Nebraska Football Recruiting: Are the Huskers Stuck in Neutral?

The NFL Network's providing a unique feature during the 2013 NFL draft. As the picks are introduced, they've been showing pictures of the rookies growing up into the big, bad potential millionaires of tomorrow.

Back in Lincoln, there's some concern. Not only about when Huskers are going to be selected in this draft, let alone how many, but why Nebraska only has one commitment to its name for the 2014 recruiting cycle.

It's easy to get anxious when you see teams like Ohio State, Michigan or Texas A&M that have seven, eight and 10 commitments, respectively.

Luke Gifford, Nebraska's only commit, is a quality athlete, but one is still the loneliest number. Take heart, Big Red recruitniks. The history books may calm your nerves

This is how every full recruiting cycle has looked at end of April each year under Bo Pelini prior to this one (in-state commits in parenthesis):

2009: 1 (1)
2010: 2 (1)
2011: 5 (1)
2012: 0 (0)
2013: 3 (1)

Nebraska's staff has been chucking out offers for this class and next like candy on Halloween. When can Husker fans expect a return on this pavement-pounding?

Let's fast forward to the absolute worst part of the college football offseason, coincidentally when a large number of marriages happen: July.

The classes make a fantastic jump for the most part.

2009: 7 (2)
2010: 2 (1)
2011: 10 (3)
2012: 5 (1)
2013: 9 (1)

2010 turned out to be pretty poor overall with some significant exceptions, but two or three players a good class doesn't make.

As mentioned in last week's round-table, it's only April and the numbers back that relaxed attitude up, or at least they have for the past three cycles.

For now, Husker fans can stick with that mentality, but once May and June come around, if those 2010 numbers look familiar, that's trouble.

In the meantime, what seems to be spooking fans who follow all of this mumbo-jumbo most is big time prospects talking up other schools that Nebraska's already tossed their hat into the ring with.

We're talking the uber-recruits, the Under Armour All-Americans, etc.

Fact is, scouts can figure out who the cream of the crop is very quickly. These prospects have been scouted since they were high school freshmen (and sometimes before that).

You may not know who Da'Shawn Hand, Leonard Fournette or Lorenzo Carter is, but every BCS school with a shot at their signature does, and even those who don't.

What happens after the easy evaluations are over? Guys like 2013 signee Terrell Newby pop up. He ended up being ranked as one of the top players in the country, quite possibly the best running back prospect in the state of California.

When he was visiting Nebraska in the spring of 2012, he was what's sometimes referred to as an "I Dunno Three-Star."

That's when evaluations are being made and the people doing so don't want to say the guy's no good, so they give him a placeholder three-star ranking.

When the blistering heat scorches the heartland, Husker fans will have a far better indication of where this class sits. Expect things to pick up about mid-May into June.

It's tempting to hit the big red "PANIC" button, but this staff sows the seeds and usually reaps rewards before the season begins. We'll see if that trend continues.