{"id":1116,"date":"2023-03-26T10:44:10","date_gmt":"2023-03-26T15:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/?p=1116"},"modified":"2023-03-26T10:44:10","modified_gmt":"2023-03-26T15:44:10","slug":"steven-sipple-nations-top-ranked-ot-and-his-mater-dei-high-school-teammate-have-husker-fans-california-dreamin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/steven-sipple-nations-top-ranked-ot-and-his-mater-dei-high-school-teammate-have-husker-fans-california-dreamin\/","title":{"rendered":"Steven Sipple: Nation\u2019s top-ranked OT and his Mater Dei High School teammate have Husker fans California dreamin\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nate Frazier<\/a>, the top-ranked high school running back in the state of California, obviously loves the sport of football. So, he surely would fit in Nebraska\u2019s program and in our football-adoring state, right?<\/p>\n

Go ahead, Husker fans, do some California dreamin\u2019.<\/p>\n

Frazier made an unofficial visit to Nebraska\u2019s campus this weekend as part of mega-recruiting weekend for the new Husker staff. He\u2019s already received his fair share of attention from Husker fans who desperately want to have a top-10 program again. Same goes for his teammate at powerhouse Mater Dei High School, Brandon Baker<\/a>, the top-ranked offensive tackle in the nation in the On3 Industry rankings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Baker also was on-hand for Nebraska\u2019s mega-weekend.<\/p>\n

California dreamin\u2019, on such a lovely day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know when I\u2019ve got a run play to his side, I know I\u2019m going to have an open hole,\u201d said the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Frazier, a consensus four-star player in the class of 2024.<\/p>\n

Click here for a limited time, register, and get full access until the start of the next football season for only $29.99<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Nebraska fans long for powerful rushing attack<\/h2>\n

Nebraska fans long for the days when Husker running backs consistently ran through open holes behind dominant offensive lines. That stuff doesn\u2019t happen by magic, as Husker fans have learned (the hard way) in recent years. Yes, it absolutely helps to have highly ranked players in the system. A lot of them. We see it at other places. Georgia and Alabama offer undeniable proof.<\/p>\n

Georgia, by the way, offered Frazier a scholarship Thursday.<\/p>\n

Nebraska, though, is making an admirable push in trying to lure Frazier and Baker and some more of the nation\u2019s top players. That\u2019s what this past weekend represented, with 20-some recruits making unofficial visits. It showcases new Husker head coach Matt Rhule\u2019s aggression. Heaven knows NU needs a shot of recruiting aggression. Rhule seemingly knows what it\u2019s going to take to win big in the mega-conference that is the Big Ten.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s going to require highly rated players like Frazier and Baker. <\/p>\n

You\u2019re never going to get them to Nebraska if you don\u2019t try. You\u2019re certainly never going to land them in your program if you don\u2019t bring them to Lincoln and show them around. Give Rhule and his staff ample credit in that regard.<\/p>\n

California dreamin\u2019 is sort of fun, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to be honest with Husker fans, man: When I first came here, I was like, \u2018Nebraska Cornhuskers, there\u2019s going to be cornfields everywhere,\u2019\u201d Frazier told HuskerOnline.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t dislike me, Husker fans,\u201d he added with a grin.<\/p>\n

Oh, they won\u2019t. Especially when they learn that Frazier did his research. Turns out, he knows a few things about Nebraska\u2019s running back tradition.<\/p>\n

Plus, \u201cI saw the view of the city and the stadium and stuff like that,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not<\/em> just all cornfields. As far as Nebraska (as a program), it\u2019s exceeded my expectations. It\u2019s crazy. Everything out here is what I like. The fan base is crazy. Everything is amazing out here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Safe to say Rhule made a strong impression on Frazier.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe gave us (recruits) some wise words that you can use for motivation,\u201d Frazier said. \u201cHe gave us words that could change your life. That means a lot to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Brandon Baker sees chemistry on Matt Rhule\u2019s staff<\/h2>\n

Safe to say Rhule and his staff also made a strong impression on Baker.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoach Rhule has definitely brought a very strategic, very intentional staff around him,\u201d said the 6-5, 285-pounder, who has a cerebral way about him.<\/p>\n

Baker likes Rhule\u2019s emphasis on developing student-athletes not just as players, but as young men.<\/p>\n

He also likes the chemistry that\u2019s evident in Rhule\u2019s coaching staff. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say this staff gels really well, honestly one of the best I\u2019ve seen thus far,\u201d Baker said. \u201cI think a key part of that is coach Matt brings a lot of his ex-players in.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have good chemistry just off the bat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tell me this California dreamin\u2019 isn\u2019t kind of fun, Husker fans. But this is where we should include reality in the discussion. Nebraska is a long shot to land Frazier and an even bigger long shot to land Baker.<\/p>\n

Oregon is regarded as the favorite to Baker. After all, his brother, Gary Baker, played defensive line in the Ducks\u2019 program from 2015 to 2019. Brandon Baker in the past has called Oregon his \u201cdream school.\u201d<\/p>\n

But maybe just maybe other teams \u2014 yes, including Nebraska \u2014 have legitimate hope in the pursuit of Baker. Last month, Oregon lost its offensive line coach, Adrian Klemm, to the New England Patriots.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just kind of surprised, not gonna lie,\u201d Baker told Ducks Digest regarding Klemm\u2019s departure. \u201cBut honestly it kind of opened my eyes to the whole recruitment process, really because prior to that I would say Oregon was in a really good spot.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey still are, but I would say for sure Oregon was one of the top schools throughout my entire recruiting process up until that point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dream big, Nebraska fans, but also be realistic<\/h2>\n

Hmmm. Interesting. If you\u2019re a Nebraska fan, you must understand Baker is a long way from making a final decision. Go ahead, dream big, Husker fans. But be cautious. Be realistic. Baker plans to make a couple official visits this summer and perhaps a couple during the fall, and maybe one more after the football season.<\/p>\n

The key, of course, is Nebraska getting Baker back on campus for an official visit.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s possible Nebraska worked its way into that conversation by making a good impression on Baker.<\/p>\n

No question, Rhule has come out swinging in the recruiting realm.<\/p>\n

He clearly<\/em> made a big impression on Frazier.<\/p>\n

He gave us words that could change your life.<\/em><\/p>\n

Chad Simmons of On3 recently reported that Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington are among the schools that have made a lasting impression Frazier. There are others, he says.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll take more visits and thoroughly size up schools. <\/p>\n

Strong academics are critical to him, and he\u2019s aware of Nebraska\u2019s tradition of producing academic All-Americans.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t graduate from Nebraska, you literally put zero effort into it,\u201d Frazier said. \u201cYou just didn\u2019t try.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The excitement in his eyes was evident.<\/p>\n

Go ahead, do some California dreamin\u2019, Husker fans.<\/p>\n

And perhaps thank Rhule for his aggressiveness.<\/p>\n

Never miss breaking news or another HuskerOnline article again. Click HERE to sign up for HuskerOnline\u2019s Daily and Breaking News Newsletters.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Steven Sipple: Nation\u2019s top-ranked OT and his Mater Dei High School teammate have Husker fans California dreamin\u2019<\/a> appeared first on On3<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nate Frazier, the top-ranked high school running back in the state of California, obviously loves…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1116"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1116\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}