Nebraska Football Recruiting: Checking In on the Big Board

Mark down Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017 on your calendars. There’s plenty of Nebraska football fans that already know what that date indicates.

For those of you who aren’t recruitniks, that’s the date when National Letters of Intent can be signed and we’ll get a chance to meet future Huskers.

There’s still plenty of time for some big names to make their decision to join the 2017 class. Plenty will make their intentions known good or bad for the Big Red at All-American games held in January. In the meantime, here are some of the areas that the Nebraska football staff is looking to fill and names that could take the spots.

One running back: Current three-star Oregon commitment CJ Verdell
Three wide receivers: Five-star Joseph Lewis, four-star Jamire Calvin and three-star Gavin Holmes (former Iowa commitment)
Offensive tackle: Five-star Foster Sarell, four-star Chuck Filiaga
Defensive tackle: Three-star Damion Daniels
Defensive end: ?
Linebacker (optional): Isaac Slade-Matautia
Two defensive backs: Four-star Thomas Graham, four-star Greg Johnson

Defensive end is up in the air as Robert Porcher IV decommitted this past Monday citing a desire to stay closer to home. Four-star prospect Joshua Paschal committed to Kentucky on Tuesday, but Mike Riley recently followed him on Twitter. He seems an unlikely get, especially with uber-recruiter Vince Marrow as a Wildcat, but weird things happen in the world of recruiting.

With Porcher’s decommitment, it’s time to see what John Parrella can come up with in short order. Gems have been found late in cycles and it wouldn’t shock to see Mark Banker assist with a position of such need for 2017 and 2018.

It’s hard to think that anyone knows where Darnay Holmes wants to go aside from the Holmes family themselves. There’s been speculation that Holmes heads to Ohio State, stays near home with the USC Trojans or even pledges to the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

It appears that we’re just going to have to ride that rollercoaster to Signing Day.