LINCOLN, Neb. (KMTV) — The Nebraska football team unveiled 13 new scholarship signees for its 2022 recruiting class and the Huskers' three new assistant coaches met the media on Wednesday.
"I'm really excited about the young men that we’ve added today," head coach Scott Frost said. "I would imagine that we’re not done with the recruiting process. That’s going to keep going probably through Christmas break and through the next signing period and maybe even beyond that."
The class features three in-state signees including Millard South's Gage Stenger. The Patriots' quarterback threw for 17 touchdowns and no interceptions this past season.
"This winter and spring I'm going to continue throwing with Bronson Marsh and Ryker Fyfe and working on my quarterback skills for when I get there," said Stenger. "Then if quarterback's not working out, then I'll be switching to the defensive side, hopefully safety and nickel."
Also on Wednesday, new offensive coordinator Mark Whille gave his initial impressions of the Big Red.
"When you walk into the facility, there's no feeling it's a 3-9 team," Whipple said. "There's a positive feedback. The kids have been really good that I've met."
Another new NU assistant is wide receivers coach Mickey Joseph. The former Husker quarterback is returning to Lincoln after spending the last five years in the same role at LSU.
"I'm probably hated in Louisiana because I offered all their top recruits," said Joseph. "But so far, the guys I know around the country, the connects I have say congratulations. And they're still willing to help me land some kids. It's been open arms. Except I'm sure LSU is a little upset but that's part of the game."
🏈"I'm going to be able to bring a kid up from the South & tell them why they should stay...because this is the best place for you."
— Adam Krueger (@AdamKruegerTV) December 16, 2021
Great stuff from new #Huskers WR coach Mickey Joseph when asked if he ever had 2nd thoughts about leaving NU as a player. pic.twitter.com/U572WXsDd7
Here are Coach Frost's comments on the 12 recruits that were signed through early afternoon on Wednesday (Courtesy of Nebraska Media Relations):
On Chase Androff: "Chase Androff is a guy that is from Minnesota a tight end for us that Coach (Sean) Beckton identified early on as somebody that he thought fit what he wanted to do. We are excited about him and love his size and his potential. We have got some good young tight ends in the program right now and would not have taken one there if we did not think he was a talented kid that could come in and help us. So he is coming down from Minnesota and we are really excited to see what he can do.”
On Jake Appleget: “Jake Appleget is a Lincoln Southeast kid and was at our camp. We really liked him. We really like his athletic ability. He played both sides of the football for Lincoln Southeast so I was able to go to one of their football games and watch him. He is a Husker through and through and a Lincoln kid. We do not want to miss out on really good athletes that we think can develop into really good players for us especially here in the state of Nebraska. So Jake was a pretty easy decision for us and we are looking forward to spending more time with him.”
On Justin Evans-Jenkins: "Justin Evans-Jenkins is a kid that we have had our eye on for a long time. His whole recruitment kind of happened late. He is a kid that wrestles in high school and has the right demeanor. I love how aggressive he plays, and really believe in his potential. We kind of were selective with our spots and being really careful with our spots and did not want to give them away to anybody that we didn’t think was somebody we felt really good about being able to come in and make a difference for us. We brought Justin in on the last visit possible and after he was here, everybody liked him even more. We really wanted him to get around our new offensive line coach Coach (Donovan) Raiola and they hit it off and Donovan really believes in him. We were really excited to get that addition late.”
On Jaeden Gould: "Another late addition from New Jersey was Jaeden Gould. Coach (Mike) Dawson did a great job with him and Coach (Erik Chinander) and Coach (Travis Fisher) did a great job with him. He’s somebody we recruited really hard early on in the process, and he was committed to another school. There was a lot of change obviously, in college football this year and a lot of kids committed to places that all of a sudden at the end of the season, found out they were committed somewhere without a coach or a different coach. I think that changed a lot of perspectives and got a lot of kids back on the market. We were just elated that Jaeden got back in touch with us. I flew out to Jersey to see him and his family. I feel like he’s a big time player that can come in and hopefully help us early, and we just feel great about getting back in on him.”
On Malcolm Hartzog: "Malcolm Hartzog is another defensive back. He was one of the players of the year in Mississippi. He’s another kid where we did not know a whole lot about him until one of the bye weeks when some of the coaches went out. Coach (Erik Chinander) did a great job of going out and hitting the pavement. He went down South and came back and told me that everywhere he went all the coaches in the area were talking about him. I think he is a kid that has a really good corner skill and can also help us on special teams and in the return game. He came up on a visit and everybody loved his personality and everything too, so it was another late add with Malcolm but I am really excited about him.”
On Ernest Hausmann: "I am fired up about Ernest. He is a Nebraska kid from (Columbus), and he has not played football his whole life like other kids but I see the potential there for him to have an elite career. I am really excited to add him to our young core of linebackers and see what he can do. I love his demeanor and his love for the game, and I am really fired up about his talent.”
On Victor Jones Jr.: "Victor Jones is a receiver. Coach (Sean) Beckton did a great job with him. We have known Victor since my time in Florida. He is another kid with elite speed and potential at that position. Victor also does some really good things on special teams and the kick return and punt return game. He was one of our earliest commits, and we’re really grateful that he stuck with us and is going to come up and play for us. We are excited to get him into the program.”
On Jalil Martin: "(Coach Travis Fisher) did a great job with him. Jalil’s a safety from Chicago that was not really on our radar until he came down to football camp this summer. Fisher started watching him and started to get really interested then he went to grab (Coach Chinander) and he started to get really interested then they came and grabbed me and I got really interested. He is another great kid with a great family. I feel honestly that he is under-recruited a little bit and we are lucky that we got him to Nebraska.”
On DeShon Singleton: "DeShon is a junior college safety from Hutch (Hutchinson CC). He is a kid originally from Louisiana who came up on a midweek visit last week. We actually started watching him over the course of the fall semester and during the season, and we are really impressed with him. We just needed to get around him and make sure that he was our kind of guy. (Coach Fisher) drove all the way to Hutch to watch a game the weekend before he came up. He was here on a Wednesday-Thursday visit. We are really excited about him. Safety is one spot on our roster where we are a little short on numbers, and I think he is going to be a really good addition that will hopefully come in and compete right away.”
On Gage Stenger: "Gage is awesome. I am excited about him, too. His team was probably throughout the course of the year one of the best in the state, and he was arguably one of the best players in the state. If there is a player like that in Nebraska we want him here. He is another great kid from a great family. He is a high character guy. I am not sure where Gage will end up playing yet but I have a lot of confidence in him as an athlete that wherever he ends up he is going to make a difference on our football team.”
On Brody Tagaloa: "Brody Tagaloa is a kid from California. We were recruiting him for a long time. Tony Tuioti did a great job with him. He plays tight end at his school and plays defensive line. He is another guy that I am not 100 percent sure where he will end up but I just love his size and athletic ability and who he is as a person and as a kid, and I cannot wait to get him in the program and find out where the best spot for him is and I know he will be a difference maker.”
On Richard Torres: "I am really selective with quarterbacks. We were looking at a lot of guys and recruiting a lot of guys. We had some guys and names on our board. Richie goes to a school where I do not think recruiters go through as much as some other places and in my opinion was a little bit under the radar. I think he has got elite arm talent. He got hurt this year but he will be back as an early enrollee and ready for spring. Especially with Coach (Mark) Whipple coming in and some of the things that we are thinking about doing, I think he is going to fit in really well and I cannot wait to work with him.”
