I must apologize for my tardiness in getting this article posted. Being late Sunday night, I thought about forgetting it. But I couldn’t do it because there are people who will tell you nothing really happen at Memorial Stadium on Friday. But that isn’t so. I said in an earlier article that Nebraska was entering a new era in recruiting, and Friday that held true.
I attended the Battle in the Boneyard and while the stands were far from full those that were there had a true understanding of what they were witnessing. There was talent on the field. Talent that would not normally make an appearance in Lincoln in June. I saw guys having fun and playing hard, and winning was important to them. Qualities a head coach looks for.
And while watching talented young players perform on Tom Osborne Field may have not gotten everyone excited about Nebraska football, if you weren’t there you missed out on Nebraska 2027 quarterback recruit Trae Talyor playing for the Miami Raw. The Raw isn’t the team Taylor normally plays for, however, realizing where they were at and the fans desire to see Taylor perform, they allowed him to play quarterback for them. Taylor didn’t disappoint. He led the Raw to the championship game and won it.
There was no charge at the gate to attend this event, but personally I would have gladly paid to watch Taylor. I’ve been high on Taylor in both watching him perform and sharing his thoughts when giving interviews. When asked about still being recruited by other schools, he simply explained he tells anyone who calls he is committed to Nebraska, but he will continue to take calls, because football is a connection business. Whether it’s a connection with a teammate, players of a team, a coach, or a school, football is all about contacts. He’s wise for a seventeen-year-old.
And while I find Taylor impressive, he looked even more so on Friday throwing to 6’8” 230-pound tight end Ahmad Hudson of Ruston, Louisiana. Hudson is ranked as the No. 1 tight end and the 5th overall player in the 2027 class by 247Sports. And he looked the part.
Nebraska has offered Hudson, and he will be returning for another visit. Being a two-sport star and desiring to play basketball he also met with Fred Hoiberg while he was here. It seems Hudson received consent to play both sports if he attends Nebraska. Hudson is just one example of the many opportunities Nebraska found in hosting this event. They’ve made multiple new offers over the weekend. Look for not only Nebraska to have more of these events in the future, but for multiple schools to follow suit.
While at the event on Friday I also had the opportunity to meet the guys from Inside Nebraska. A shout out to them, it was great meeting Tim Verghese, Steve Marik and Greg Smith. They’re a good group of guys putting out great content. I appreciate them taking the time to talk to me.
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