The 3-2-1: Assessing the 2022 Husker recruiting class

Nebraska's 2022 recruiting class numbers continue to be a topic on HuskerOnline. We hit on that and more in this week's 3-2-1 column.

1 - The numbers in the 2022 recruiting class have become a big topic

We have never seen a year where Nebraska sits at just seven total commits on July 8.

So many different things have played a factor with the number. First and foremost, as we know, the free COVID year in 2020 has put NU in a position where it essentially has three different freshmen classes. There are 52 players on the current scholarship chart who carry freshman designation from the classes of 2019, 2020 and 2021.

If you remember back in 2019, Scott Frost and his staff went out of their way to keep players at four games or less to preserve their redshirts. It was a great strategy, but one done well before anyone knew what 2020 would bring.

That has created a roster log jam where Nebraska has been very selective on what commits it takes and when.

There have been multiple guys they have had in over the month of June that they probably could push for commits, but have not at this point due to numbers.

The big thing about this small recruiting class is every miss gets magnified.

When James Monds III picks Indiana or Landon Samson picks South Carolina, those misses are going to be put under a microscope.

So few prospects have the green light to commit to the Big Red because of the limited numbers that the ones who do are going to drum up plenty of discussion.

I said earlier this week on the RSS Chat that this 2022 class feels like a golf game where NU has bogeyed a few holes that should have been pars or even birdies. In order to change the narrative, we need to see the Huskers close on a few more recruits before the start of the 2021 season.

2 - Reading the sellout streak tealeaves

I can only recall one other time where Nebraska unleashed three-game ticket plans to fans. The only reason you do that is because you have season tickets that have not sold.

In past years when all the season tickets sell, mini plans are not an option. In 2021, you can get three-game mini-plans for $195. The only game not in the mini-plan is Ohio State, as the Buckeyes travel as well as anyone in the Big Ten.

It will be interesting to see how many of these $195 mini-plans sell. It also tells me there's some work to do in order to keep the sellout streak alive in 2021.

3 - Martinez inks the first big football NIL

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez inked an NIL deal with Degree Deodorant this week. This is the first national-level deal we've seen with a Nebraska football player, as 13 other student-athletes from around the country also signed with Degree for this campaign.

It's hard to say how much money Martinez will receive with this deal, but these are the type of agreements that could be bring in real money.

We've seen a lot of $50-type NIL deals happening where athletes make sponsored social media posts. What Martinez signed is at a much higher level than that.

After a year, I will be very interested to see the overall landscape of NIL and how much money athletes can make. How many total NCAA athletes will clear six figures? I think a lot of people are curious to see those numbers if they are made available.

1 - What should we make of the silence on the AD search front?

A week ago, things appeared to be moving rather quickly on the Atheltic Director search front. So why have things all of a sudden gone quiet after Iowa State's Jamie Pollard publicly told Nebraska, "thanks, but no thanks"?

My read is the committee working with NU Chancellor Ronnie Green has gotten more involved. There is no need to rush this decision. It would not surprise me at all if we didn't learn who the new AD was until the end of the month.

2 - Will Nebraska get new field turf in 2021?

A year ago, Nebraska was slated to get new field turf in Memorial Stadium. The stadium has gotten new field turf in 1999, 2005 and 2013, so they naturally were due a year ago for an upgrade based on that timeline.

However, that project was put off due to the COVID belt-tightening at NU. Will the new field turf go in this year? The answer to that question is "no". A Nebraska spokesperson confirmed to HuskerOnline that the turf replacement is not set to happen in 2021, as all of the focus remains on the GO BIG project.

This will now be the longest NU has gone between field turf replacements.

Losing out on four in-state recruits for 2022 obviously set the early tone for NU's current recruiting class.

However, for 2023 things appear to be much different with Pierce tight end Ben Brahmer and Lincoln Southeast offensive lineman Gunnar Gottula already committed. You could also say NU sits in a very good spot with Elkhorn South pass rusher Maverick Noonan and Lincoln Southeast outside linebacker Teitum Tuioti.

If I were a betting man, today I would say the Huskers will get all four of those guys in 2023. Creightonn Prep offensive lineman Sam Sledge could also be an offer-level prospect for 2023.

Sean Callahan can be reached at sean@huskeronline.com and he can be heard each day at 6:45 am and 5:05 pm on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during the football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha during the fall and each week he appears on NET's Big Red Wrap-Tuesday's at 7 pm.