LINCOLN, Neb.—Nebraska beefed up its 2010 football recruiting class with two players who waited until the 11th hour to announce their intentions.
Quarterback Brion Carnes of Bradenton, Fla., and safety Corey Cooper of Maywood, Ill., are rated among the best in the nation at their positions and were two of the Huskers’ top recruiting targets.
They and 19 other players made their pledges to the Cornhuskers official on Wednesday, the first day recruits could sign letters of intent.
“We got most of the guys we went after,” coach Bo Pelini said. “We filled some needs, we provided depth in our program. At this point I’m really excited about the class we’re bringing in. It played out like I knew it would. There were no surprises.”
There was some mild disappointment, though, when defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa signed with UCLA after putting Nebraska on his list of final choices.
Odighizuwa received the maximum five stars by recruiting services Rivals.com and Scout.com. Rivals has him rated as the second-best player at his position.
“He’s not going to make or break what happens with this football team,” Pelini said. “It’s not that hard. You lose guys all the time. You move on to the next one.”
Rivals ranked Nebraska’s class as the fifth-best in the Big 12 and 23rd in the nation. Scout.com had the Huskers sixth and 30th, respectively.
“I thought Nebraska closed really well and even though they didn’t get Owa,” Rivals national recruiting editor Jeremy Crabtree said. “Carnes shows that Nebraska is dedicated to using a dual-threat quarterback, and he should provide some immediate depth. Cooper is the type of ball-hawking safety that should thrive in coach Pelini’s defense.”
Carnes is the cousin of Tommie Frazier, another Bradenton native who quarterbacked the Huskers to national championships in 1994 and ’95.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Carnes threw for almost 2,500 yards and 24 touchdowns and ran for 440 yards and 12 more scores as a senior at Manatee High, Frazier’s alma mater.
Carnes will be the sixth scholarship quarterback in preseason practice and the seventh overall.
Bronson Marsh of Omaha, the all-time leading passer in Nebraska high schools, also signed with the Huskers. He told reporters at his signing ceremony at Millard South High that he deserves a shot at quarterback.
Pelini has other plans. He said Marsh was recruited as a safety and would not get an audition at quarterback unless Pelini chooses to move him.
Cooper is one of the top players out of the Chicago area and, according to Scout.com, one of the top 125 in the nation. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder made 70 tackles, broke up 16 passes and intercepted two for Proviso East High last fall.
Cooper chose the Huskers after visiting Arizona, Illinois and Notre Dame.
Nebraska signed six defensive linemen. Chase Rome of Columbia, Mo., is the most decorated. The 6-foot-3, 290-pounder only visited Nebraska, but he had offers from Florida, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Missouri. Rome graduated from high school in December and already is enrolled so he can go through spring practice.
In addition to Carnes, the Huskers landed a highly rated offensive prospect in running back Braylon Heard of Youngstown, Ohio.
Heard ran for 1,973 yards and 24 touchdowns while leading Pelini’s alma mater, Cardinal Mooney High, to a state championship.
Pelini said the Huskers generated momentum in recruiting from its near-miss against Texas in the Big 12 championship game and the 33-0 win over Arizona in the Holiday Bowl that ended a 10-4 season.
“People are starting to take notice of what we’re doing,” Pelini said. “The best recruiting tool is to win. We’re starting to do that, and we’re on the verge of doing some great things in the program, and that gets people’s attention.”
