2008 Woodie Awards
recruits overlooked by home state programs
Shane Donovan
Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: Sports
If a high school football player is good enough, the good college programs will come after him.
Right?
Nebraska commit Courtney Osborne probably disagrees with that theory.
The 6-foot-2, 170 pound prep safety from Garland, Texas, was one of three prospects the Cornhusker football team landed earlier this week, along with his brother, Steven Osborne, and wideout Antonio Bell from Daytona Beach, Fla.
None of the three received offers from any of the major-conference programs in their home states.
Courtney said his main offers were NU, UNLV, Buffalo and Kansas. As for the lack of attention from schools in his own backyard - including Big 12 Conference schools Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Baylor - he's not sure the reason.
"I guess they don't think I'm good enough," Courtney said.
Steven Osborne hasn't exactly gotten a lot of love from the in-state schools either. The 6-foot-4, 182-pound wide receiver, who compares himself to NFL wideout Plaxico Burress, had 601 receiving yards and 10 touchdown receptions during his senior year.
But his stats on the field weren't impressive enough to get the attention of the major powers in the state of Texas. Steven listed a handful of offers, including Kansas, UNLV, Utah and Purdue. None of them, however, came from teams in the Lone Star State.
"I'm not sure why," Steven said. "Maybe their recruiting classes were filled up."
Regardless of the reason, NU coaches are certainly happy to have him. After all, plenty of prospects slip through the cracks in their home states and turn out to be very successful players elsewhere. Take former Husker wide receiver Maurice Purity, for example.
Coming out of San Francisco City Community College, Purify didn't receive offers from UCLA, Southern Cal or California - a large factor in his decision to come to Lincoln.
As a senior last season, Purify proved to be a big-time player at Nebraska, accounting for a team-leading 814 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns as he became NU's go-to receiver.
That's a role Bell is very familiar with. The 6-foot-2, 177-pound wide receiver made a lot of catches during his prep career, breaking his high school's record for most career receptions. And with scholarship offers from schools like West Virginia and Tennessee, the only thing he couldn't seem to grab was the attention of any of the football giants in his home state.
Bell said he separated his shoulder his senior year but came back from the injury a better player. As for the lack of offers coming from the state of Florida, anyone's guess is as good as his.
"I have no clue," Bell said.
In Courtney's case, it might not have made a difference if an in-state school offered. The safety prospect was born in Tennessee and said he doesn't care too much for the folks in the burnt orange.
"I'm not a fan of Texas at all," Courtney said. "I'm not a Texas person. It just isn't the place for me."
As for what the Longhorns think of him, Courtney doesn't spend much time dwelling on it.
"I really don't care," Courtney said, "if they think I'm a good player or not."
shanedonovan@dailynebraskan.com
Right?
Nebraska commit Courtney Osborne probably disagrees with that theory.
The 6-foot-2, 170 pound prep safety from Garland, Texas, was one of three prospects the Cornhusker football team landed earlier this week, along with his brother, Steven Osborne, and wideout Antonio Bell from Daytona Beach, Fla.
None of the three received offers from any of the major-conference programs in their home states.
Courtney said his main offers were NU, UNLV, Buffalo and Kansas. As for the lack of attention from schools in his own backyard - including Big 12 Conference schools Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Baylor - he's not sure the reason.
"I guess they don't think I'm good enough," Courtney said.
Steven Osborne hasn't exactly gotten a lot of love from the in-state schools either. The 6-foot-4, 182-pound wide receiver, who compares himself to NFL wideout Plaxico Burress, had 601 receiving yards and 10 touchdown receptions during his senior year.
But his stats on the field weren't impressive enough to get the attention of the major powers in the state of Texas. Steven listed a handful of offers, including Kansas, UNLV, Utah and Purdue. None of them, however, came from teams in the Lone Star State.
"I'm not sure why," Steven said. "Maybe their recruiting classes were filled up."
Regardless of the reason, NU coaches are certainly happy to have him. After all, plenty of prospects slip through the cracks in their home states and turn out to be very successful players elsewhere. Take former Husker wide receiver Maurice Purity, for example.
Coming out of San Francisco City Community College, Purify didn't receive offers from UCLA, Southern Cal or California - a large factor in his decision to come to Lincoln.
As a senior last season, Purify proved to be a big-time player at Nebraska, accounting for a team-leading 814 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns as he became NU's go-to receiver.
That's a role Bell is very familiar with. The 6-foot-2, 177-pound wide receiver made a lot of catches during his prep career, breaking his high school's record for most career receptions. And with scholarship offers from schools like West Virginia and Tennessee, the only thing he couldn't seem to grab was the attention of any of the football giants in his home state.
Bell said he separated his shoulder his senior year but came back from the injury a better player. As for the lack of offers coming from the state of Florida, anyone's guess is as good as his.
"I have no clue," Bell said.
In Courtney's case, it might not have made a difference if an in-state school offered. The safety prospect was born in Tennessee and said he doesn't care too much for the folks in the burnt orange.
"I'm not a fan of Texas at all," Courtney said. "I'm not a Texas person. It just isn't the place for me."
As for what the Longhorns think of him, Courtney doesn't spend much time dwelling on it.
"I really don't care," Courtney said, "if they think I'm a good player or not."
shanedonovan@dailynebraskan.com
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