It takes a lot of time to put together a recruiting class, and Nebraska’s 2018 crop was no exception. More than two and a half years passed from the time Nebraska received its first 2018 commitment and Wednesday’s national signing day.
Below is a complete timeline detailing all the major events of the Huskers’ 2018 recruiting cycle:
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June 6, 2015: Nebraska’s new Friday Night Lights camp in Memorial Stadium was a big hit with prospects and a valuable recruiting tool for Mike Riley’s coaching staff. That day Beatrice sophomore-to-be Cameron Jurgens received a scholarship offer from Nebraska.
Aug. 6, 2015: Jurgens became the first commit for NU’s 2018 recruiting class. His commitment would last 867 days before he officially signed in December 2017. That’s an unofficial record for the Huskers in the modern recruiting era.
Feb. 29, 2016: Brendan “Bookie” Radley-Hiles received an offer from Nebraska. Radley-Hiles, considered one of the nation’s top recruits, quickly became Nebraska’s most popular target, but he’d eventually become one of the Huskers’ biggest losses.
June 17, 2016: Another Friday Night Lights camp led to another offer for an in-state recruit. York’s Masry Mapieu became NU’s second 2018 commit after accepting the Husker scholarship offer on the spot, but he didn’t wind up signing with Nebraska amid academic concerns.
Jan. 18, 2017: Nebraska received a surprise commitment from Los Angeles athlete Eric Fuller, who had never been to Lincoln but committed anyway. Fuller would eventually get dropped from the class after landing in legal trouble.
April 8, 2017: Will Farniok committed to Nebraska and became the second member of his family to join the Huskers, following older brother Matt. Will would also become the fourth Farniok brother to sign with a Power Five school after two other older brothers played at Iowa State and Oklahoma.
April 14-16, 2017: Radley-Hiles kicked off spring game weekend by giving NU his commitment, the first of three players to commit in three days. Receiver Manuel Allen from California followed on April 15 — though he would decommit on Aug. 17 — and Colorado defensive end Tate Wildeman made his decision on April 16, two days after getting an offer.
April 23, 2017: Nebraska continued its push into California by landing a commitment from four-star cornerback Chase Williams.
May 2, 2017: The Huskers wanted a kicker in this recruiting class and got one when Hoover, Alabama, product Barret Pickeringpicked the Huskers over Vanderbilt.
May 7, 2017: St. Louis wide receiver Cameron Brown made the first of two commitments to Nebraska. He’d back off this pledge on Aug. 17 but rejoin the class on Oct. 7. Brown eventually flipped to Ohio State on Dec. 20.
May 23, 2017: Cornerbacks coach Donte Williams, hired for his recruiting prowess, landed another key piece when Mario Goodrich out of the Kansas City area committed to Nebraska.
June 18, 2017: With an emotional video honoring his late brother, four-star receiver Joshua Moore from Yoakum, Texas, announced his commitment to Nebraska.
Oct. 6, 2017: Outside linebacker David Alston, the No. 1-ranked player in the state of Minnesota, committed to Nebraska despite the Huskers’ rough start to the 2017 season. He was the last 2018 recruit to commit to Riley.
Oct. 31, 2017: Radley-Hiles became the first commit to jump ship as Riley’s fate became increasingly clear with each loss. Chase Williams would drop the Huskers on Nov. 22, Goodrich on Dec. 2, Moore on Dec. 10 and Brown on Dec. 20.
Nov. 25, 2017: Riley was fired after leading Nebraska to its worst season in a half-century.
Dec. 2, 2017: Scott Frost was officially hired as Riley’s replacement. His first scholarship offer went out that day to four-star quarterback Adrian Martinez, who was committed to Tennessee at the time.
Dec. 3-5, 2017: The first few days of the Frost era proved immensely important for NU’s recruiting efforts. On Dec. 3, the Huskers offered junior college prospects Greg Bell, Jaron Woodyard and Will Honas. That same day, CJ Smith hosted NU assistant Jovan DeWitt for an in-home visit. On Dec. 4, Justin McGriff would get his scholarship offer. Dominick Watt and Katerian Legrone were both offered Dec. 5.
Dec. 8-10, 2017: The new Husker coaching staff hosted its first weekend of official visitors. Among the group were Martinez, Smith, Bell, Woodyard and McGriff. Smith and Woodyard committed on Dec. 10, and McGriff followed the next day.
Dec. 12, 2017: Frost and quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco took a cross-country flight from Florida to California for an in-home visit with Martinez. That dedication played a big part in his decision. Martinez committed to the coaches that night and announced it publicly the next day.
Dec. 15-17, 2017: Nebraska’s second official visit weekend under Frost included Cam’ron Jones, Legrone, Wildeman, Honas and Deontai Williams, a junior college defensive back who committed to the Huskers before leaving Lincoln.
Dec. 20-22, 2017: College football’s first early signing period featured a lot of movement for Nebraska. The Huskers landed Bell and Legrone on Dec. 20, and Honas followed suit the next day. NU signed 12 recruits during that three-day stretch.
Jan. 4, 2018: Martinez accounted for one touchdown in the Under Armour All-America Game, his first competitive football game since his junior season. Maurice Washington, who’d pick the Huskers on signing day, was named MVP after rushing for three scores.
Jan. 7, 2018: Under-the-radar receiver Mike Williams out of East Mississippi Community College landed an offer from Nebraska. He committed to the Huskers three days later and enrolled for the spring semester.
Jan. 9, 2018: Wahoo Neumann product Noah Vedral, who spent his freshman season playing quarterback for Frost at UCF, announced he’s transferring to Nebraska. UCF blocked the transfer, meaning Vedral will join the program as a walk-on before going on scholarship for the 2019 season.
Jan. 12-15, 2018: Nebraska’s first official visit weekend of the new year featured several future Huskers, including versatile athlete Miles Jones, cornerback Braxton Clark, defensive end Casey Rogers and outside linebacker Caleb Tannor. Ole Miss transfer Breon Dixon also decided to go to Nebraska after visiting this weekend.
Jan. 16, 2018: Rogers committed to the Huskers, making his decision after Frost journeyed to Connecticut to visit with him on the heels of his Nebraska official visit.
Jan. 18, 2018: A two-commitment day for the Huskers. First was Jones, the former Vanderbilt commit from Florida. Then came a late-night surprise from receiver Watt, who announced his commitment to Nebraska sight unseen as a birthday present to himself.
Jan. 20, 2018: Nebraska sent Frost and seven assistants to the home of Clark, the cornerback from Orlando. During that visit Clark informed the staff of his commitment to the Huskers, which he made public the following day.
Jan. 27, 2018: Cam’ron Jones, the four-star safety from Texas, appeared on a local television station to announce his commitment to Nebraska over Ole Miss and Baylor.
Feb. 2-4, 2018: Nebraska’s final official visit weekend of the 2018 recruiting cycle featured five visitors, including three that would sign with the Huskers — Andre Hunt, Washington and Willie Canty.
Feb. 7, 2018: One of the most active signing days in Nebraska history featured five recruits make decisions in favor of the Huskers — Hunt, Washington, Canty, Tannor and Cam Taylor. The Huskers signed 11 total recruits on this day to add to the crop added in December, giving Nebraska a top-25 class.
