Nebraska's approach to their roster build..

[Bootleg11]

I was going to post this in the portal thread but probably don't need hijack that thread anymore than I already have.

What we heard going into the 2025 season was Nebraska was going light on 2026 HS recruiting because of a young roster (having a "young roster" in year 4 of your stint is something by the way) and go heavy on portal to get older guys to go with that youth. And then go all in on high school 2027 recruiting.

Obviously NSD is 11 months away for that 2027 class. What do you think of this approach so far and do you think they've executed this plan well enough to be competitive in 2026?

I do think you have to consider that they thought Raiola would be be back in 2026 when they decided to go this route.

 

[lee_carvallo_12]

It seems like you have to be old and experienced on both sides of the lines. I'm excited for Tyson Terry and Malcolm Simpson. I just don't think it serves them or us to throw them to the fire against 22-24 year old OL's in the B1G.

Like both the new DT transfers in the IWCC and Pitt dudes. They are grown, tough ass dudes.

I like the ISU and SC transfer OL's. They are grown, experienced, big bodies.

That said, hope we aren't done adding older, bigger, experienced dudes on both lines.

By 2027, we should have the recruited HS kids in that 22+ category that should be ready to play (Terry, Simpson on DL and Brix, Taumua, Pyle on OL).

 

[BIG TONE SOPRANO]

Wonder if the next coach will keep any of our players

 

[Scarlet ObsessioN]

It seems like you have to be old and experienced on both sides of the lines. I'm excited for Tyson Terry and Malcolm Simpson. I just don't think it serves them or us to throw them to the fire against 22-24 year old OL's in the B1G.

Like both the new DT transfers in the IWCC and Pitt dudes. They are grown, tough ass dudes.

I like the ISU and SC transfer OL's. They are grown, experienced, big bodies.

That said, hope we aren't done adding older, bigger, experienced dudes on both lines.

By 2027, we should have the recruited HS kids in that 22+ category that should be ready to play (Terry, Simpson on DL and Brix, Taumua, Pyle on OL).

We got the Pitt DT?

Is this inside info... I hadn't seen that.

 

[Scarlet ObsessioN]

Wonder if the next coach will keep any of our players

 

[BIGSTICK67]

We got the Pitt DT?

Is this inside info... I hadn't seen that.

@Fargo Husker started a thread on it. Although he's not signed yet according to Mongo.

 

[Kaladin]

We will have a mobile senior QB.

We still need an experienced RB.

WR positions are upperclassman and solid.

TE is an upperclassman and solid with Nelson at the second spot.

Assuming we can get a LG out of the portal, our offensive line will be big and old and experienced.

Our defensive line is still young and on the smaller side. The IWCC and Pittsburg transfers are both sophomores. But we have a lot of talent on the DL and they all seem athletic. It would have been nice to get a talented upperclassman DT/NT to anchor our line but that's probably not going to happen at this point. Davis coming back would be beneficial for us.

LB rotation is mostly upperclassman and should be solid and there's young talent behind them.

DBs we have 2 returning starters at CB, plus McDougle coming in at FS as a senior and he knows Aurich's scheme. The SS and Nickel are up for grabs but we have experienced players in place to take those spots, it's just a question of whether we have developed them well enough. I imagine our 5* DB recruit will fight for one of those spots and will play a lot.

Overall, we will have a good roster, we just don't have the difference makers we need to win games in November or beat teams like Oregon/Ohio State/Indiana.

 

[BIGSTICK67]

I was going to post this in the portal thread but probably don't need hijack that thread anymore than I already have.

What we heard going into the 2025 season was Nebraska was going light on 2026 HS recruiting because of a young roster (having a "young roster" in year 4 of your stint is something by the way) and go heavy on portal to get older guys to go with that youth. And then go all in on high school 2027 recruiting.

Obviously NSD is 11 months away for that 2027 class. What do you think of this approach so far and do you think they've executed this plan well enough to be competitive in 2026?

I do think you have to consider that they thought Raiola would be be back in 2026 when they decided to go this route.

Competitive in 2026? I guess it depends on how you define competitive. Frost was competitive as he was the king of 1 score games.

Competitive to win 8 or 9 games or more - no chance IMO. Although I happen to believe that Rhule will be kept unless he goes 3-9 or something ridiculous like that.

 

[Bootleg11]

But we have a lot of talent on the DL and they all seem athletic

Talented relative to who?

 

[Baron Winnebago]

I think I would say my 3 areas of focus coming into the portal were:
1. What are they going to do to stop the run next year?
2. What are they going to do to rush the passer next year?
3. What are they going to do to run the ball?

If I were to grade what they've done so far, it would be a C-, F, and B.

And barring a run here in the next 2 weeks, I don't think that's enough to compete for anything in 2026 other than bowl eligiblity, which I would not say is guaranteed

 

[Frogsker30]

My brief unsolicited dumbass opinion on position group improvement grades from 25 to now

QB. + short and sweet Dylan’s good. Colandrea imo fits Dana’s mo better. Plus serviceable backups.
RB - really need a pick up here imo. I don’t know if mozee and Nelson can handle Emmitt’s load
WR = would have loved an over the top player but not complaining here
OL + geep instantly improves the room plus added transfers would still like to get more experience
TE = see Wr

DL - need more experience and depth
DE + Roy manning will be a difference here
LB + added some decent players
DB = tbd

K/P = cunnanan was our most reliable kicker in recent history but after watching CFP wish we had legs

 

[Herbie]

My brief unsolicited dumbass opinion on position group improvement grades from 25 to now

QB. + short and sweet Dylan’s good. Colandrea imo fits Dana’s mo better. Plus serviceable backups.
RB - really need a pick up here imo. I don’t know if mozee and Nelson can handle Emmitt’s load
WR = would have loved an over the top player but not complaining here
OL + geep instantly improves the room plus added transfers would still like to get more experience
TE = see Wr

DL - need more experience and depth
DE + Roy manning will be a difference here
LB + added some decent players
DB = tbd

K/P = cunnanan was our most reliable kicker in recent history but after watching CFP wish we had legs

I think a big reason for Emmitt’s workload was where the team was at.
Look at the work load before and after Minnesota.
Emmett wasn’t really topping 20 touches a game. Mozzee and Williams were getting around 6-10 touches a game.

Blasted by minny thing next thing you know it’s the EJ show.
Northwestern they got heat after the minny game for not using EJ enough.
USC game Raiola breaks his leg
UCLA game ucla sucks

EJ turned into the only bright spot on the team and they wanted to kill every ounce of good news they can out of it.

They(rhule) got desperate, adjusted and EJ benefited

 

[whoboppin]

Seems solid to me. I think people have the false impression that the portal is a place to pick up an All American. Sure it can happen, but for the most part its to shore up your roster and rooms.

Starters - 7
QB - Colandrea
WR - Gilmer
OL - Black
OL - Tree
LB - Chambliss
S- McDougie
LS - Willis

Contributors/Potential Starters - 4
Edge - Jones
LB - Foster
CB - Evans
S - Shiggs

Backup/Depth/TBD - 2
QB - Kaelin
LB - Hawthorne

I would like for Nebraska to get a RB, DL or 2, (Pitt guy would be nice), and maybe another OL. If they do that I think it will be a pretty productive portal. A lot of guys who just seem like they are plug and play players. All the guys except Kaelin and Hawthorne are proven to some degree or another.

 

[Toe]

I went into this season with tempered expectations, not chugging as much kool-aid as some, because I knew we were too young at too many positions to expect a big leap. And ultimately, the way the season played out wasn't too far from what I expected.

But if the way to win is to get old and stay old, and there's a really strong chance that your younger guys are gonna end up transferring before you've gotten much production out of them, then is it even worth bothering with high school guys and 'development' anymore? I hate that this is what college football has become, but I think you have to be honest with yourself, here.

As for the way this portal class is shaping up... on the whole it looks like the guys we're bringing in are a modest upgrade over the guys we're losing. But frankly, it's not enough. We're still looking at a roster that's 'middle of the pack B1G team' level, not 'B1G championship/playoff contender' level.

 

[Ext. 55]

Wonder if the next coach will keep any of our players

I’m sure you and your current single track Schtick mind does.

There was a time where you brought some value to the board. Even when it was just quality humor.

Everyone is entitled to their position. You as well. It, your position, is very clear.

Now, every post is hollow, repetitive, weak, and honestly just useless noise. Your posting has just become useless noise Tone. Sad useless noise.

I wonder what you get from it though? Everyone here wants a better outcome. Hope someday it all comes back for you man. Not when we suddenly have the coach you think is right or if, we are ever fortunate to be playoff relevant again…but when we just are…

You one time told me on RSS that I was the worst poster on the board…and that’s all good. The Scrolls weren’t for the weak of heart.

And brother, while you will have a group of angry tPBers come to your aid…it may be time for some self evaluation.

 

[ThankGODforWVB]

Good subject matter. My theory on roster build, is that you don't want to go to the portal every year to find players to fill your roster. From a HS recruiting aspect you should keep your class sizes fairly consistent and inline with distributed position choices. Invariably you will have years where there are a large numbers of better athletes at certain positions, when that happens you must adjust how you divide classes going forward, so as not to be out of whack in your distribution.

You should only be going to the portal when you have fundamental failure in your recruiting of positions or unexpected injuries or portal emigration (players leaving).

General rule on the portal is that 90% of portal players are ones that didn't prove to be talented enough at their original school. Another 5% are complete mercenaries, who won't be devoted to team goals. Only 5% are probably worth your time and effort, and that is going to be expensive and require a lot of effort to cull into your roster.

It is more productive to develop your own players and keep them.

10 to 15 years ago this process was pretty well understood by both schools and coaches; then the pay to play decision came down, and the portal happened, and everyone, and every school simply lost their minds on how to handle their rosters.

 

[Cavalot]

I think I would say my 3 areas of focus coming into the portal were:
1. What are they going to do to stop the run next year?
2. What are they going to do to rush the passer next year?
3. What are they going to do to run the ball?

If I were to grade what they've done so far, it would be a C-, F, and B.

And barring a run here in the next 2 weeks, I don't think that's enough to compete for anything in 2026 other than bowl eligiblity, which I would not say is guaranteed

Has anyone really truly deep down thought that we would be playing for anything but bowl eligibility over the last decade and a half? We are so far from playing for anything meaningful its disturbing. Especially when one looks at the financial investment in this team/program over the last 25 years. Absolute waste of dollars!

 

[ThankGODforWVB]

Has anyone really truly deep down thought that we would be playing for anything but bowl eligibility over the last decade and a half? We are so far from playing for anything meaningful its disturbing. Especially when one looks at the financial investment in this team/program over the last 25 years. Absolute waste of dollars!

I'm afraid that you often see a form of "rush to the bottom" occur when schools and coaches get desperate for wins. They quit trying to develop, and just try to find bandaids to cover for either bad recruiting choices, or failure to develop players.

That kind of mindset amplifies problems rather than resolving them. It limits improvement, and frustrates good players so that they leave or quit trying as hard as they would have.

People think Cignetti is the future, I think he is a Unicorn, and will lead to a lot of schools making REALLY bad choices on coaching staffs and methodology.

 

[Cavalot]

I'm afraid that you often see a form of "rush to the bottom" occur when schools and coaches get desperate for wins. They quit trying to develop, and just try to find bandaids to cover for either bad recruiting choices, or failure to develop players.

That kind of mindset amplifies problems rather than resolving them. It limits improvement, and frustrates good players so that they leave or quit trying as hard as they would have.

People think Cignetti is the future, I think he is a Unicorn, and will lead to a lot of schools making REALLY bad choices on coaching staffs and methodology.

Maybe. Cignetti may indeed be a unicorn but he's not a fraud. The guy can flat out coach. But it takes a great coach to manage the portal and today's pay to play environment. Not sure there are very many that can handle it including Rhule. And his coaching acumen remains to be seen.

 

[cwessel76]

I'm afraid that you often see a form of "rush to the bottom" occur when schools and coaches get desperate for wins. They quit trying to develop, and just try to find bandaids to cover for either bad recruiting choices, or failure to develop players.

That kind of mindset amplifies problems rather than resolving them. It limits improvement, and frustrates good players so that they leave or quit trying as hard as they would have.

People think Cignetti is the future, I think he is a Unicorn, and will lead to a lot of schools making REALLY bad choices on coaching staffs and methodology.

Cig is 100% a unicorn/statical anomaly. This has never happened - as far as I’m aware - in terms of taking a bottom tier major conference program and turning them into a likely national champion in two years.

Hell, even Saban took longer than that. I think he took three years and beyond him and Cig that never happens.