By Brandon Cavanaugh
As National Signing Day grows closer, we narrow the Big Board from ten prospects down to five. Who does Nebraska need, who do they want and who feels the love going both ways?
1. QB Devin Fuller – Art Briles can't seem to keep his eyes off Nebraska’s paper. First, he whispers sweet nothings into commit Tommy Armstrong’s ear and now he’s after Fuller. The multi-faceted athlete just got back from a trip to UCLA and is prepping for a trip to Rutgers this weekend. If Briles can talk him into visiting Waco, that’s a victory in itself.
2. DT Vincent Valentine – Last week’s No. 3 gets bumped up a spot after Brent Wilkerson chatted with new Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien and decided to stay put. Big Vince’s recruitment has been weird since day one and it’s very difficult to pinpoint just what his wishes are on a daily basis. As of this point, I’d say he signs with Nebraska, but wouldn’t be surprised at all if he ended up at Illinois or Florida.
3. CB Brandon Beaver – With Oklahoma's Brent Venables (Beaver’s recruiting contact) having one foot out the door, this battle comes down to UCLA, Washington and Nebraska. All three can essentially guarantee playing time, so Nebraska’s going to have to come at Beaver hard if they want to secure his commitment. He was scheduled to visit Oklahoma this weekend, but we'll see if that holds up with his Sooner connection departing.
4. CB Devian Shelton – Shelton just returned from a trip to Lincoln, but he’s keeping tight-lipped. He recently received an offer from Tennessee and will be visiting Knoxville this weekend. While he visited Arizona, it’s highly unlikely he ends up a Wildcat. He could realistically be a Vol, a Husker or remain an Oregon State Beaver. There is talk that he’s already made up his mind, however.
5. DT Aaron Curry – Curry will be visiting this weekend with the guy he knocked off of the Big Board (running back Imani Cross) and cornerback Amos Leggett. If the Cornhuskers miss with Valentine, Curry’s a fair consolation prize. He also has a relationship with Nebraska’s new defensive line coach, Rick Kaczenski. Yes, he has an Iowa offer and did visit Iowa City already back in early November.
A Telling Trio: Curry, Cross and Leggett would all be solid gets, but what speaks louder than their talent or rankings is where they’re from. When defensive backs coach Corey Raymond was hired, word spread fast that he wasn’t afraid of the SEC in recruiting battles. This mindset must be sinking in as natives of Georgia (Cross) and Leggett (FL) are visiting in January. Curry’s a Texas guy, so naturally Tim Beck’s on him, but it’s nice to see Nebraska not totally detach from one of the country’s most talent-laden areas.
On Hold: OT Andrus Peat – Apparently, Scout and 247Sports think that despite handling FSU commit Mario Williams in the Under Armour game, Peat's not a five-star player anymore. Williams is considered to be one of, if not the, best defensive end prospects in this cycle, by the way. I’m the last person you’ll hear touting stars as gospel, but to classify this kid as anything but one of the best seems silly.
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