The Nebraska Cornhuskers finished with the No. 24 overall recruiting class in the country and No. 5 in the Big Ten, giving Nebraska fans plenty of hope for the future - and plenty of of reasons to be optimistic about head coach Mike Riley after a disappointing 6-7 season. Here are three reasons why Nebraska's recruiting class shows why Riley will be successful in Lincoln:
3) Making a national footprint
The state of Nebraska isn't exactly dripping with boatloads of high school football talent, and Riley took advantage of the Cornhuskers' national brand to pull in high-ranked recruits from all corners of the country. He tapped into fertile recruiting grounds from Florida to California, showing that he'll do whatever it takes to bring in the right guys for his system.
2) Quarterback of the future
Tommy Armstrong is poised to be a dark-horse Heisman contender in 2016, his senior season, but Riley is already looking for answers for when Armstrong graduates. That answer came in the form of four-star QB Patrick O'Brien, who shows all the signs of becoming a future superstar. Programs usually need high-quality quarterbacks for them to routinely play at a high level, and O'Brien is the kind of guy who can take Nebraska back to the top of the Big Ten. Just look at these ridiculous highights:
1) Addressing positions of need
Nebraska has a very talented roster in most positions, but they have several areas they need to drastically improve in - or, had several needs. Riley did an excellent job of bringing in high-quality players in the biggest positions of need, giving the Cornhuskers immediate relief. This is true especially in the secondary, where they brought in four-star safeties Lamar Jackson and Marquel Dismuke to sure up a defense that ranked 121st against the pass last year, and along the offensive line.
Improvements in those two areas will lead to a much better season for the Huskers this fall - one that could carry them to a Big Ten West title.
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