Time to Sign

Last week Nebraska locked up their class of 2009. The Huskers had 20 prospects sign on the dotted line which, according to Rivals.com, wound up as the 28th best class among FBS schools. Nebraska finished fourth in the Big XII, and maybe most importantly, first in the North. Kansas closed hot on their heels, and with the Jayhawks the odds on favorite to with the North in '09, it puts them in a enviable position.

I'm going to post the signing class in the sidebar like I do every year and leave the profiles up all year long, because as we all know, most of these kids will be redshirt candidates and will be in the weight room or the playing on the scout team meaning you won't hear about them next year.

Right now, I want to focus on my top five signees from the '09 class. They might not be the top five as far as their rating goes, but are just as important.

#1 - Cody Green - QB
Ok, so this one is fairly obvious and shouldn't shock anyone that follows recruiting. Cody finally made his way into the Rivals Top 250 at #173, and is the sixth ranked dual threat QB by the same site. Watching his highlights he moves well and can operate outside the pocket. One thing that stands out to me is his accuracy and how he can hit a receiver with little seperation downfield. He'll be a run second player, but can make good decisions and can produce with his legs. The Dayton, Tx QB rushed for 27 touchdowns and threw for 36 more and racked up nearly 5,000 yards. He's enrolled right now and will go through spring practice. I'm excited to get a look at him come April 18th. If Green can replicate his success in high school, and he played against top competition in football-centric Texas, he has the potential to become a Husker legend. But let's not give him the Marlon Lucky treatment.
#2 - Chris Williams - ILB
The kid loves to hit and be physical and will bring an attitude and swagger back to the Blackshirts. Some fans have been down on Nebraska recruiting citing that we aren't going against the nations best for players. Williams reeled in offers from Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M and LSU. The Huskers also beat out North rival Missouri and Texas Tech. Williams is fast as well, and routinely blows up plays in the backfield and has a nose for the ball. Don't sleep on his ability in coverage either. I can't wait to watch him with '08 signee Will Compton in the next few years.

#3 Andrew Green - CB
Watching our secondary the last several seasons has been an anyurism inspiring task. Too long have our corners been owned by marginal wide receiver talent and flat out embarassed against players that make it to the next level. Green finished as a three star player on Rivals, however this kid has amazing potential. The recent Heisman winner was a three star kid too, not that I expect Green to get one, but it should be pointed out that these rankings aren't an exact science. Green is probably one of the most physically gifted DB's in the country.

#4 Rex Burkhead - RB
Mr. Do-Everything. Probably one of the most versitile athletes that Nebraska picked up, and it was quite the coup too. Stanford (don't laugh, if Harbaugh stays they'll compete), A&M, Auburn, Cal, Michigan and supposedly Texas was on Rex. He's been racking up awards left and right since the season ended. The Plano graduate created a ton of excitement with fans. He cuts, he blocks, he catches and does it with relative ease. A common thread through most of these kids this year is they come from top tier teams. Burkhead is no exception.

#5 Taylor Martinez - ATH
When it's all said in done and it's 2012, it might be written that we stole this kid right out from under a lot of schools noses. He played QB for Corona Centennial and won a ton of awards after being a solid verbal for the Huskers. He ended up roping in some Player of the Year Awards from Cali, including the LA Times naming him POTY. More than likely he'll be in the defensive backfield and it's hard to see him having a future as QB at Nebraska, regardless, watching his highlight videos show that this kid is a football player.

Don't get me wrong, there are a ton of players worth mentioning, and I wish I could but I'm way to lazy to write about twenty players today. I'm excited about this class and it's showing that our staff isn't so bad when it comes to rounding up recruites. Keep in mind the underdeveloped players leftover from the Callahan era just won nine games after getting embarassed in '07. Sure, cutting some dead weight and bad attitudes *cough* Corey McKeon *cough* helped, but the staff did an incredible job.

I bought my spring game tickets this past week. College football season just ended a few weeks ago, but I'm already primed for '09.