Nebraska landed a commitment from a position of major need Sunday night when consensus three-star cornerback prospect Braxton Clark announced his decision to join the Huskers.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound defender from Dr. Phillips High School — which is across the street from Universal Studios Florida in Orlando — became the 19th known member of NU’s 2018 recruiting class after posting his pledge on Twitter. The former Virginia Tech commit held at least a dozen other offers from schools like Mississippi, Boston College, Rutgers and Central Florida.
“My family and I have been doing a lot of thinking and I would like to thank Coach Frost and Coach Fish for believing in me and I will further my education and athletics at the University of Nebraska!” Clark tweeted in part, referring to NU head coach Scott Frost and defensive backs coach Travis Fisher.
The Huskers extended a scholarship Dec. 16, and Clark took an official visit to Lincoln during the Jan. 13 weekend. He becomes the school’s fifth commit since the early signing period and visited the same weekend as running back Miles Jones and defensive end Casey Rogers, both of whom committed in the past six days. He also represents the seventh Floridian to join Frost’s first recruiting class.
Unlike many projected college corners, Clark played the position in high school and recorded 41 tackles and seven pass breakups according to MaxPreps. His team went 13-2 and won the program’s first-ever state title. Clark’s highlight film shows a defender with quick reactions, sticky coverage and solid tackling skills.
With the addition, Nebraska’s 2018 class ranking moves up to 26th according to 247Sports and 25th by Rivals.
The Huskers didn’t get any cornerbacks to campus in the last recruiting cycle and have just four scholarship players on the roster at the position in juniors Lamar Jackson, Eric Lee and Avery Anderson and sophomore Dicaprio Bootle. Others like sophomores Tony Butler and Marquel Dismuke have also worked at the position.
Another corner — Taiyon Palmer from Archer High in Lawrenceville, Georgia — also took an official visit to Nebraska when Clark was there. His recruitment has blown up in recent days, though, with Alabama offering the 5-11 standout earlier Sunday.
Another defensive back who remains on NU’s radar is Mansfield, Texas, safety Cam’ron Jones, who made an official visit last month and paid his own way back for an unofficial this month. He has said he will announce his school of choice Saturday.
Next stop for former Husker assistant Scott Booker will be Miami (Ohio)
Former Nebraska assistant coach Scott Booker is headed back to the MAC.
Miami (Ohio) on Monday announced that Booker would be joining its football staff as receivers coach. Booker becomes the RedHawks’ 10th assistant coach — an NCAA change that went into effect this month — and reunites with head coach Chuck Martin after the two were together from 2010 to ’13 at Notre Dame.
Booker previously played in the Mid-American Conference as a defensive back at Kent State from 1999 to 2002. He also was an assistant coach (2005-08) and GA (2003-04) for the Golden Flashes.
Nebraska initially hired Booker away from Notre Dame last March to work as a special teams consultant. The death of Bob Elliott last summer then led to Booker coaching the Husker safeties last season, along with special teams.
Booker had spent the previous five seasons as special teams coordinator at Notre Dame, where he had worked with Elliott and Bob Diaco.
Booker becomes the fifth member of the Huskers’ 2017 staff to be hired for a new position. Mike Riley and Trent Bray have gone back to Oregon State, while Donte Williams previously was hired by Oregon and Mike Cavanaugh by Syracuse.
