Nebraska Cornhuskers: True Freshmen To Watch in 2020

Every February (and now December) college football teams sign a new class of football players to join their program. It’s exciting to dream about what a prospect can become in the future but come September, some of those freshman will redshirt and wait for their opportunity to shine, while a few will be given the chance to make an immediate impact this season. In this series we will take a team by team look at the true freshman who could be given the opportunity to make a name for themselves in 2020. Today we will look at the Nebraska Cornhuskers true freshmen to watch in 2020.

Alante Brown – WR

Nebraska was in need of impact players at wide receiver this past recruiting cycle and recruited the position aggressively. Star receiver JD Spielman recently became the sixth Nebraska wide out to enter the transfer portal. Fortunately, Wandale Robinson is back after showing he is a versatile weapon in his true freshman campaign, but the Huskers will need other receivers to step up. There is little production returning behind Robinson, the only other receiver returning was Kade Warner who had 101 receiving yards on the season. There is playing time to be had in the receiver room, meaning JUCO recruit Omar Manning and freshmen Marcus Fleming, Zavier Betts and Alante Brown all have a golden opportunity to earn time in 2020.

Alante Brown spent 2019 at prep school honing his craft. Brown has average height and a strong build. Brown is a physical player with good speed and acceleration allowing him to pull away from defenders. Brown is still refining his route running but has good cutting ability and should quickly get better with coaching. He catches the ball away from his body and looks very natural doing so. He has good ability after the catch as you would expect from a player with his combination of strength, speed, acceleration and cutting ability. Brown is a versatile receiver who can line up inside or outside which will help him find more playing time. Brown will be in the competition to get a lot of reps at receiver this fall and is a physically mature player who should take advantage of that opportunity. We expect him to at least be in the mix, but likely become a starter for Nebraska in 2020.

Keyshawn Greene – LB

The Huskers play a 3 – 4 defense making the linebacker position very important. They need more traditional inside linebackers and pass rushing outside linebackers to make the scheme work. Mohamed Barry was the leader of this unit last year but the inside linebacker has graduated. His loss will be felt as the inside linebacker play was a strength in 2019 while the outside backers struggled. Will Honas and Collin Miller are both returning redshirt seniors and are the club house leaders to start on the inside. JoJo Domann showed some promise on the outside last year and should be a starter as well. Caleb Tannor has a lot of talent but has not found any consistency yet but may be the leader to start at the other OLB position. Nick Heinrich was injured last year and did not play but should factor at ILB and Garrett Nelson could become a better player on the outside this year. There is still a need for good depth at both spots and Greene can provide just that.

Keyshawn Greene was a superstar at Wakulla High School in Florida last year. He is a long athletic linebacker with a good frame that can add weight. Greene is a fast player who ranges from sideline to sideline to make plays. He does a good job of shooting gaps and avoiding blockers in traffic. He is a good tackler who makes his presence felt when he hits the ball carrier. He needs to add weight but has a nice frame and should be at a playable weight this fall. Greene is an explosive player who is comfortable playing downhill and has the length to be an edge player in the 3 – 4 scheme. He is a versatile linebacker Nebraska can use where needed. Greene is an incredible athlete who will be able to make plays both inside and outside in 2020, making him an ideal player to provide depth while he perfects his craft.

Jaiden Francois – DB

Starting cornerback Lamar Jackson has moved on to the NFL and safety Eric Lee has also exhausted his eligibility. The Huskers have Cam Taylor-Britt and Dicaprio Bootle returning to play cornerback, but only Braxton Clark has meaningful experience at corner after those two. At safety Marquel Dismuke and Deontai Williams are the likely starters but again there is not much proven depth available. There are talented recruits from past classes like Noa Pola-Gates on the roster but they have not had the chance to show what they can do. Defensive backs are at a premium in the modern college football era where spread offenses have become all the rage. The Huskers will need depth and plenty of it in 2020 to have a successful season and we expect Francois to provide just that.

Jaiden Francois had 12 interceptions his senior year at South Dade High School in Florida. He is an instinctual football player with a knack for finding the ball. Francois has adequate size and speed to play cornerback or safety at the college level. He has good coverage skills and can play man to man against college level receivers. He does not shy away from contact and is a willing tackler who can deliver the big hit. Francois has great ball skills and range in the secondary, you don’t intercept 12 passes by accident, and those skills will be on display for Nebraska this fall. He may not start right away but Francois can provide good depth at multiple spots and could become an impact player in the secondary sooner rather than later.

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Huskers @Memorial Stadium – Lincoln, Ne image taken by vwcampin is licensed under CC BY 2.0.