Husker recruiting rally continues
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By BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star
After a December packed with de-commitments, the Nebraska football program’s recruiting class has now almost returned to the same size it was in late October.
The most recent Husker recruiting addition is running back Lester Ward of Brenham, Texas.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Ward is the son of Lester Sr., who was a standout at Baylor and went on to play in the NFL.
The younger Ward entertained thoughts of going to Baylor, too, even committing to the Bears before the 2007 season. But a trip to the Nebraska campus in early January helped change his mind.
Under the microscope of recruiting analysts since he started playing high school ball, Ward is reported to run the 40 in 4.55 seconds and is rated as a two-star player by both Rivals.com and Scout.com.
“He’s always lived his life in a fish bowl,” said Brenham football coach Glen West.
He was as much a standout on the track as he was on the football field. Ward finished third in the state during both his freshman and sophomore years in the 110 hurdles.
The amazing thing about his third-place finish his sophomore year is he did it with one shoe. He had a shoe fall off whlie jumping the third hurdle.
“He’s a tough runner, very powerful, perfect for an I-formation,” West said.
Ward is the second Brenham kid Nebraska has gained in the past two recruiting seasons. Last year, cornerback Shawn Sullivan committed to the program.
Primarily recruited by NU offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, Ward gives the Huskers 23 known commitments.
Nebraska had 24 commits in late October under Bill Callahan, but a 5-7 season and a coaching change made new Husker head coach Bo Pelini scramble after being hired in Dec. 2.
With Nebraska in transition, the recruiting class once shrank to 15 players, causing some panic amongst recruiting followers.
The new Husker coaches have maintained a high level of confidence throughout the process, and NU has rebounded to gain seven scholarship commits since Jan. 1. Nebraska also figures to have more than two dozen walk-on recruits from this class.
Husker recruiting has been especially strong in Texas, primarily aided by the work of assistant coaches Watson and Tim Beck. Ward is the ninth recruit in this class from the Lone Star State.
Last year, Nebraska also hit up Texas heavy, scoring seven recruits. Among them were running back Quentin Castille, cornerback Anthony Blue and heavy-footed kicker Adi Kunalic.
Mike Ekeler, NU’s new energetic linebackers coach, assured Thursday night on the Husker Radio Network that recruiting is not going to be an issue for this staff.
Said Ekeler: “If you can’t recruit to this place, you don’t have a pulse.”
Briefly
* Carl Nicks, Zack Bowman, Sam Keller, Maurice Purify and Steve Octavien have been invited to the Feb. 20-26 NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
An extremely high percentage of combine invitees wind up getting drafted.
It’s worth noting that none of the five came to Nebraska directly out of high school.
* Phil Elmassian and Joe Rudolph, coaches on the Husker staff last season, have both found new jobs.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Rudolph will coach the tight ends at Wisconsin, the school he played for 13 years ago. Rudolph coached Husker tight ends for just one season
Elmassian, cornerbacks coach for NU last season, has accepted a position as co-defensive coordinator at Louisiana-Monroe.
Elmassian spent four seasons at NU and has had many stops in his coaching career. This is the 18th school he will have coached at since he got into the profession in 1974.
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.
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