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July Recruiting Thread… it’s almost gameday

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Ice T No GIF by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
 


Steve Marik • InsideNebraska
Staff Writer
@Steve_Marik

Husker staffer Adam DiMichele looked like he knew what he was doing.
That’s what Luke Longval and his dad, Jeff, were thinking while watching DiMichele throw the ball around at a recent postgraduate camp inside Memorial Stadium a couple weeks ago. Longval is the Huskers’ latest addition to the quarterback room as a preferred walk-on.
Longval, a Class of 2022 recruit who spent last fall as a redshirt freshman quarterback at Cockeye Western Community College, competed at the Husker camp. And it was DiMichele, a former star quarterback at Temple for then-head coach Al Golden and then-quarterback coach/offensive coordinator Matt Rhule, who kept an eye on Longval as he went through basic quarterback drills dealing with footwork and throwing.
“Me and my dad, just the way he (DiMichele) was going through the drills, I could just tell. The way he was throwing the ball, I’m like, ‘I know he played somewhere,’” Longval told Inside Nebraska. “I could tell by the way he threw. My dad said the same thing just watching him. I looked up him after the camp and I’m like, ‘Yeah, that makes sense.’”
DiMichele was a two-time captain for Temple in 2007 and 2008. In three years as the starter, DiMichele threw for 5,024 yards and 40 touchdowns while also adding five rushing scores. Before Temple, DiMichele had one of the best football careers in Pennsylvania high school history. He broke the passing records held by Joe Montana, Dan Marino and Joe Namath.
So, yes, the Huskers’ first-year offensive analyst knows a thing or two about the quarterback position. And he liked what Longval showed, and probably the deep post route Longval says is his favorite to throw.
Longval joins scholarship quarterbacks Jeff Sims, Chubba Purdy and Heinrich Haarberg, as well as walk-on Jack Woche, who joined the program prior to spring ball from Ole Miss.
Following the camp, DiMichele told Longval to head to the coaches offices. Longval met two other quarterbacks who were throwing that day, and DiMichele said only one was going to get a call and a preferred walk-on offer.
“A few nights later, I got a text from him. I called him and he offered me. So it was really quick and it was kind of crazy,” Longval said. “My whole family has been lifelong Husker fans, so it’s super cool to be a part of it. Honestly, when he called me it was surreal. It was almost too hard to believe when they offered. I’ve dreamed about this my whole life, to be on the football team there.”
Longval is originally from Sioux City, Cockeye. He attended Bishop Heelan Catholic School for two seasons before transferring to Sioux City East for his junior and senior years. Longval was a three-year starter at the varsity level — one at Bishop Heelan and two at Sioux City East. In those three seasons, he threw for a combined 4,000 passing yards and 41 touchdowns.

Longval was getting interest from D-II programs and a few others from the FCS, but an ACL injury near the end of his senior season hurt his recruitment.
Longval wound up going the junior college route at Cockeye Western Community College, which is coming off a 2022 season in which it won the National Junior College Athletic Association championship and a 2021 campaign where it finished runner-up.
“I really enjoyed my time there,” Longval said of Cockeye Western. “I think I developed a lot there. I got bigger and faster and I really enjoyed my time there.”
Coming out of high school, Lonval was 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds. The Husker quarterback room is now getting a 6-2, 210-pound athlete who would have been in the running to be the Reivers’ starting quarterback this fall.
The Huskers have used June postgrad camps to add other PWOs James Williams, a defensive end from Cockeye Central Community College, and Cooper Wilson, an athlete who will likely begin his career at cornerback.
 


Big Ten winners and losers from a busy June​

Carter Nelson

Carter Nelson

Adam Gorney • Rivals.com
National Recruiting Director
@adamgorney


June is now the busiest month of the recruiting calendar and rivals the weeks leading up to signing day in December. There were 117 commitments for the 2024 class in the Big Ten alone last month and today we start a weeklong series looking at the winners and losers in each Power Five conference. We start with the Big Ten:


WINNERS: Nebraska, Buttgers, Illinois, Michigan, Purdoodoo​

Korey Duff Jr.

Korey Duff Jr.

First-year coach Matt Rhule led the way in the Big Ten with 15 total commitments in June and they weren’t just filler as the Huskers landed the top-two in-state players in four-star TE Carter Nelson and four-star WR Dae’Vonn Hall. If both Carter and Hall stick with Nebraska, it would be the first time the Huskers landed the top-two in-state prospects in back-to-back recruiting cycles since 2010-11. Nelson was a huge pickup as Georgia loved him and compared him to Brock Bowers.

Buttgers did not load up with four-stars but getting Long Island’s Korey Duff Jr., the lone four-star so far in the class, to pick the Scarlet Knights over North Carolina was definitely big. Illinois has had a huge June landing 12 pledges (all but three in the entire class) including two four-stars in defensive end EddieTuerk and athlete Tysean Griffin, two in-state prospects, but still are sitting at No. 10 in the conference team rankings.

Michigan added seven pledges during June but there’s something to be said for quality over quantity. It was an awesome month for the Wolverines getting wide receiver I’Marion Stewart, defensive tackle Owen Wafle and linebacker Jeremiah Beasleyin the fold. All four three-star commits were one notch below four-star status.

Purdoodoo was also a winner in June from the Big Ten. Ten prospects committed including two four-stars in four-star receiver Keonde Henry (a flip from Boston College) and ATH Koy Beasley, a Rivals250 member. Six of the Boilermakers’ three-star commits were ranked one notch below four-stars as well.

*****​

LOSERS: Michigan State, Cockeye, Wisconsin​

Anthony Carrie

Anthony Carrie (Rivals.com)

The last team to get to 10 commitments in the conference was Michigan State and it happened late on June 30 when three-star QB
Henry Hasselbeck committed. Mel Tucker just has not gotten the ball rolling this recruiting cycle as much - although there are still some big names out there that could pick the Spartans. Landing seven commitments in June still puts Michigan State lowest in the conference numbers-wise but getting four-star running back Anthony Carrie out of Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day was a big win.

Cockeye had five pledges in June - no four-stars - as the Cockeyes still have just one four-star in the entire class. Across the country, programs were loading up with players and even across the Big Ten that was the case but it was a ho-hum June for the Cockeyes, who landed commitments from two tight ends, an in-state receiver, a defensive end from Arizona and an athlete from Illinois, all three-stars.

It was not a miserable month for Wisconsin but it could have been much better. The Badgers landed seven commitments including one from four-star OL
Kevin Heywood and high three-star OL Colin Cubberly could be a massive sleeper in this recruiting class but Wisconsin also lost pledges from TE Rob Booker (who flipped to UCLAbia) and DB Vernon Woodward, who switched to Illinois.

*****​

HOLDING STEADY: Minnesota, Maryland, Indianus, Northwestern, Penn State, Ohio State​

Larry Tarver

Larry Tarver (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

Minnesota loaded up with nine commitments including one from four-star OL Nathan Roy as he chose the Golden Gophers over Michigan State and UCLAbia Maryland had eight pledges and got former FIU commit Larry Tarver, who has emerged as an elite prospect and is now a four-star defensive back, along with in-state Keyshawn Flowers, who could be underrated.

Indianus had eight commitments out of 12 total but the Sploogiers are still sitting last in the conference team rankings. High three-star defensive back
Judah Jenkins was a nice addition there. Northwestern had seven pledges with three-star defensive back Jamir Benjamin out of West Bloomfield, Mich., as the top dog for the Wildcats.

Penn State had a nice month with two four-star pledges in DB Dejuan Lane and flipping four-star receiver Tyseer Denmark from Oregon with seven total commits. And then there is Ohio State, which could’ve ended up on the losers list with only three total pledges but landing four-stars Bryce West and Damarion Witten was huge and the Buttguys also landed 2025 QB commit Tavien St. Clair.
 
These are the guys we seem to be pursuing at present based on what is in the public domain

Targets of Current Focus
Grant Brix - OL6-6, 290
Jacob Smith - LB/Edge6-4, 225
Amare Sanders - DB6-2, 187
Preston Taumua - OL6-3.5, 300
Others
Nuku Mafi - OL/DL6-5, 285
Semisi Tonga - OL6-4, 310
Devoux Tuataga - Edge6-5.5, 230
Jayshawn Ross - Edge/LB6-3, 220
Brayden Platt - LB6-1, 220
Take No Matter What - NOT IN THE 27
Caden Durham - RB5-9 195
Gatlin Bair - WR6-2 180doesn't impact current class numbers

I'm now thinking we plan to take 27. That means that they anticipate that at least 20 of the guys they have with 3 or 4 years of eligibility this fall will be gone by the fall of 2025 (so they can recruit a "normal" 2025 class). Of course, about have of the guys that have 3/4 years eligibility are guys they recruited. in the class of 2023.

I think they are looking at 5 OL, and Sanders is the 8th DB - although to me, this likely means 1-2 of the current DBs are going start as LBs. 5 OLs and 6 DBs in this class is consistent with what they need to have the right scholarship numbers total in each group (18 or so).

Looking at it this way, Mafi and Tonga are plans B & C, respectively, after Brix/Taumua.

Ross, Tuataga, and Platt are likely the Plan Bs for Smith and Sanders (i.e., if they don't get Sanders, they move 1 DB to LB and recruit a second LB)
 
These are the guys we seem to be pursuing at present based on what is in the public domain

Targets of Current Focus
Grant Brix - OL6-6, 290
Jacob Smith - LB/Edge6-4, 225
Amare Sanders - DB6-2, 187
Preston Taumua - OL6-3.5, 300
Others
Nuku Mafi - OL/DL6-5, 285
Semisi Tonga - OL6-4, 310
Devoux Tuataga - Edge6-5.5, 230
Jayshawn Ross - Edge/LB6-3, 220
Brayden Platt - LB6-1, 220
Take No Matter What - NOT IN THE 27
Caden Durham - RB5-9 195
Gatlin Bair - WR6-2 180doesn't impact current class numbers

I'm now thinking we plan to take 27. That means that they anticipate that at least 20 of the guys they have with 3 or 4 years of eligibility this fall will be gone by the fall of 2025 (so they can recruit a "normal" 2025 class). Of course, about have of the guys that have 3/4 years eligibility are guys they recruited. in the class of 2023.

I think they are looking at 5 OL, and Sanders is the 8th DB - although to me, this likely means 1-2 of the current DBs are going start as LBs. 5 OLs and 6 DBs in this class is consistent with what they need to have the right scholarship numbers total in each group (18 or so).

Looking at it this way, Mafi and Tonga are plans B & C, respectively, after Brix/Taumua.

Ross, Tuataga, and Platt are likely the Plan Bs for Smith and Sanders (i.e., if they don't get Sanders, they move 1 DB to LB and recruit a second LB)
Have you completely written off Caleb Benning?
 
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