Husker Recruiting Tales of Yore: Nebraska’s History with 5-Star Recruits

Nebraska’s smallest (and lowest-rated) class in memory officially wraps on Wednesday. The headliner of the class is undisputably Danny Odem, a rangy corner from Florida with first-round talent and an important distinction that raises the profile of Nebraska’s class: he’s a five-star.

Nebraska has only five five-stars in the modern recruiting era: Chris Septak, Marlon Lucky, Baker Steinkuhler, Dylan Raiola, and now Danny Odem. Each one of them whetted our appetite with their raw talent, made us giddy with possibility, and inevitably disappointed in some form or fashion. It’s a reality that comes with the accompanying hype.

Danny Odem on his official visit to Nebraska over the summer. | @d8nnyblokk/Instagram

But what was the Huskers’ experience with five-stars before 2000 and the internet boom?

While sites like On3 and 24/7 didn’t exist in the 20th Century, we can take their present-day criteria and reverse engineer them, looking at rankings, honors, and other distinctions to retroactively bestow a five-star appendage to the prep stars of yesteryear. While they may not be household names today, gurus like Joe Terranova, Max Emfinger, and Tom Lemming were the original authorities and many of their rankings are still available in the deepest, darkest corners of the Web today.

So, how do we determine who would qualify as a five-star if modern star systems applied to them in the 20th century?

Most star systems grant five stars to the top 30-35 players in a class – it’s easy enough to do the same with old Top 100 lists. Parade and USA Today assembled the most prestigious All-American groups of their day. Making their lists all but minted blue-chip status. Finally, to a lesser extent, we can assign five-star status based on their position ranking, if one exists.

Note that recruiting godfather Joe Terranova awarded stars (up to four), as did Forrest Davis and Tom Lemming in the 1990s. But we’re basing star rankings retroactively applying today’s criteria.

With apologies to those like Zack Bowman and Elijah Pritchett, we’ll eschew JUCOs and other transfers and only look at five-star signatures given to Nebraska out of high school.

What stands out from the list below? Unsurprisingly, there are a lot of running backs on the list, the bellwether position in Nebraska’s run-heavy heyday. There are a few QBs, too! But there is a smaller number of linemen than you would expect a program reputed for its pipeline would garner.

Let’s dig in!

Dave Humm, QB (1970)

David Humm looks to throw against UCLA. — Sep 9, 1972; Los Angeles, CA, USA: FILE PHOTO; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback David Humm (12) looks to throw against the UCLA Bruins during the 1972 season at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | Long Photography-Imagn Images

Ranked the number one quarterback in the country, Las Vegas native David Humm had a reported 104 offers out of high school. He himself made visits to 12 of those schools, the Huskers – who were the first to offer – being the last of them. Notably, legendary coach Bear Bryant brought New York Jet and Tide alumnus Joe Namath on his visit to see Humm. Still, Big Red won out over UCLA and Colorado (Bama was too far), thanks largely to the character of its coaching staff.

“The Nebraska coaching staff has the best overall personality in the country. I’m impressed,” Humm said of his recruitment.

Of course, Nebraska wasn’t the run-dominant, option offense many remember back when Humm played. Manning Tom Osborne’s I-formation, the southpaw gunslinger passed for a program record 5,236 yards and went 27-7-2 as a starter, piling up passing numbers that ranked tops for decades before Nebraska’s migration to more pass-friendly offenses in the 2000s. He also set an NCAA record for consecutive completions with 15. For his efforts, he was named first-team All-American in 1974.

Humm went on to be drafted by the Raiders of Los Angeles and won two Super Bowls there in a backup capacity. He died in March 2018 at the age of 65.

Roger Craig, RB (1979)

Roger Craig carries the ball against Denver. — Jan 28, 1990; New Orleans, LA, USA; FILE PHOTO; San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig (33) carries the ball against Denver Broncos cornerback Tyrone Braxton (34) during Super Bowl XXIV at the Superdome. The 49ers defeated the Broncos 55-10. | Darr Beiser-Imagn Images

Craig was ranked the number seven player nationally and the second-best running back overall (behind Eric Dickerson) despite not playing running back until his senior year in Davenport, Iowa. Afterwards, he became highly sought after. Luckily for Nebraska, Craig’s brother, Curtis, played wingback for Osborne from 1975-77.

“I’d be headed there, even if my brother hadn’t gone there,” Craig claimed. “Nebraska is the first-class program of them all.” Craig was also swayed by a good friend, Jamie Williams, who’d star at Nebraska the same time as Craig. Like Humm, Craig was recruited by Husker assistant coach John Melton.

The six-foot superstar was fourth in line on the depth chart as a freshman, running behind a murderer’s row of Jarvis Redwine, I.M. Hipp, and Craig Johnson. Unfortunately, it only became more daunting to play in 1981 when Mike Rozier showed up. Reportedly close friends, Craig selflessly gave up time to Rozier and moved to fullback in 1982. His career was not without highlights – Craig ran for 234 yards against Florida State in 1981.

As good as he was at Nebraska, rushing for 2,446 yards total, Craig was even better in the NFL. He was named to the NFL’s 1980 All-Decade Team and may finally get the call to the Pro Football Hall of Fame this month.

Terry Rodgers, RB (1986)

Before Dylan Raiola made the decision to follow his legendary father to NU, there was Terry Rodgers, five-star son of Heisman winner Johnny Rodgers. Perhaps coasting some on his father’s still radiating star, he was named California’s player of the year after he amassed 3,599 yards rushing in his career at Sweetwater High near San Diego. Max Emfinger ranked him 32nd nationally. But his signing dragged months after National LOI Day, though he did ultimately choose NU over USC.

He was so hyped by the media – the Omaha World-Herald ran 22 stories on the younger Rodgers during his recruitment – that fans soured on him before he even played a down. Rodgers himself fueled the hype by running a 4.38 40 during winter conditioning in January 1987, second fastest ever at NU behind only Keith Jones (4.33).

He ran for 135 yards in 10 games as a freshman on the varsity squad in ’86 but tore his knee in fall camp and redshirted his second year. He rebounded to run for 113 yards and a TD in the 47-16 win over Arizona State in 1988. Sadly, shortly after, he tore his ACL and missed the remainder of the year. He was never able to come back and retired from the sport after re-injuring the knee in 1990. He finished with 523 yards rushing and five touchdowns, total. Rodgers graduated in 1991.

Terry’s recruitment is a lesson in chasing a five-star when there was hidden talent just under the Huskers’ figurative nose. Upon his retirement, Charlie McBride claimed that he wasn’t permitted to offer a diminutive but electric back named Barry Sanders that really wanted to attend Nebraska because Osborne felt one small back – Rodgers – was all they should take. What could have been!

Mickey Joseph, QB (1987)

Joseph was ranked fourth nationally by Max Emfinger, making him perhaps the highest-rated recruit Nebraska has ever signed. His signature did not come easily. Osborne said he’d never spent so much time personally recruiting one athlete as he did in his pursuit of the fleet-footed option QB. Barry Switzer’s Oklahoma spent just as much energy putting ace recruiter Lucious Selmon on Joseph. Switzer felt confident they’d sold Joseph after an on-campus visit, but Osborne’s relationship with Joseph’s parents ultimately won out.

After backing up Steve Taylor and Gerry Gdowski from 1987-89, Joseph started eight games in 1990, competing with Mike Grant, who started three of his own. Joseph was tabbed as the starter to begin the 1991 season, but was pulled in the opener against Utah State after starting 1-of-7 passing and losing a fumble. Keithen McCant, who stuck with Nebraska despite their pursuit of Joseph, got the start the next week against Colorado State and never relinquished it.

“If I were the coach,” Mickey admitted, “I’d have to start Keithen.” The Huskers were the better for it. Behind McCant and an arsenal of skill talent as heavily hyped as Joseph himself, Nebraska finished third nationally in total offense and first in the Big Eight.

Post-college, Mickey went on to be a highly coveted assistant coach and even served as Nebraska’s interim head coach in 2022, earning the Huskers’ only win over Iowa in the last ten years. He’s currently the head coach at Grambling State.

Leodis Flowers, RB (1987)

Leodis Flowers’s rise to five-star fame was a long time coming. “We've heard about Flowers for two years. We've just been waiting for him to become a senior,” one Big Eight coach said. His talent was beyond question – the Omaha Central standout was often compared to Gale Sayers – but who he would sign with remained a mystery past Signing Day.

Once again, it was Osborne who sealed the deal. A phone call to Flowers put the Huskers over the top, and he sent in his LOI on Feb. 16 without ceremony.

At NU, Flowers accumulated 695 yards rushing in his first two years on campus, along with nine touchdowns, before taking the starting role in 1990. He averaged 6.3 yards per carry on his way to 940 yards and nine touchdowns total on the season.

Flowers washed out in the ensuing spring, going AWOL due to “personal problems”. Despite Coach Frank Solich’s efforts to corral him, he lost his love for the game and never played another down. He finished his career with 1,635 yards and 18 touchdowns in three seasons.

Dave Jensen, OL (1988)

Who, you might ask? A former offensive lineman, Jensen’s name doesn’t carry the recognition that a David Humm or Roger Craig retains decades later. But his prep credentials certainly fit the five-star bill. The Omaha Creighton Prep star was considered the 18th-best player in the country by Max Emfinger, 19th by the Dallas Morning News, and made second-team All-American by the USA Today.

However, his Husker career was marred by injury. He had surgery on a torn ligament in his thumb his true freshman season, then suffered a bad knee injury in his second year.

Jensen still found a way to contribute. He first emerged as a viable option on the line in his sophomore campaign, starting at the left guard spot in the early portion of the 1991 season. He served as a backup left tackle his senior season behind Lance Lundberg and Rob Zatechka, wrapping up his career with three letters to his name. Nothing to sneeze at, by any stretch, especially when you have to beat out the likes of Will Shields to play.

Derek Brown, RB (1989)

Brown was ranked the number one speed back in the country and 10th overall by Max Emfinger, regardless of position. SuperPrep touted him as the Player of the Year in the West. Parade and USA Today bestowed All-American credentials. A Californian, he attributed much of his interest in Nebraska to the San Francisco 49ers’ Roger Craig and Tom Rathman.

After having to sit out 1989 as a Prop 48 casualty, Brown went on to a good career at Nebraska. He broke out as a sophomore and wound up on countless “Best Of” lists. Among his accolades was being the only back to rush for 100+ against the vaunted Washington defense in 1991.

Relatively small at only 5-9 and 180 pounds, he preferred draw plays that allowed him to find alleys rather than plow straight ahead. He was often overshadowed by fellow We-Back, Calvin Jones, though both surpassed 1,000 yards in 1992.

Brown elected to forgo his senior season and enter the ’93 NFL Draft, where he was selected in the 4th Round by the Saints. He played four seasons for New Orleans, amassing over 1,300 yards and six touchdowns.

Calvin Jones, RB (1990)

Calvin Jones came to Nebraska from Omaha Central High School. | Nebraska Football Media Guide

A member of both the Parade and USA Today All-American teams, Omaha Central back Calvin Jones ranked 44th nationally by Max Emfinger. He committed to Nebraska and resisted last-minute overtures from Miami, who looked for retribution against Nebraska for nearly luring Carl “CJ” Richardson away (Richardson decamped to Nebraska briefly before signing with the Canes. Nebraska would face off against him in the ’95 Orange Bowl.)

Jones came out of the gate firing, earning more yards (900) than any freshman I-back before him. A big reason why was his historically magnificent day against Kansas in which he rushed for a then-record 294 yards and six touchdowns. In his sophomore year, he picked up where he left off, rushing for more than 1,200 yards and 14 scores. He started his junior season as a Heisman candidate, but an early knee injury cost him games. Jones still went on to finish with another thousand-yard season and inscribed his name in the Husker record books with the second most career yardage at the time of his early departure for the NFL.

For this writer’s money, Jones was the quintessential Husker I-Back, the prototypical ideal. He earned third-team All-American honors in 1993 and finished as a finalist for the Doak Walker award.

Sadly, Jones passed away last January at the age of just 54.

Tommie Frazier, QB (1992)

Tommie Frazier, Nebraska quarterback. — Tommie Frazier looks to pass. | Nebraska Athletics

A top 100 player nationally, Frazier was widely considered the best dual-threat quarterback available. Then-Nebraska Linebackers coach Kevin Steele worked tirelessly to sign Tommie, presciently telling a colleague that signing Frazier would yield two national titles. Frazier later said that he planned to attend Colorado before the Buffaloes told him they were going to make him a defensive back.

His signing with Nebraska came with both shock and praise. "He may be the best single player Nebraska's signed since I've been in the business," Max Emfinger said.

As far as Tommie’s career goes, what can be written that already hasn’t been? He won three national championship MVP awards, two crystal balls, finished second for the Heisman, and left a legacy as arguably the greatest Husker football player ever. Did he live up to the hype? No one ever fulfilled their potential better.

Ahman Green, RB (1995)

Ahman Green carries the ball against Oklahoma. | Nebraska Athletics

Largely considered the best running back in the country after averaging a staggering 9.7 yards per carry, Omaha Central’s Ahman Green racked up All-American honors by the bushel, including designations from Parade, USA Today, SuperPrep, and even Reebok.

Also interested in programs like Notre Dame and Penn State, he made home state Nebraska sweat out his recruitment, not committing until after Nebraska’s national title-sealing win over Miami in the ’95 Orange Bowl.

Green was worth the wait. He took over starting duties in 1995 after Lawrence Phillips’s suspension and powered the nation’s most dominant rushing attack, becoming the rare true freshman to surpass 1,000 yards on the year. Injuries dulled his sophomore campaign. Fortunately, Green saved his best for last. In 1997, he earned 2nd Team AP All-American honors and capped his career by taking Calvin Jones’ place at number two in all-time rushing yardage at Nebraska. In the NFL, he became the Green Bay Packers all-time leading rusher.

DeAngelo Evans, RB (1996)

After making waves by eclipsing Barry Sanders’ Kansas high school records, Evans made noise early by committing to Nebraska in the summer of 1995. Penn State took it well, and Joe Paterno wished him the best, but Notre Dame reputedly looked at firing one of the assistants who recruited DeAngelo, such was Lou Holtz’s dismay with losing him. After all, Evans was a Top 100 recruit, considered the second-best running back in the country by Tom Lemming.

So why Nebraska? Evans was in attendance for the Huskers’ Halloween bout against Colorado in 1992 and came away with an affinity for Big Red. He also noticed that Osborne gave true freshmen running backs a chance right away, as he did with Lawrence and Ahman. Redshirting was a dealbreaker for him.

Evans made a splash right away, spelling an oft-injured Ahman Green his freshman season in ’96. He amassed 776 yards on the ground and was anointed the next great Husker I-Back. But a litany of injuries robbed him of his 1997 and limited his 1998 outing to just three games. Evans quit the team in 1999 mid-season after a disappointing start to the year. He finished his career at Emporia State and faded into obscurity, a victim of his own hubris.

Chris Septak, TE (2000)

Able to dunk basketballs before he even shaved, Chris Septak set the Class A record by catching 16 touchdown passes his junior year at Millard West. With so much fanfare, he got an early offer from NU and a rare five-star designation from the recruiting services. He still ranks as the fourth-highest rated commit of all time for the Huskers, a quarter century later.

But his career at NU was marred by injury. He had a sports hernia, and then a lingering shoulder issue that led to surgery in both 2002 and again in 2004. In his first few years on campus, he only suited up a handful of times. He quit football in May 2004 after a disappointing career.

Marlon Lucky, RB (2005)

Now we get into the modern recruiting era that requires no guesswork as to whether they garnered five-star status or not.

Lucky was the centerpiece of the most hyped class in Nebraska’s history, ranking 5th in Rivals rankings and 1st in Tom Lemming’s. Most remarkably, Lucky resisted college football’s hottest program of the 2000s, USC, to sign with NU.

Marlon played early his true freshman year and started in 2006, but was ultimately usurped by junior Brandon Jackson. He set the reception record, regardless of position, during Nebraska’s ill-fated 2007 season. His senior season didn’t go as planned, however, and he was overtaken on the depth chart by Roy Helu. Lucky failed to get any traction in the NFL.

Baker Steinkuhler, OL (2008)

Baker was rated a five-star by Rivals.com in early 2007. Despite being slotted as an O-Lineman, Baker immediately moved to defensive tackle under new coach Bo Pelini. He was promoted into the starting lineup after Ndamukong Suh graduated in 2010 and was a mainstay there for the next three years.

The Steinkuhler legacy was never flashy, but his value was rarely understood. His absence in the Big 10 Title game of 2012 due to a leg injury was painfully noticeable. That same injury prohibited him from participating in Nebraska’s Pro Day in spring 2013, likely precluding him from getting an immediate shot at the League. He did have a tryout with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014 but never made an NFL roster.

Dylan Raiola, QB (2024)

Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola runs against USC. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The ink is barely dry on Raiola’s Husker career. The prized signal caller switched his commitment from Georgia to Nebraska in December 2023 to much fanfare, but too late to sway any of his fellow recruits.

He shined right away, wresting the starting job away from incumbent Heinrich Haarberg and impressing in the opener against UTEP. The Huskers experienced a mid-season swoon in which Dylan often failed to get rid of the ball and was knocked around as a result. But he piloted the Huskers to season-ending wins over Wisconsin and in the bowl game against Boston College.

Much was expected in 2025 and Raiola delivered good performances, lifting the Huskers' close-game curse by beating Maryland and Northwestern in the 4th quarter. But he never managed to get that marquee win the Huskers looked for, nor did he elevate the team with his play. He leaves having taken Nebraska’s profile up a notch, securing two winning seasons but having missed the mark of piloting Nebraska to a playoff contender or to a ranked win.

Others that were arguably five-stars out of high school

Grant Wistrom with the Lombari Trophy. | Nebraska Athletics

Willie Young, OL (1975) – A two-time high school All-American and Parade’s lineman of the year, he had over 100 suitors but failed to letter at NU.

Broderick Thomas, LB (1985) – Houston Defensive Player of the Year coming out of high school but he was nowhere to be found on two of the three Top 100s found for his graduating class.

LeRoy Etienne, LB (1985) – Twice named Louisiana Defensive Player of the Year, he was named to Street & Smith's Top 50 High School Seniors of 1984.

Nate Turner, WB (1987) – A Parade and USA Today All-American, the Chicago native was ranked the number two wingback in his 1987 class by Tom Lemming.

Grant Wistrom, DE (1994) – Everyone’s All-American in 1994, Wistrom was the best player in the state of Missouri and a top defensive end prospect.

Tony Ortiz, LB (1995) – A Parade All-American considered the best player in the Northeast.

Ralph Brown, DB (1996) – Named an All-American by just about everyone, he rated as Tom Lemming’s sixth-best corner in the class.

Mike Brown, DB (1996) – One of many Top 100 players in his class, Mike Brown was rated the best cornerback in the country coming out of high school.

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