Lack of D-1A Football Scholarship Offers for Class of 2010, Disturbing
Husker Staff Out Scouring State for Perferred Walk-ons
By Will Cummings
myHitNews.com
With only 24 days left until the National Letter of Intent signing day (February 3), the Nebraska high school class of 2010, most likely will go down on the books as the class with fewest number of football prospects receiving D-1A scholarship offers in recent memory.
As of January 11, only 4 Nebraskans hold D-1A offers.
Even more disturbing numbers:
- In Class A, the class whose schools represent the highest number of enrollments in Nebraska, only 2 prospects, Bryce Dietz and Jake Cotton from the city of Lincoln, hold D-1A offers.
- The Omaha Metro area, which has–by far–the highest total number of high school student enrollment compared to any other district in the state has no prospect with a D-1A offer.
- Only 1 prospect has received an out-of-state offer.
Examining the D-1A offered prospects further, Nebraska recruit Jake Cotton is the son Nebraska coach Barney Cotton and Bryce Dietz’s offer is from Ohio University, the school where former Husker head coach and longtime assistant Frank Solich is now the head coach.
I’m not suggesting by any means that Cotton and Dietz are not deserving of their offers. Only that without the apparent familiarity this state may be sitting here right now with only two D-1A offers! A very sobering thought. Unfortunately, these woeful numbers may very well be the norm from here on out.
Husker Walk-on Program Provides an Alternative
The Nebraska Husker Walk-on program looks more and more like a viable option to play D1-A football for athletes in this state who have the ability and desire. However, even this option is becoming more difficult to earn. Last year, according to published statements, the Huskers decided to limit their walk-on numbers this year to about 15.
The real difficulty here is that most of the athletes that the Huskers will ask to walk-on will have D-1AA, D-II and/or NAIA scholarship offers For those who decide to forgo those scholarships the risk is extremely high: The vast majority of walk-ons never see the playing field, many will eventually leave the program. No matter how the Huskers sell their walk-on program to the players and the public—a walk-on is a walk-on. It’s a hard road where the player and his family take on the financial burden of tuition, while the player himself endures the hard knocks of being on the scout team.
The risk of being a walk-on are high but so are the rewards for those who prevail. The Husker are back and they have a lot of big bowl games in their future—perhaps even a national title or two within the next five years.. To have the opportunity to be a part of that is priceless. And to endure to the end– even getting the chance to play or even start—could pay huge dividends in a student/athletes post-college career as long as you graduate and live right. Being an ex-Husker with a degree can open a lot of doors.
There is no right or wrong answer here and no advice to give except to ask yourself “Are the rewards worth the risks.?”
Husker Staff Pursues Class of 2010 Walk-ons
The Huskers are currently in the process of extending their walk-on offers. So far according to our sources. the Huskers are pursuing walk-on commitments from the following prospects: Creighton Creighton Prep’s Jeff Uher Lincoln North Star’s Yusef Wade and an unsubstantiated report that Wade’s North Star teammate Dillon Schrodt has also been offered. Millard’s South’s Bronson Marsh is scheduled for a visit to NU and should leave with at least a walk-on offer if not more.
The Huskers have scheduled a January 24thmeeting with the walk-ons and their parents so we can expect to have the full list of their preferred class of 2010 Nebraska high school walk-ons by then.
January 11, 2010 @ 4:26 pm
In a lot of ways, Nebraska really is the black hole of the Division I recruiting universe. With only one Div. I school in the state (A or AA), a relatively small population, and a history of kids opting to walk-on at NU rather than accept a scholarship elsewhere, it’s just not the place to be if you want to get a Div. I offer. At a time when schools are under the gun financially, they can more efficiently use their recruiting dollars to mine places like California, Texas and Florida. They obviously don’t see the benefit of trying to find the diamonds in the rough in Nebraska. Sad but true.
If you look at the state of Oklahoma, the population is roughly twice that of Nebraska. Yet, the number of 2010 kids who have received at least one Division I offer (A or AA), according to Rivals, is 58 compared to just 10 in Nebraska. Now, having three in-state Div. I-A programs certainly helps (OU, OSU, Tulsa). And being located in proximity to Texas also helps, as there are 15 Division I programs (soon to be a 16th with UT-San Antonio and new head coach Larry Coker kicking things off in 2011) that will stray a bit outside the state to fill rosters. They just don’t feel the need to stray all the way up to Nebraska to find talent.
The schools to the west of Nebraska are fishing in California. The schools to the south are fishing in Texas. And the schools to the east are fishing in either Texas or Florida. There’s just no need for them to look in Nebraska, especially when Nebraska doesn’t even need to offer in-state kids a scholarship to go to Lincoln. Why waste time there? Again, it’s sad…but true.