So Nebraska has started off 2013 by offering six quarterbacks (so far). One of the six is listed as a "pro-style" QB on Rivals. That should give you a pretty solid idea about where Tim Beck is taking this offense. Not that this is like a *gasp* SURPRISE or anything, but you will continue to see the quarterback be a significant part of the running game as long as he's here.
Let's take a look at the offers so far...
Nicodem Pierre, Coral Reef - Miami, Florida
Pro-Style Quarterback
6'3" 220 lbs
YouTube - Junior Highlight Reel
So Rivals and 247Sports have both listed this kid as a "pro-style quarterback." To be honest though, after watching his highlights a few times I truly believe he should be listed as a "dual-threat." There are several clips of him running (not just scrambling) after getting the snap from center. His highlights show him lining up both under center and in the gun. He seems to have great touch on his deep ball, the film showing him laying the ball gentle baby-like into his receivers' outstretched arms. He keeps his eyes downfield in all his clips and seems to do a good job of keeping his feet underneath him. His release is not bad, but he will need to clean it up a bit. He does make one hell of a throw on a deep out from one hash all the way across the field with some mustard on it, hitting his receiver right in the numbers.
One thing that can't be coached though...his size. He's one of the biggest QB's we've offered so far. He's rated as an 84 by 247Sports which equates to roughly a 5.6 (mid to high 3 star) on Rivals. Kansas St., South Florida, Nebraska, Louisville, Florida Intl., and Duke are among his offers. I expect him to pick up more during his senior season as I believe schools like West Virginia and Okie Lite will offer him.
Dimonic McKinzy, Wyandotte - Kansas City, Kansas
Dual-Threat Quarterback
6'0" 215 lbs
YouTube - Junior Highlight Reel
The #4 overall player in Kansas and the #1 QB, dual-threat or otherwise, in the state. He's not ranked on Rivals, but 247Sports has him listed at an 88, which would equate to a 5.7 (high 3 star) on Rivals. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised to see him get a bump in rankings, depending on who offers him next. Rumor has it that Mizzou and tOSU are close to offering, but are holding back pending performance in camp. He picked up his offer from us last year at camp, but we haven't had much contact with him since then. Whether or not that comes back to bite us right square in the ass remains to be seen.
At quarterback, all of his snaps were taken from the gun. He made several nice throws in the clips even though his receivers dropped a couple of well thrown balls. I believe the best throw of his that he made was when he hit a receiver in stride down the sideline on a wheel route. He also looks like a great scrambler and doesn't immediately look to tuck the ball and run when things go south along the OL.
He also possesses enough athleticism to play DB for his team, and he seems to demonstrate good instincts and aggressiveness here. He closes well on the ball carrier and even blocks a field goal attempt as a defender lined up outside. He'll also be running track this spring in the 200, 400, the 4x100 and 4x200 relays. I really think he'll end up being recruited as a QB, but it's great to know that he possesses enough athleticism that he could potentially make the switch to CB/DB. Lord knows we're going to need an ass load of bodies at that position after this season. He currently holds offers from Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, and Nebraska.
Jerrod Heard, Guyer - Denton, TX
Dual-Threat Quarterback
6'2" 180 lbs.
YouTube - Jerrod Heard Highlights
YouTube - Maxpreps Sports Highlights
Jerrod Heard verbally committed to the University of Texas in August of 2012. He holds offers from LSU, ASU, Arizona, Baylor, tOSU, and Nebraska. He could end up being the #1 QB recruit in the nation this year. He's also #73 on the Rivals 100 list. The kid can straight ball, but if you watch his highlights, some have said he tends to tuck the ball and run too soon. Personally I liked watching the highlights from Maxpreps more than the first link because he shows off more of a variety of throws in that one. He makes several deep throws which show great touch on the ball. He also can run the zone read and is fast as hell when he keeps and runs. He's about the same size that Jamal Turner was when he came to Nebraska. If you watch his highlights, you can see he's as electric as Jamal as well.
Now some have questioned the offer to Jerrod in the first place, because he's all but sewn right up for Texas. He's about as close to a lock as you can get without actually signing a LOI. A couple of thoughts here could be that we're offering him to establish a stronger presence in the DFW Metroplex, since the last time we were there was over a year ago when we were recruiting Aaron Curry. Also, maybe the thinking is that there could be a massive shake up with the coaching staff at UT (read: Mack Brown gets fired) and the coaches are trying to get in his ear in case that happens. However, this is still a real head scratcher since the kid has shown near zero interest in Nebraska. I really don't know how much effort will be put into recruiting this kid.
DeShone Kizer, Central Catholic - Toledo, OH
Dual-Threat Quarterback
6'4" 205 lbs.
YouTube - DeShone Kizer Highlights
YouTube - DeShone Kizer, Columbus Elite 11
DeShone Kizer is Nebraska's #1 target for QB. He's an absolute baller and he's probably going to end up on the Rivals 250 list this year. I encourage you to watch his highlights and nod your approval. He showed great touch on a pass to his back on a wheel route and he's more than capable of escaping danger when the pocket collapses around him. A truly great prospect.
With that said, I don't believe that he will come here. Vince Marrow was his main recruiter and even with him here, it was going to be a dog-fight. Right now Michigan State is his leader and he mentioned North Carolina, Tennessee, Louisville, and Kentucky (yes, them again) as really stepping up. No mention of Nebraska at all. Hell he even mentioned stopping by and visiting Duke but Nebraska? Nope.
I hesitate to say we have no chance, but well...we have almost no chance here. He's looking to end his recruitment sooner rather than later, and with no mention of Nebraska...well, connect the dots for yourselves.
William Ulmer, St. John's College High - Washington, DC
Dual-Threat Quarterback
6'1" 190 lbs.
YouTube - William Ulmer Mid Season Highlights
YouTube - William Ulmer Sophmore Highlights
This kid is a bad, bad man when he's running the ball. He just jumps off the film and stands out among everyone else. He's the kind of athlete you think of when someone uses the phrase "running quarterback." In fact, if you watch the first set of highlights, the first six clips may remind you of Bubba Starling. That is, him running the ball on designed QB keeps from the gun. He doesn't appear to run with the same kind of raw power that Starling did, but he's shifty as hell. He also demonstrates acceleration, speed, and strength on his runs. I do like that he showed off his arm some in the highlights as he possesses a strong one that appears to be pretty accurate. One thing to watch though is that on his intermediate throws, his receivers often had to jump up to catch it or the ball would've sailed over their heads. He did make some nice completions on a few seam routes and deep routes to the outside and inside the hashes.
Despite all that though, I still believe that this kid is a "run first, throw second" quarterback. I think he could be a dangerous dual-threat once he develops his passing game more, but if he were to play as a freshman, he'd probably be used in Wildcat type packages for 6 - 8 plays a game. He's 5.8, 4-star recruit on Rivals and 247Sports has him rated at a 90 and the #6 ranked Dual-Threat QB and #4 player overall in the DC Metro area. He has yet to name a favorite so far, but Boston College has been pursuing him aggressively for a long time now. I really don't expect BC to be much of a threat going forward, but you never know. Rumor has it that he really likes tOSU. Florida St., North Carolina, ASU, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Southern Miss, and Syracuse have all offered in addition to Nebraska.
Rafe Peavey, Bolivar HS - Bolivar, MO
Dual-Threat Quarterback
6'2" 205 lbs.
YouTube - Quarterback Highlights
Hudl.com - Rafe Peavey Highlights
You can see why Arkansas wanted this kid. Arkansas also had advantage here since Peavey's father was a GA under former Arkansas coach Jack Crowe. So yeah, he's what you would call a "legacy" recruit. He also holds offers from Auburn, Mizzou, UCLA, Ole Miss, South Florida, West Virginia, Boston College, Indiana, Kentucky, and UConn as well as Nebraska. He's already on the Rivals 250 and on the ESPN 300 Watchlist. He's the "throw first, run second" kind of dual threat quarterback. He always keeps his eyes downfield, looking to dump the ball off to an open receiver. He also demonstrated good pocket presence as well as an ability to escape. He appears to be able to make all the throws that one requires of a great quarterback: on the run, rolling out of the pocket, play action and in the pocket. There are several clips in his highlights which show him completing deep throws to receivers streaking towards the end zone without ever breaking stride. These demonstrate that he understands that you can't always just throw the ball the hardest you can and hope your receivers run underneath it.
There are some questions whether or not Arkansas will be able to hold on to him, given Bielema's history of run heavy, run first offenses. If not, maybe the Huskers can position themselves well here and steal a top QB prospect for 2014 away from the SEC.
So there you have it. What do you folks think? Have a favorite QB so far? Sound off in the comments below.