Turner Corcoran has the Lincoln lingo down.
The coveted offensive tackle prospect from Lawrence (Kan.) Free State rattles off multiple local restaurants he wants to visit with his family Friday night. He knows what and where the Haymarket is.
Perhaps no uncommitted 2020 recruit knows more about Nebraska football than Corcoran. He names coaches he wants to catch up with, from Scott Frost and O-line coach Greg Austin to multiple player personnel staffers. Steve DeMeo — a graduate manager on the offensive line — is on his list too.
"I want to say this is visit No. 8," said Corcoran, who attended three games last fall. "Someone on Twitter was saying I've been there 10 times. I was like, 'What the hell? There's no way I've been there 10 times.' But if it's 10, then it's 10."
The 6-foot-6, 270-pound Corcoran will make the drive with his parents and sister this time to make a weekend around the Saturday spring game. He's one of roughly a dozen 2020 recruits with NU offers who will attend the scrimmage, which kicks off at 1 p.m. The consensus four-star prospect with offers from schools like Ohio State and Oklahoma said he has no other spring visits planned and "it'll just be Nebraska for now."
But while Corcoran is looking to build on face-to-face relationships, other unofficial visitors are ready to establish them.
Christopher Townsel, a 2020 defensive back from Deerfield Beach, Florida, landed a Husker offer last May and texts daily with DBs coach Travis Fisher. Nebraska has visited him a couple times, but he's making the 1,600-mile trip with his mom to get a firsthand look at what his college experience could be like.
"How (Fisher) treats them, how the DBs play, how they fare under pressure," Townsel said. "I want to see if I can fit in with the team as a whole."
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound three-star recruit considers the Huskers among his top schools along with Indiana, Iowa State and a couple others who have yet to offer. Nebraska stands out, he said, because it wants him as both a safety and corner. And Fisher zigs when other schools zag, talking about his future as a person beyond just football.
Townsel also has a Deerfield Beach coach and teammates who give rave reviews after they trekked to last year's spring game.
"They said it was one of the best experiences as a spring game itself, one of the best atmospheres to be in in the game of college football," Townsel said. "I feel like Nebraska has the strongest relationship with me."
» Jamar Sekona, 6-3, 300, DL, Greenbrae (Calif.) Marin Catholic: He quickly got an offer from new defensive line coach Tony Tuioti, who had been recruiting Sekona to California. According to Sekona’s high school coach, Mazi Moayed, Sekona weighs 300 pounds but runs and looks like he’s closer to 260. He’s “lightfooted” enough, Moayed said, to play nose or end in Nebraska’s defense. Sekona played rugby until three years ago, when he switched to football.
» Malik Reed, 6-1, 215, LB, Chandler (Ariz.): The three-star prospect played a variety of spots for Chandler last season, including some defensive end. He could project to either inside or outside linebacker at NU. Chandler coach Rick Garretson said Reed is a strong student in the classroom who turns on a switch once he reaches the field.
“He can be an edge rusher, a drop back into coverage guy, a run filler,” Garretson said. “He’s multiple and he has a nose for the football. If you’re on offense and you’re playing Chandler, you have to know where he’s at, because he’s going to cause some issues.”
» Tommy Christakos, 6-4, 205, ATH, Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral: Slated to visit Nebraska and Iowa State on a Midwest swing, according to Rivals, Christakos is a soccer star-turned-football-player who, in NU’s system, could play receiver or bulk up to tight end.
» Blaise Gunnerson, 6-5, 255, OLB, Carroll (Iowa) Kuemper: NU has made recruiting Iowa one of its priorities, and Gunnerson, one of the few three-star prospects in Iowa not committed to the Hawkeyes or Cyclones, could be the Huskers’ best chance. Gunnerson missed the 2018 season with a labrum tear in his hip, said Kuemper coach Chad Klein.
“He’s still explosive with his movements, and he’s a lot bigger and lot stronger than when he played,” Klein said. “He’s put on weight the good way.”
Nebraska is hosting Gunnerson for the third time and “provides something different,” Klein said, because he’d be a 3-4 outside linebacker in NU’s system, similar to current Husker Alex Davis.
» Logan Loya, 5-11, 180, SLOT, Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco: A splashy junior season — 73 catches, 1,057 yards, 11 touchdowns — put this twitchy slot receiver on the radar of many Power Five schools. The four-star got an offer from USC in late March but makes a trip east to see Nebraska on Saturday. Bosco is one of the power programs in Southern California.
» Danny Striggow, 6-4, 220, ATH, Long Lake (Minn.) Orono: Another two-sport star, Striggow is one of the nation’s top 220-pound wrestlers. He told Rivals he hasn’t decided whether he’ll wrestle or play football at the next level, but Striggow has an Iowa offer, along with Northern Illinois. Nebraska will evaluate.
» Alex Conn, 6-6, 280, OT, Derby (Kan.): Conn visited during Nebraska's first Junior Day in February after receiving an offer. Arizona offered this week, and the rising prospect also has offers Iowa State, TCU and Kansas State. His Derby coaches have been to Lincoln for Husker practices and have a relationship with the current staff.
» Clarence Hicks, 6-3, 235, outside linebacker, Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College: After a huge 2018 — 14 sacks, 23 tackles for loss — Hicks planned to sign with East Carolina in February. After what Hicks called “wishy-washy stuff” with ECU, the Pirates cut off contact, and Hicks has been sending out film to schools, including Nebraska. NU coaches saw it, contacted Hicks' coaches, and he’s taking a visit. NU has yet to offer a scholarship, but he has new offers to Florida International, Texas-San Antonio and Charlotte. Hicks is being considered for the role just vacated by Luke Gifford.
» A contingency from Fort Scott (Kansas) Community College: Last season, NU hosted a group of players from Garden City, including running back Dedrick Mills, who eventually committed. This season, Fort Scott may bring a group of 2020 prospects to NU, including former Louisville offensive tackle Toryque Bateman and former North Carolina linebacker Malik Robinson.
» Sione Fotu, 6-1, 225, inside linebacker, Salt Lake City Bingham: The Huskers are on the hunt for more inside linebackers, and Fotu — who has offers from California, Utah and Utah State — is one to watch, especially as Nebraska tries to use coach Tony Tuioti’s West Coast connections in recruiting.
