This is an examination limited to recruits who played their senior year at an Iowa high school and signed a National Letter of Intent to play football at the Football Bowl Subdivision level (known as Division I-A until 2006). Players who walked on at Division I colleges and later earned a scholarship and players who first signed with a junior college were not included.
Rankings were compiled and players in each class were researched and reviewed by Jamie DeMoney using various online recruiting databases, all-conference and All-America lists and biographies provided by players’ colleges as reference material. Final rankings were determined by assessing the overall success at the college level of players in each class compared to the other classes. Injuries, academic casualties, and other non-football factors were given no special consideration or exception. In other words, players who did not have successful college careers were treated equally, regardless of circumstances.
Part I of this series examining Iowa signees from the 2000s was published last week.
1. 2007 (13 Football Bowl Subdivision signees)
Head of the class: Jared Crick (Cozad), Nebraska
Most of the 13 have used only half their college eligibility, but early returns already show this was the best in-state collection of talent in the 2000s. Crick and Omaha North’s Niles Paul earned all-conference accolades while leading Nebraska to the Big 12 championship game last season. This deep class saw prospects sign with Iowa, Miami, and TCU – but only two landed at Nebraska. Ten of those out-of-state signees have earned letters including Kearney’s Noah Keller, an All-MAC linebacker last season at Ohio.
2. 2008 (9 FBS signees)
Head of the class: Trevor Robinson (Elkhorn), Notre Dame
Arguably the most highly decorated in-state group of the decade, this class has already produced three starters at top-notch college programs. Robinson started 14 games at offensive guard in his true freshman and sophomore seasons with the Irish. Millard North’s Sean Fisher (Nebraska) and Omaha Central’s Shaun Prater (Iowa) became regulars in only their second year on campus. The most highly rated recruit of this class, Lincoln Southwest’s Baker Steinkuhler, is expected to be a first-string defensive tackle next season for Nebraska.
3. 2004 (14 FBS signees)
Head of the class: Seth Olsen (Millard North), Iowa
This, the largest in-state crop of Division I talent from the last decade, produced four eventual all-conference performers. Olsen, who twice received All-Big Ten recognition at Iowa, is now a backup offensive guard with the Denver Broncos. Omaha Central’s Cortney Grixby and Lincoln Southwest’s Ty Steinkuhler were standouts at Nebraska. Papillion-La Vista’s Allan Evridge was a starting quarterback at both Kansas State and Wisconsin.
4. 2002 (10 FBS signees)
Head of the class: Nick Leaders (Millard West), Iowa State
Leaders and Creighton Prep’s Stevie Hicks enjoyed stellar careers at Iowa State, earning All-Big 12 recognition and leading the Cyclones to back-to-back bowl trips in 2004 and 2005. Pierce’s Matt Herian had a pair of all-conference seasons at Nebraska before breaking his leg in 2005. The Huskers signed seven in-state players in 2002, their highest total of the decade.
5. 2003 (10 FBS signees)
Head of the class: Bo Ruud (Lincoln Southeast), Nebraska
Ruud, who committed to the Huskers before his junior year of high school, was a three-year starter and twice named All-Big 12. Omaha Benson’s Tierre Green made 36 starts at Nebraska and played three different positions. Bellevue East’s Sean Douglas went the Pac-10 route and became Washington’s all-time leader in yards-per-punt average.
6. 2001 (7 FBS signees)
Head of the class: Barrett Ruud (Lincoln Southeast), Nebraska
This is the only class in the 2000s that produced a Nebraskan who currently starts for an NFL team. Ruud set a school record for tackles with the Huskers before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Creighton Prep’s Titus Adams was a Parade All-American who capped his college career with All-Big 12 accolades at Nebraska.
7. 2000 (10 FBS signees)
Head of the class: Mike Erickson (Papillion-La Vista), Nebraska
Erickson, one of the highest-rated members of this class, started 37 consecutive games and made two All-Big 12 teams to close his career with the Huskers. Millard West’s Chris Septak was the Gatorade state player of the year, but battled injuries and never lettered at Nebraska.
8. 2009 (7 FBS signees)
Head of the class: Too early to tell
Similar to 2007, Nebraska signed only two members of this in-state class. However, the only two players to whom the Huskers reportedly offered scholarships – Lincoln Northeast’s Cole Pensick and Gross Catholic’s C.J. Zimmerer – both accepted. The ultimate success of this class will also be closely tied to the future success of Kansas defensive end Tyrone Sellers (McCook) and Oregon quarterback Daryle Hawkins (Omaha Central).
9. 2006 (11 FBS signees)
Head of the class: Nathan Enderle (North Platte), Idaho
With one season of eligibility remaining, Enderle is already a three-year starter at Idaho and led the Vandals to their first bowl game in more than a decade. He is one of six players in the class that signed with out-of-state programs. Two others of note were Millard North products Jeff Tarpinian (Iowa) and Paul Homer (Washington). Thus far, the most accomplished player who stayed home us Omaha Burke’s Ricky Henry, who started at right guard for Nebraska last season.
10. 2005 (9 FBS signees)
Head of the class: Zach Potter (Creighton Prep), Nebraska
Potter lived up to the billing as the top prospect in this class. He made an immediate impact with the Huskers as a true freshman and was an All-Big 12 honoree two times. Millard North’s Jake Behrens (Colorado) and Omaha Central’s Nate Prater (Kansas State) left the state for two of Nebraska's biggest rivals, but neither made an impact.
Other findings
* Omaha Central had the most Division I signees in the 2000s of any high school in Nebraska with 13. (The Eagles captured one Class A state championship during the decade but made it past the first round of the playoffs only one other time.) The next-highest total belonged to Millard North with 10 followed by Lincoln Southeast (8) and Papillion-La Vista (6). Creighton Prep and Omaha Westside each had five.
* Only 23 of Nebraska’s 100 FBS signees in the 2000s were from communities located more than 50 miles from the Omaha-Lincoln Interstate 80 corridor. McCook, the state’s 14th-largest city outside the Omaha-Lincoln metro, produced three FBS recruits during the decade.
* Nebraska signed 42 in-state players during the 10-year period. A disproportionate number of the signings happened in the first half of the decade. Twenty-six Nebraskans (62 percent of the total) signed with the Huskers between 2000-2004.
* More Nebraskans signed with Kansas State last decade than any other out-of-state program. The Wildcats attracted eight recruits from the state. Ohio, which is led by former Huskers coach Frank Solich, picked up six Nebraska natives – all between 2005-2009. Iowa and Wyoming signed five apiece.
Jamie DeMoney has covered high school sports and recruiting for more than 15 years. He is editor and founder of PrepNation.com. You can reach him at PrepNation@aol.com.