Nebraska football fans have learned a lot about new head coach Mike Riley in the last couple of months. When it comes to recruiting, his short tenure has been especially enlightening.
The biggest takeaway? Riley is a focused individual. That became clear as Riley chose which positions to target for recruitment, sacrificing others for the time being. He discussed this with Sam McKewon of the Omaha World-Herald:
The biggest mistake you can make being brand new and being anxious to fill a class is to rush into judgment about a player and not know enough. There’s a tendency to want to do that because you have some depth needs, but you’re better off with a blank spot than you are with a guy who’s not good enough to play. You’ve got to hold yourself back a little.
Riley's ability to hold back was imperative to the success of the 2015 class. As a result, he was able to put together the best class possible for the Huskers.
There were some misses, as Jon Nyatawa of the Omaha World-Herald pointed out. There always are, no matter who the coach is.
One of the misses on Nyatawa's list was quarterback Joe Burrow. What stung for Nebraska fans was the fact that Burrow has so many ties to the Huskers. Not only was his dad an assistant for Nebraska, but his two brothers also played for the team.
It felt like the Huskers should have had no issue getting Burrow's attention. Riley did try to get Burrow's commitment, but it just wasn't enough so late in the game.
Beyond Burrow, Riley and his staff didn't dedicate much energy to the quarterback position due to the limited time they had to get to know players, as he noted on ESPNU, via Sean Callahan of Huskers Online:
We looked at that the quarterback thing hard because it's kind of fun to look at the quarterback—that one guy you are going to recruit. We opted not to because we didn't want to make a late decision without a lot of background. We feel good about the guys here. We'll focus on that for next year.
Instead, Riley chose to focus on other areas of need for Nebraska. That included the defensive line and linebacker positions.
It paid off, too.
At linebacker, Riley was able to secure commitments and letters of intent from Mohamed Barry, Tyrin Ferguson, Adrienne Talan and Dedrick Young. It's not a bad list of young men, and all are capable of stepping up quickly for the Huskers.
At defensive end, Riley added Daishon Neal and Alex Davis to the 2015 recruiting class. Both could also make an immediate impact next season.
These recruiting choices highlight Riley's willing to devote time and energy to the areas of greatest need. While it would be fun, as Riley said, to always recruit quarterbacks and players at other flashy positions, it doesn't make sense to sign an athlete that a staff is not 100 percent confident in.
“I still think that the best recruiting is done over a period of time where you can build a relationship and trust, and that’s your best chance to get a kid," Riley told Sports Illustrated on national signing day.
Considering Riley's time to build relationships was limited, he chose a focused approach for Nebraska's 2015 class. Looking back at it, it was the best approach to take, too.
Recruiting for the 2016 class has already started, and Riley and his staff are likely taking a similar approach this time around. It might not always make for the most exciting of classes, but fans are learning that it just might make for a more well-rounded team.
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