ESPN College Football

With spring practice over, we're looking at the most indispensable players on each Big Ten team. Not necessarily the best players, but those who would be hardest to replace because of their value to the team or because of a lack of depth at their position.

We're picking two players from each team, usually offense and defense but not always. Let's turn our attention to the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

RB Rex Burkhead, Sr.

Losing quarterback Taylor Martinez would be a huge blow for the Huskers, but I still think the offense would find ways to be productive with its ground game. I'm not sure if the same would be true without Burkhead, who ran for 1,357 yards and 15 touchdowns last year. Ameer Abdullah hasn't proved that he can be an every-down back yet, and Aaron Green's transfer thinned what was once enviable depth in the Nebraska backfield. Incoming freshman Imani Cross could help, but he is a freshman. Plus, Burkhead brings such a tough-minded mentality to the team that his value is hard to quantify. Let's just say he is an indispensable part of the Cornhuskers' Big Ten title hopes.

LB Will Compton, Sr.

Compton came on strong down the stretch last season, finishing second on the team with 77 tackles. Lavonte David rightly got all the headlines at linebacker, but Compton provided a nice complement and quarterbacked the defense. With David now off to the NFL, it's up to this fifth-year senior to lead a position otherwise filled with question marks. Compton drew strong reviews for his play this spring and is expected to be a leader in the locker room for the Blackshirts. While other defensive players like Cameron Meredith and Baker Steinkuhler will be key figures, Compton looks like the hardest one to replace.

Nebraska boasts arguably the Big Ten's deepest running back corps, but the group just got a bit thinner.

Sophomore Aaron Green has decided to transfer, his father told multiple media outlets Sunday night. Green, a San Antonio native, likely will move closer to home and select a Big 12 program. Oklahoma and TCU are among his potential transfer destinations, according to his father, Tony.

From the Omaha World-Herald:

"He wasn't happy," Tony Green said. "He didn't feel that he fit into the system. He wants to get closer to home."

Green had 24 carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns as a true freshman in 2011, playing behind Nebraska's All-Big Ten back Rex Burkhead. Green seemed frustrated with his limited role, but he and classmate Ameer Abdullah logged most of the running back reps this spring as they competed to back up Burkhead in the fall. Both players drew praise from the coaching staff and likely would have received most of the carries in Nebraska's spring game, which was canceled because of bad weather.

"Aaron Green and Ameer Abdullah have had really good springs," Huskers offensive coordinator Tim Beck told me this month. "They were just true freshmen last year, so they're another part of the recipe."

The recipe apparently left a sour taste for Green, who made his decision to transfer during spring practice, according to his father.

Green arrived at Nebraska as the Big Ten's highest-rated recruit in the 2011 class, ranked as the nation's No. 11 overall player in the ESPN 150. While he wouldn't have played ahead of Burkhead this fall, he and Abdullah seemed positioned to compete for the top job heading into 2013.

Green's older brother, Andrew, is a cornerback for the Huskers.

Nebraska still has decent depth at running back, although it moved Braylon Heard, who had 25 carries last season, to cornerback this spring. Heralded recruit Imani Cross joins the Huskers this summer, and fullback Mike Marrow, a transfer from Eastern Michigan, drew strong reviews this spring.

This is Part II of our Big Ten recruiting roundtable. Once again, our experts are senior national recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill, Midwest recruiting writer Jared Shanker and Scouts Inc. recruiting coordinator Craig Haubert.

Topic 4: After the top tier of Ohio State and Michigan, what other Big Ten schools have done a good job with this class?


Tom Luginbill: "Michigan State has done a really good job on offense. They had to replace a some wide receivers, and their top two players in the class are receivers, in my opinion. I think they've done a nice job with the offensive line and on the edge with the defensive line. But they haven't addressed maybe their defensive tackle needs. Really, David Fennell is the only one in the whole class. But they're going to recruit their style of guy and they're going to develop them and mold them, because this isn't a program that feels it has to play true freshmen.

"I've been a little bit surprised that there isn't more of a Texas presence in [Nebraska's] class. I understand their want and need to create a presence in the Midwest, because that's where half of their livelihood is during the fall. But you look at where their guys are from -- Missouri, Colorado, Utah, Georgia, Ohio, Illinois -- and you're only really talking about one Texas prospect in their entire class, and that's a little bit surprising. Michael Rose is a really good player on the inside at linebacker and in front of him Paul Thurston out of Colorado has a chance to be a really good one, too. So they've done a nice job in the front seven overall, which they obviously needed to do."

Jared Shanker: “Wisconsin really tried to swing for the fences and went after some top guys. They only have 12 commitments. It’s not a whole lot in quantity, but there is some good quality. They have four four-star guys, and in the 2010 and ‘11 classes, they had one four-star guy combined. It looks like they really slowed down after the season started. They were going after some big guys. It looks like they’re going to lose Kyle Dodson. They lost the other offensive tackle, [J.J.] Denman. They’re hoping to get Jordan Diamond, but if I had to guess, I think he’ll end up at Michigan. They sent out a couple last-second offers to some other offensive tackles. Wisconsin, it looks like they tried to take that next step in recruiting. They whiffed on some, but I still like what they did overall with the class, even though they don’t have a whole bunch of numbers.

“Nebraska didn’t have a whole bunch of room. They had 14 or 15 guys, but they’re hoping to get three or four more. It looks like they’ll get Andrus Peat, one of the best tackles in the nation. He’s a guy they’ve been high on the whole time. Getting Imani Cross, the running back out of Georgia, was a big pickup. It looks like they’re probably going to land three-star Vincent Valentine out of Illinois. It would be a pretty successful signing day for them [if they get Peat and Valentine]."

Craig Haubert: “Very quietly Iowa, especially down the stretch here, has put together a pretty solid class. They just picked up a four-star offensive lineman, Alex Kozan. He was their sixth four-star guy in their class, so they’re doing a really good job. They’ve done a nice job in the trenches, especially on the offensive line where they’ve got some guys leaving and need some guys. They’re not a team a lot of people are buzzing about, but they’ve quietly done a good job.

“Michigan State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, you can lump together. If you ask five people to look at those classes and rank them, you’d probably get three different answers. With Wisconsin, it’s a very small class but a good class, just not much in numbers. The same can be said for Nebraska. They’re going to sign a small class, too, but did a great job filling needs at linebacker. The Armstrong kid can develop into a nice fit for them at quarterback.

“Northwestern, getting Ifeadi Odenigbo was, in the six or seven years I’ve been doing this, the most significant defensive pickup they’ve gotten in that time. Over the years they’ve actually picked up some pretty good offensive guys, but in our eyes, they’ve never landed anybody quite to his caliber, especially coming out of high school.”

Topic 5: What are your surprises and disappointments in the Big Ten for this class?


CH: “The team that’s really surprised me is Minnesota. They’ve done a really good job. That being said, they’re going to probably still finish in the lower half. But if you look at their class, they’ve done a very good job, and they’re on the heels of some of the teams right in front of them. The only difference with their class and some of the Michigan States and Wisconsins and Iowas, when you get to the meat of the class, Minnesota drops off a little bit. But at the top of their class, they’ve done a great job. They’ve got two really god wide receivers in Andre McDonald, who is a Minnesota kid, and Jamel Harbison, a kid out of North Carolina who’s a really good player. ... Considering how bad they’ve been on the field the last few years, this is a really good class. If you’re a Minnesota fan, you can look at this class and say there’s only a limited amount of prospects coming out of the state of Minnesota. You’ve got to be able to keep them. They’ve done that, and they’ve gotten some decent out-of-state pickups.

“A disappointment is Illinois. There’s a real possibility they could finish last in the conference. Any time you get a coaching change, that can cause some problems, but their class is just not very strong, and they lost a few guys after Zook was fired. So it’s really not a very strong class. They’ve been a team that has shown over the years that they can put together some pretty good classes. While they’ve surprised at times with some of those classes with guys like [Arrelious] Benn, it’s probably equally surprising how opposite this is.”

JS: “The disappointment is Michigan and Ohio State are up there and there isn’t another Big Ten team in the class rankings. You’d expect Michigan and Ohio State to always be up there, but with Michigan struggling recently and Ohio State going through its turmoil, if you were the other programs you hope this is an opportunity to maybe close the gap in recruiting. And none of them were able to do that. Not that they got bad classes, but you would have hoped that they’d take full advantage.”

TL: "I think Minnesota has slowly but surely put together a pretty nice looking group. When you consider the issues with Jerry Kill and his health throughout the fall and the fact they had an abysmal year on the gridiron, they've still been able to get three of the top five guys within the state. I would say their top five-to-seven guys would probably exceed expectations from what they'd normally be able to draw. It's a very big and deep class. So I think they're a surprise that's fallen under the radar to some degree.

"Another team where things weren't ideal for them on the field but they put together a pretty decent class is Iowa. They've done a pretty nice job of getting a lot of high-end three-star, low-end four-star players that aren't getting that internet notoriety, which they could care less about.

"I wouldn't say there's any disappointment. Northwestern has done as good a job as they can given their parameters. I don't want to judge Tim Beckman yet, because he's just now laying down his blueprint."

Topic 6: Give us three or four players who can make an immediate impact next season.


TL: "I think Noah Spence could have an impact at the defensive end spot for Ohio State. I think either Aaron Burbridge or Monty Madaris at receiver for Michigan State will likely be asked to contribute in some way, shape or form, just because there's a significant need there. Michigan could have quite a few guys come in and play a role. Maybe Devin Funchess at a need position [tight end] for them on offense. A guy who may surprise and get on the field pretty quickly for them is Joe Bolden, a linebacker."

JS: “Ifeadi Odenigbo, going to Northwestern, coming in he’s going to obviously have to add some weight, but he’s a guy that can be a situation pass rusher, coming in on third down and maybe end up with six, seven, eight sacks as a freshman just with his speed off the edge.

“Adolphus Washington, committed to Ohio State. He’s another guy who could make a big impact. He had a huge senior season. He doesn’t play against the best competition, but I was really impressed watching him, the few times I saw him this year.

“And if he gets a chance, even on special teams, I really like Joe Bolden, going to Michigan. I saw him play in the opener, and he has great instincts. He was making two steps in the direction the play was going to go before the ball was even snapped. I wasn’t down in St. Petersburg, but I heard he tore up the Under Armour game.”

CH: “Any time you’re a five-star guy, you’ve got to look at a guy like Noah Spence. Joe Bolden, he’s got a chance for two reasons: he’s already on campus, and he’s a pretty good football player, a pretty instinctive guy. Also for Ohio State, Adolphus Washington, a kid with good size, great motor.

“In Iowa’s class, Greg Garmon. He fits their system well.

“For Nebraska, that corner they got out of juco [Mohammed Seisay] is pretty good. But sticking with the high school kids, Imani Cross was a great pickup for them. He was committed to Tennessee at one point. He’s a really good running back, a bit bigger, but in addition to being a good prospect, he’s a great fit for them. He’s a no-nonsense runner. He finds his hole, makes one cut and gets up field. And for a need at linebacker, [Michael] Rose is really good, too. I really was impressed with the job he did down at the Under Armour game. He’s got good size for a kid coming out of high school, a linebacker, pretty savvy in coverage, too, for a high school kid.”

John Papuchis' first phone call came from the tarmac in Phoenix. The next came several hours later from Omaha.

Like most college football assistants, Papuchis, Nebraska's defensive coordinator, is racking up plenty of frequent-flyer miles right now. National signing day arrives Wednesday, and Nebraska, which has 14 verbal commits after Imani Cross' pledge, hopes for a strong closing kick.

"There's certainly some kids that we're after who I think we have a good chance of getting," Papuchis told ESPN.com on Thursday. "If they end up coming, it's going to take our class from being very solid and what I feel like is a good class, to being a great class. The next week is going to tell the tale."

Last February, Nebraska signed its first class of recruits who would play their entire careers in the Big Ten. Nebraska since has become a full Big Ten member (July 1) and played a season in its new conference.

How has Big Ten membership impacted Nebraska's recruiting? The changes are more subtle than dramatic, according to Papuchis, who served as the teams recruiting coordinator in 2011.

"A lot of recruiting is relationship-based, and we weren't going to scrap all of the relationships that we had worked so hard over the years to develop, whether it was in Texas or California or Arizona or anywhere else," Papuchis said. "We just expanded the pie a little bit as opposed to restructuring it."

Nebraska continues to recruit nationally, and its 14 verbal commits hail from 10 different states. But Papuchis has seen a difference in the Midwest and northeast, where the Big Ten name carries weight.

The Huskers also have placed a greater emphasis on states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan, assigning coaches to individual states rather than to the region, as they had before.

"Although the kids always respected what the Big 12 had to offer, I don't think it was received quite as well as when we made the move into the Big Ten," he said. "All those kids, they could see themselves being able to play close to home, and play teams they grew up watching."

Nebraska's challenge is two-fold: increase the presence in the Big Ten footprint while maintaining ties to states like Texas and California that have funneled talent to Lincoln.

Last year the Huskers signed five Texans and one Californian. This year's list of verbals includes three Californians and a Texan.

Although the Big Ten move prevents Nebraska from playing league games in Texas, the distance from Lincoln to the Lone Star State hasn't changed. Nebraska's sales pitch remains more or less the same.

"For the Texas kids, we were the [Big 12] school that was farthest from home, the most north school," Papuchis said. "Those kids were predominantly coming because they enjoyed and respected the tradition and what we had to offer. Even in a different conference, they realized that part of it wasn't going to be any different."

The Big Ten move hasn't impacted the types of players Nebraska recruits, with one notable exception: linebacker. Nebraska didn't need as many traditional linebackers in the Big 12, a league filled with spread offenses, and could get away with safety-linebacker hybrids. The Huskers faced more power-type offenses in the Big Ten this past season, which exposed some issues with size and depth.

Nebraska has four linebacker recruits committed for 2012, including ESPNU 150 prospect Michael Rose.

"It's going to take a few classes to get it totally where we want it to be," Papuchis said, "but we targeted to take four guys in this class, thought it would be a good first step in getting the depth a little bit closer to where we want it. Next year, we're going to graduate two, maybe three backers off the team, so we're going to have to grab a bunch in next year's class as well.

"Over the course of a couple years, as long as we recruit well, we'll be able to replenish the depth there."

Nebraska will continue to recruit nationally, and Papuchis noted that recruiting hotbeds are tied to population density, which is increasing in states like Texas and Florida. The key going forward for the Huskers is to land more elite recruits from Big Ten territory.

The 2012 class features only four recruits from Big Ten states (two Ohio, one Illinois, one Nebraska).

"The longer we're in the league and the more success we're able to have going forward, the more impact we're going to be able to have in the Big Ten states in terms of recruiting," Papuchis said. "But we're excited about the states of Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, into western Pennsylvania, what kids from that area are going to be able to offer for our program, and what we’re going to be able to offer them."

Big Ten teams are making the final push toward national signing day, and several of the nation's top recruits remain uncommitted.

ESPN's recruiting experts have made predictions on where several coveted uncommitted prospects will end up signing on Wednesday. If they prove to be correct, some Big Ten fan bases will be pleased.

Let's take a look:

• Athlete Davonte Neal (No. 8 in ESPNU 150): Five of seven experts predict Ohio State
• OT Andrus Peat (No. 9 in ESPNU 150): Three of seven experts predict Nebraska
• Athlete Stefon Diggs (No. 13 in ESPNU 150: One of seven experts predicts Ohio State
• OT Joshua Garnett (No. 44 in ESPNU 150): Three of seven experts predict Michigan
• OT Jordan Diamond No. 94 in ESPNU 150): Six of seven experts predict Michigan
• DE Jamal Marcus: Five of seven experts predict Ohio State
• S Trae Elston: Two of seven experts predict Penn State
• WR Monty Madaris: Five of seven experts predict Michigan State
• WR Andre McDonald: Four experts predict Minnesota, one predicts Illinois
• Athlete Demetrious Cox: Four experts predict Michigan State, two predict Penn State, one predicts Ohio State
• G Alex Kozan: Four experts predict Iowa, two predict Michigan
• RB Imani Cross: One expert predicts Nebraska

It'll be interesting to see how these predictions turn out.