Pernell: N2FL Ranks the Husker Signees
With only one winning season in the last six years, Nebraska football is currently mired in a level of futility not experienced in sixty years. Despite that, Scott Frost has the program recruiting at a consistent level not seen in over two decades. According to the 247Sports composite rankings, the Huskers’ 2021 recruiting haul ranks as the nation’s No. 20 class. Nebraska has now inked three-straight Top 20 recruiting classes for the first time in the modern recruiting era. In fact, since 2000, only one of the three major recruiting services (Rivals) had the Huskers signing back-to-back Top 20 classes, with Bill Callahan accomplishing that feat in 2005-06.
One can only imagine what Frost and his staff can accomplish if they turn the ship around. Nebraska will never consistently recruit Top 10 classes, but a winning Husker program has the potential to live inside the Top 25 on an annual basis. Moreso, I contend that a competent recruiting department can sprinkle in the occasional Top 10, Top 15 class here and there, much like Callahan did.
The Huskers signed 20 players to their 2021 class. The 20 recruits hail from 11 different states: Nebraska (5), Georgia (3), Iowa (3), Texas (2), California (1), Florida (1), Hawaii (1), Michigan (1), New Jersey (1), South Dakota (1), Utah (1)
Ranking Nebraska’s Signees
1. Thomas Fidone (Tight End) Council Bluffs, Iowa
2. Wynden Ho’ohuli (Linebacker) Mililani, Hawaii
3. Randolph Kpai (Linebacker) Sioux Falls, South Dakota
4. Henry Lutovsky (Offensive Line) Crawfordsville, Iowa
5. Teddy Prochazka (Offensive Line) Elkhorn, Nebraska
6. Kamonte Grimes (Wide Receiver) Naples, Florida
7. Mikai Gbayor (Linebacker) Irvington, New Jersey
8. Latrell Neville (Wide Receiver) Fresno, Texas
9. Gabe Ervin (Running Back) Buford, Georgia
10. Marques Buford (Defensive Back) DeSoto, Texas
11. Koby Bretz (Defensive Back) Omaha, Nebraska
12. James Carnie (Tight End) Roca, Nebraska
13. Jailen Weaver (Defensive Line) Antioch, California
14. Ru’Quan Buckley (Defensive Line) Wyoming, Michigan
15. Shawn Hardy (Wide Receiver) Kingsland, Georgia
16. Heinrich Haarberg (Quarterback) Kearney, Nebraska
17. Malik Williams (Defensive Back) Atlanta, Georgia
18. Branson Yager (Offensive Line) Grantsville, Utah
19. AJ Rollins (Tight End) Omaha, Nebraska
20. Seth Malcom (Linebacker) Tabor, Iowa
2021 analyses
Prior to contributing to HuskerMax, Jeremy Pernell co-founded the all-football website N2FL.com. From 2002-2014, he served as the editor in chief of the college football portion of the website which focused heavily on talent evaluation, which included NCAA recruiting and the NFL Draft. He has analyzed and covered the NCAA and NFL for 25 years. You can email him at [email protected].