The 3-2-1: Nebraska names its Big Ten Media Day representatives and what’s next for Northwestern?
We learned who will represent Nebraska at Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday.
We hit on that and more in this week’s 3-2-1 column with three things we learned, we ask two questions and make one prediction.
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED THIS WEEK
1 – Jeff Sims, Luke Reimer and Ethan Piper will represent Big Ten Nebraska at Big Ten Media Days
On Wednesday, Nebraska announced what three players they will take to Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis.
The Huskers will appear at the event on July 27. NU will be represented by quarterback Jeff Sims, offensive lineman Ethan Piper and linebacker Luke Reimer.
Sims and Reimer really should not come as a surprise. Reimer is the most accomplished returning player on the team, while Sims will be the face of Nebraska’s offense in Matt Rhule’s first season.
However, taking Sims is a statement in its own right. A year ago at this time, former head coach Scott Frost did not take transfer quarterback Casey Thompson or wide receiver Trey Palmer to Media Days. He went with a group of established players in the program instead.
I think with Rhule, 2023 is different. Everybody is new, and what happened a year ago should not matter. I like the fact Sims will represent the Huskers in Lucas Oil Stadium. He’s the most important player on the team heading into the season.
Piper is the surprise. He took over the starting guard spot after the Northwestern game in 2022. Before that, he wasn’t a starter for the Big Red since early in the 2021 season. Taking Piper tells me he’s got an inside track to win one of those two starting guard spots, and Rhule thinks highly of the Norfolk native heading into Fall Camp.
2 – The Pat Fitzgerald mess at Northwestern is far from over
There’s no other way to say it. The situation at Northwestern with Pat Fitzgerald is a mess, and we are only in the first chapter.
Expect a long, drawn-out battle between Fitzgerald and his legal team as they fight the school’s decision to fire him for cause, effectively leaving $43 million on the table.
What’s interesting to me is to think back to 2018. Did anyone in their wildest dreams believe Fitzgerald and Frost would be fired by their alma mater? I think back to even a year ago. What if this happens before the Wildcats play Nebraska in Ireland overseas? How different is that game to open the season?
There is still so much more to this story we don’t know, and several things will play out. How many players will ultimately leave the Wildcat program? What is the future of their new $800 million football stadium project largely funded by one gift from the Ryan family?
3 – Carlon Jones and Kewan Lacy are newly minted four-star recruits
On3 updated its 2024 recruiting rankings over the last week. The biggest headline was Lancaster (Texas) running back Kewan Lacy and Bay City (Texas) defensive lineman Carlon Jones were upgraded to four stars.
This is a great sign and indicator of the type of evaluations Rhule and his coaching staff is known for. They developed a reputation at Temple and Baylor for finding future NFL players who were under the radar during the recruiting process.
With the fourth star added to Jones and Lacy, there are now 10 different recruits in the Huskers’ class of 2024 that are ranked four stars by the four different recruiting services. Nebraska’s overall Industry Team ranking remains at No. 20, and NU is ranked fifth in the Big Ten Conference.
TWO QUESTIONS THIS WEEK
1 – What is your biggest concern left with the 2024 recruiting class
As we approach mid-July, what is your biggest concern for Nebraska’s 2024 recruiting class? Today, it has to be at pass rusher.
All signs point to four-star edge rusher Jacob Smith following his brother Jerrod Smith to Michigan. That means the Huskers have many questions on who the pass rusher or two they might add in this class will be.
Two names to watch today are Eagle Mountain (Utah) Cedar Valley ege Devoux Tuataga and Kansas City (Mo.) Liberty North edge Jayshawn Ross.
2 – Will Daniel Kaelin be bumped to four stars in the On3 rankings?
After Daniel Kaelin’s strong showing at the Elite in June, will On3 bump the Bellevue West standout to four stars?
The short answer is no. There won’t be a bump heading into his senior year. The ratings at On3 are now set until after the 2023 football season. For Kaelin to earn a fourth star from On3, he must put together a big-time senior season.
I do think that is very possible, as we haven’t seen a team with this type of offensive firepower in a long time in Nebraska high school football.
ONE PREDICTION: Preston Taumua is N
Waipahu (Hawaii) offensive lineman Preston Taumua will make his official announcement on Sunday, July 16. He visited Lincoln in the final week of June before the dead period.
He was long thought to be a lean to Oregon, and even Auburn was in it late with him. However, I predict this one will go the Huskers’ way. Give offensive line coach Donovan Raiola a lot of credit if he can pull the top-ranked player from Hawaii to Lincoln.
Sean Callahan can be reached at sean@huskeronline.com and can be heard daily at 6:45 am and 5:05 pm on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during the football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha during the fall and each week he appears on Nebraska Public Media’s Big Red Wrap-Tuesday’s at 7 pm.
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