed trip to Tennessee, I get the feeling the Huskers are the clear-cut leader for his services.
It doesn’t hurt that he talks to current juco commits Jaron Woodyard and Greg Bell who he faced in the NJCAA National Championship game last season and are enrolled at Nebraska for the spring term.
Javontae Jean-Baptiste – Outside Linebacker – Archer HS
One of the most interesting recruits on the list, Jean-Baptiste isn’t being recruited at a position of need but is a playmaker who will immediately begin to compete for playing time. With Luke Gifford graduating after this season and the CAT LB position lacking a clear leader keep an eye on the Huskers selling him immediate playing time.
The Huskers will have to pry him away from Virginia Tech but coach Barrett Ruud and Frost have both shown how they can connect in a short period of time with linebackers as they landed ILB Will Honas on short notice in December as well. With a visit late in the process set up keep a close eye on this one.
Jarrett Bell – Offensive Guard – Norco High School
After losing tackle Nick Gates to the NFL draft the Huskers are looking to add 1-2 offensive linemen late in the recruiting cycle and have targetted Jarrett Bell as one of their top targets. Bell. At one time Bell was a Bama commit and after he reopened his recruitment the door was wide open for the Huskers to set up a visit.
We’ve heard Bell is a workout warrior and has a very high upside but wasn’t keen on the distance to Alabama from California which led to his decommitment. While the trip to Lincoln isn’t markedly better their is no shortage of Californians on the roster that can help keep him feeling like he’s at home.
With a few crystal balls rolling in for Bell and a tenacious Cornhusker staff after him I think this could be one of several weekend commitments.
Maurice Washington – Running Back – Trinity Christian School
Flying under the radar, Maurice Washington broke out at this years Under Armor All-America game leaving people everywhere scurrying for information on the three-star running back.
The difference here is coach Ryan Held has been all over Washington since they identified his talent. The biggest question surrounding Washington’s recruiting has been his grades. He didn’t play his junior year after some personal struggles led to academic struggles as well. With his grades seemingly in order he’s one of the hottest running backs on the market right now.
If Washington commits this weekend, continue to keep an eye on him. With his recruitment skyrocketing he has expressed interest in several schools and taking his visits. If the Huskers win the lottery this weekend they will need to continue to fight to keep a big recruit like Washington in the fold until signing day.
Miles Jones – Running Back/Athlete – American Heritage High School
In addition to Maurice Washington, the Huskers have running back/athlete Miles Jones coming in for a visit this weekend. Jones is someone that would thrive in Frost’s offense being able to run the ball as well as catch it. He committed to Vanderbilt two days after receiving his offer from Nebraska in December but then set up an official to Nebraska this weekend.
I have Jones on my commit watch since he didn’t jump on his Vanderbilt offer and sign early and are letting the Huskers put their best foot forward with a January visit. With the Huskers trending upward make sure you keep an eye on the undersized playmaker.
A few other names to watch this weekend
In addition to all the official visitors above keep an eye on Mansfield, TX safety Cam’ron Jones. He’s taking his second visit to Nebraska with his teammate Corbin Frederick and has been all about the Huskers since his first visit back in December.
Additionally, watch Ole Miss outside linebacker Breon Dixon to transfer to Nebraska after this weekend. While we didn’t list him as an official visitor, he’s currently enrolled at Ole Miss and with their sanctions there’s a good chance he will be released from his scholarship and immediately available to play at Nebraska much like his teammate Shea Patterson who left Ole Miss for Michigan.
Breon would be a big-time transfer for the Huskers and would provide a spark of athleticism in the linebacking corps. With the deadline for classes rapidly approaching Dixon could visit this weekend and enroll immediately at Nebraska.
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