Nebraska turns attention to recruiting

LINCOLN, Neb. -- They may be new to the Big Ten, but the Huskers cleaned up the individual honors as the conference announced its postseason award winners Monday night. Nebraska players earned four of the 10 trophies for being the most outstanding players at their position.
Senior Lavonte David won the Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year Award. He led Nebraska with 122 tackles with 11 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He was also named to first team all-conference for the second year in a row.
Alfonzo Dennard won the Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year Award even after missing the first three games with injury. The senior was a lockdown cornerback who shut down some of the league's top receivers. Dennard was also named to first team All-Big Ten.


The Big Ten heat maybe gets cranked up some for Nebraska after watching Michigan bounce back this season and Ohio State make a statement by hiring Urban Meyer. Plus, Wisconsin and Michigan State appear on solid ground and will play in the first Big Ten title game Saturday night.
Asked last week at the Big Red Breakfast how recruiting was going, Papuchis said: "I'll best be able to answer that in February."
Nebraska has eight commitments so far. It's natural to want more players locked up, he said, but that's not always practical.
"In my opinion, when you go after the caliber of players that we're going after, you've got to fight for it," Papuchis said. "And the thing that I feel comfortable about is that the guys that have been on visits — that we really like, that are highly touted in our recruiting class — they may not have committed to us at this point, but they haven't committed to anyone else. So the battle's still on."
Papuchis likened it to signing I-back Rex Burkhead three years ago.
"That was a grind-it-out, 10-month battle," he said. "And in the end, we persevered and were able to get him."
Nebraska already has shifted some emphasis to Big Ten territory since joining the league. Another gradual change could be the allocation of resources to Florida as the Huskers evaluate what they do.
"We're looking for other opportunities that the Big Ten presents for us, and the Big Ten historically has always done well in the state of Florida," Papuchis said, citing the league's national reputation and its bowl tie-ins to Florida.
But Papuchis said Nebraska also "won't close doors" with Texas and California, two regular suppliers of Husker recruits.
Among some of the top prospects NU remains after, according to Huskers Illustrated, the 24/7 Sports recruiting partner with The World-Herald:
• Andrus Peat, offensive lineman, Tempe, Ariz.
• Devin Fuller, quarterback/athlete, Old Tappan, N.J.
• Mohammed Seisay, cornerback, Eastern Arizona JC
• Jordan Diggs, safety, Cape Coral, Fla.
• Quanzell Lambert, linebacker, Sicklerville, N.J.
• Marcus Rios, cornerback, Elk Grove, Calif.
• Ronnie Stanley, offensive tackle, Las Vegas
• Brandon Beaver, cornerback, Dominguez, Calif.
The work also includes finishing with committed players, such as linebacker Deion Jones from New Orleans who received a recent offer from LSU. That list also includes junior college linebacker Zaire Anderson, defensive end Greg McMullen, offensive lineman Paul Thurston and receiver Jordan Westerkamp.