Watson Staying, Recruiting tidbits

Like the rest of you, I breathed a large sigh of relief when hearing that Shawn Watson is staying in Lincoln. The last thing we needed with signing day less than two weeks away is to lose one of our main recruiters and the bridge between the Callahan era and the new regime. While he stood to make more money at Alabama, I'm glad that Watson didn't turn his back on the school that stuck with him when getting rid of the rest of the old staff, or the kids that he promised he would be there for. It's a rarity in today's coaching world to see staff continuity, but that's something that NU should strive for if we are going to be consistent like we were from 1970-2003. I don't think anybody will ever the kind of staff stability we saw under T.O. where guys would be on staff for 20+ years, it's just a different world now, but it's still something to shoot for, even if it's ultimately futile.

As you may have read, much-ballyhooed linebacker recruit Will Compton reaffirmed his commitment to NU. Compton was one of the big holdovers from Callahan's recruiting class, and to lose him would have been a large psychological blow to the recruiting efforts of the Huskers. Sure, we really haven't gained anything from his announcement, after all he never even left. But as one of the top 3 guys in our class, it was important that we held onto him. I'm no recruiting expert (I don't have a degree in it....oh wait, you don't need a degree? So what makes someone a recruiting expert? Oh, anybody can do it? Hmm.....), but watching Compton's videos gives me pause. They say he's a 4.6 guy, but I'm not sure--a lot of his tackles are shoestring plays where he barely makes the play. Now, in high school, that's fine. But in college, you're not going to even make it to the guy at the speed I see Compton moving. I think he'll struggle his first year adjusting to the speed of the game. Once we get him in the Husker training program though, this kid should be a player. He reads plays extremely well, and does a great job of getting off blocks.

Meanwhile, DT Eddie Brown from Texas, who just committed on Sunday, is now apparently not sure where his heart is after being offered (finally) by his favorite, Texas A&M. He stated throughout his recruitment that AtM was the leader, but after it became apparent that he wasn't one of their priorities and that they didn't want to use a scholarship on him, he decided that NU was the place to go. A&M probably thought that his love for them would enable them to convince him to walk on and save them a scholarship. Once he accepted NU's offer though, the Aggies changed their tune and offered him. He is, as of right now, still a Nebraska commit, but there's no guarantee how long that will last. If you're Brown, don't you have to at least take into account how the Aggies jerked you around the past couple months? Isn't it pretty obvious what's going on when the school that you wanted all along takes you for granted and only offers you when you promise to go somewhere else? What I always have to remind myself of is the fact that these kids are 18 years old and are their own person. When I was 18 (and this was only 6 years ago), I was a complete dumbass who had no idea what I wanted to do. Now I'm a 24 year old dumbass who has no idea what I want to do. But the difference is that my decision-making has a lot more rationale and thought to it then it did then. When it comes to Brown, the first reaction is to be upset if he changes his mind....but then I think about this: If I were a big-time recruit and Iowa had wanted me all along, and Nebraska only offered me after I committed to the Hawkeyes, would I be swayed? When you love a school like all of us love NU (or Brown the Aggies), sometimes it doesn't matter how they've treated you. You'll always feel the pull for the childhood favorite, which is why I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Brown defect.

In other news, Bo's contract was finalized, giving us the 8th-highest paid coach in the Big 12. I may be wrong, but I don't think I'm the only one who feels like we're getting a bargain. According to the article, Pelini's income is in the same neighborhood as the head coaches at Tulsa, Hawaii, and NC State. And if he does as well as we all think he will, that's going to be a hell of a deal for NU. Of course, if he does what we all hope (win conference and national titles), that'll tack on another 800 grand. So that's a nice incentive for him. The most interesting tidbit from the article: Tom Osborne, with the 50,000 dollar incentive for winning the national title, made under $200,000 in '97. Read that again. That's less than most assistants make now. What a difference a decade makes.

This has nothing to do with football, but why in the hell does anyone live in Minnesota from November to March? If I have to walk to my car in many more 25-below days, I'm going to kill myself. Or, more likely, move to Arizona (extra points for any place where cheerleaders endorse usage of the SHOCKER) or Costa Rica. For those of you not in MN, you really have no idea just how miserable the populace is up here- between every sports team being terrible and the weather, this city is PISSED. I'd give anything for even a 40 degree day.