Three 2011 Recruits Already in Lincoln Prove Bolievers Cover the Country

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So here we are in the middle of a blizzard, and some of you out there still want to count the number of stars in every Nebraska football recruit's bio.

Well, we have an athletic director who was a Hall-of-Fame football coach, and he never believed in astrology, so we don't either, especially when the recruiting classes his staff put together for teams that won 60 of 63 games and three national championships in five years averaged in the high teens among self-appointed gurus.

We do know this, though. You didn't have to wait until today to see how well Bo Pelini is luring talent to Lincoln six months before he, his staff and his school leave the Big 12 Conference for the Big Ten - the league in which Nebraska's fourth-year head football coach played as an Ohio State Buckeye.

Please remember and certainly feel free to rejoice in the Huskers having three players in their 2011 recruiting class that have been on campus since early January. As devout Bolievers, they are learning how to mix the rigors of winter conditioning with the simple task of finding an algebra class in a snowstorm.

If this were an election, the early returns would be rated five full stars for scrutinizing talent, analyzing geography and conceptualizing what it all means for one of college football's greatest football powers preparing to transition its resume and its resources to the oldest conference in intercollegiate athletics.

Let's look at 1-2-3 and see how elementary it's going to be.

1. Tyler Moore, a 6-6, 300-pound offensive lineman from Palm Harbor, Fla., spurned Florida and 14 other Division I schools, including Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Stanford, Cal and UCLA, to commit to Nebraska in October of 2009 - more than 15 months ago.

2. Jamal Turner, a 6-1, 175-pound quarterback from Arlington, Texas, rejected Oklahoma and 11 other Division I schools, including Alabama, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Southern Cal, Vanderbilt and Missouri, to commit to Nebraska in January of 2010 - more than a year ago.

3. Kevin Williams, a 6-2, 275-pound defensive lineman from Holland, Ohio, turned down Oregon and 14 other Division I schools, including Stanford and five schools from the Big Ten - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin in April of 2010 - more than nine months ago.

Hmmm. That was easy, and today is a good time to remember why three great athletes, who also happen to be competitive students, rock-solid citizens and men of their word, made early commitments to Nebraska. In a nutshell, they want to compete for playing time as freshmen, even though they're young for their class. Worst case scenario, their jump-start through winter conditioning and spring football will put them ahead of the curve, regardless of whether they end up redshirting.

If you're looking for bonus points for Bo, consider these same three recruits and how they became checkmates on the recruiting board:

1) Turner turned heads in Texas, and if you're wondering if Nebraska's stage left exit from the Big 12 might hinder Husker fortunes in the Lone Star state, think again. Remember another Turner - Turner Gill - who left Oklahoma recruiters at his doorstep when the Sooners wouldn't buy his decision to play in Lincoln? When Turner Gill said Nebraska is my final answer, he meant it. So did Jamal Turner, who was equally emphatic.

2) For those that believe SEC schools get their man like Royal Mounties in the Canadian Rockies, understand there are exceptions. Florida, Georgia and Tennessee offered Moore, but let's face it. When your dad played for Tom Osborne, and your mom's uncle is Vince Ferragamo, the only Husker quarterback ever to start a Super Bowl, it's game over. How many times can you tell a coach: "Sorry, it's not going to happen?"

3) So Bo proved he could recruit the top-tier in Texas after two Big 12 Championship Games. He also showed how he could outwrestle a legendary Gator in Florida. What can an Academic All-Big Ten safety do in his home state? Thanks for asking. Williams was an intriguing recruiting catch because Bo continues to make inroads with fellow natives. That means Ohio coals are so warm, who knows? They could become a hotbed.

By now, you get our point, but to make sure that these three are everything you think they are, and more, we sat down with all three for more details. Here's what they shared:

Jamal Turner Knows How to Handle Adversity

His best friend and high school teammate committed to Oklahoma, and two of the linemen who made him famous in Arlington accepted scholarships at Texas Tech. All three wanted Jamal Turner to join them in either Norman or Lubbock.

But here's something really interesting about a highly recruited quarterback from Texas. "I love Lincoln," Turner said. "I love the coaches, the players and all the people I meet, and since I started working out and going to school here, I can honestly say I love the snow, and I love the cold, too. People don't believe me when I say that, but it's true."

It's true because Turner has the resilient spirit of his mother, Rusty, who died at age 39, after battling multiple sclerosis for years. She died the day before his first game as a senior, having fully supported his decision to become a Cornhusker.

Three years earlier, Richard Williams, Turner's oldest brother, died in a motorcycle accident. "He was my role model, my father figure," Turner said, explaining how he prayed and prayed and prayed about how he might honor his mother and his brother on a football field last fall.

In the season-opener, he led Sam Houston High School into battle against North Crowley, and the results were staggering ... 39 carries, 298 yards rushing and five touchdowns, plus another 114 yards passing and a sixth touchdown through the air. Did we mention these were Turner's individual stats, not his team's?

"I was at peace," said Turner, who moved in with his mom's sister, who just happened to be married to a young Baptist minister, who instead of taking what might have been an LSU football scholarship, moved the family from Louisiana's crime-ridden neighborhood to Texas for a new beginning.

"My aunt helped make me who I am today," Turner said, "and my uncle became my father figure after my brother died. He helped me socially, athletically and spiritually."

There has been one more major influence in Turner's life. His best friend that committed to Oklahoma has a mom who worked for a doctor, Alicia Wilkerson, in Arlington. She and her husband marveled at Jamal's character and his resolve.

"She knew how hard I was willing to work, and she took me in, almost like a grandmother, and taught me how to become a better student," he said. "She's a family practitioner and has a lot of office space. When I was a sophomore, she taught me how to organize what I needed to study and how to get ahead of what's expected. She became like my academic mentor, but really, I see her more like an angel that came into my life. She's taught me a lot of things, including how to prepare for college entrance exams."

Because of her influence and the extra guidance provided by her husband, Turner saw perhaps Nebraska's greatest differentiator in football recruiting - an academic staff that motivates and enables student-athletes to maximize their academic potential at the same time they're maximizing their athletic capabilities.

"I knew Nebraska was the right place for me," Turner said. "That's why I never wavered and kept my word."

Explosive is the word that best describes Jamal Turner, who set approximately 50 school records and 30 city records while becoming the first player in Arlington history to rush for 2,000 yards and pass for 2,000 yards in the same season.

I asked Turner what's interesting about him that no one knows. "I'm probably a better basketball player than I am a football player," he said. "I had a 38-inch vertical at TCU. I know I could have been a college basketball player, but college football is my first love."

Kevin Williams: Turner's Comedic Roommate

So Jamal Turner is a mature teenager who has his life together despite experiencing a series of personal tragedies. What does a quarterback do for comic relief?

"Get a roommate like me," said Kevin Williams, a 17-year-old who wears braces and laughs like he doesn't have a care in the world. "When we're not working, we know how to laugh and have fun. We met as recruits and helped recruit each other.

"Jamal is just a really cool guy," Williams said. "We can relate to each other so easily. From the first day I met him, it was like I've known him my whole life. We do everything together - eat lunch, study, work out, eat dinner, watch movies, play video games. We're both on football scholarships. We both want to play in the NFL someday, but we both know the No. 1 reason why we're here - to get our college degrees."

Turner sees an academic gap between the two. "I'm just getting comfortable getting ahead in algebra," Nebraska's quarterback recruit said. "Kevin's going to be an engineer, so he's already in calculus and statistics. It's easier for him to laugh and enjoy himself because those things come easier to him."

Told what Turner said about him, Williams takes it as a compliment. "You know what?" he asks. "I've always been a happy person, but I think I've been happier here than I've ever been, and a big part of that is having Jamal as a roommate. He makes me smile. He makes me enjoy working hard."

Williams was hooked on Nebraska when he saw the Huskers draw 77,000 fans to a Spring Game. "Everything screams tradition around here," he said. "You know when you walk into this place how big football is. Football is life here, but when you get here, you see how it can drive you to do other things better, too."

The support system, according to Williams, goes beyond the athletic department's support staff. "From what I've heard and what I'm feeling, the support comes from the whole state of Nebraska," he said.

"They motivate you to be the best you can be. I don't know any other place that has an entire state as part of the same family. Nebraska is just different. I was blown away the first time I came here," he said. "I saw the whole package and understood why Ndamukong Suh felt everything he needed to grow up was right here. That's why he gave so generously and comes back to Lincoln to work out and train. If it's good enough for the only rookie starter voted to the Pro Bowl, it should be good enough for all of us.

"I would love to follow Suh's lead and do everything I can to improve and excel like he did," Williams said. "Who wouldn't want to be his protégé? Who wouldn't want to work like he did and pattern their game after his? I have so much respect for how they coached him and how he responded. I know it doesn't come easy and it doesn't come overnight. I really look up to him. I really do."

Williams' high school coach, Vince Marrow, played in the NFL for nine years and coached briefly in the NFL before accepting the job at Springfield High School in Holland, Ohio.

"Coach Marrow played high school football with Bo Pelini," Williams said. "He coaches just like him - incredibly intense and incredibly instructional. He knows how to turn potential into ability and has all the drills that can make you better. He coached me to be able to play defensive tackle or defensive end, and I'm willing to do whatever's best for the team."

Interestingly, Marrow recently accepted an assistant coaching job to help Joe Moglia with the Omaha Nighthawks in the United Football League.

Tyler Moore's Love for the Huskers Began Early

Tyler Moore's grandparents live in Randolph, Neb. He has an aunt and uncle that live in Omaha. His father, Brian Moore, lettered as a Husker tight end in 1985, and his cousin, Jay Moore, played defensive end for the Huskers from 2002-2006.

"Even though I've lived in Florida my whole life, I've been a Husker fan my whole life," Tyler said. "I think I started watching Nebraska games on television when I was 3 or 4. I know for the last 9 or 10 years, I've watched every game that's been on TV."

Believe it or not, the first time Tyler stepped into Memorial Stadium to see a game was last October's loss to a Texas team that finished the season with a losing record.

"Our team didn't play too well, but it was still a great atmosphere," Moore recalled. "Ever since I was little, my dad talked about Nebraska having 'The Pipeline' in the offensive line. It's been a dream. I've been committed for a long time, and I think Nebraska is going to have a very good team next fall and vie for the Big Ten Conference title."

Moore's confidence comes humbly, but naturally. His dad sells health insurance, and his mom, Kim, is a nurse who has been an equally enthusiastic Husker fan, even though she grew up in California.

"She met my dad here, and they're both Nebraska graduates," Tyler pointed out. "In fact, I live at Harper/Schramm/Smith - the same dorm complex my mom lived in when she went to school here. Somehow, I always felt like I would end up playing here."

Moore envisioned himself being a defensive end or a tight end as a Husker. "My favorite players growing up were Scott Frost and Eric Crouch," he said. "I never saw myself becoming an offensive lineman, but I kept getting bigger and bigger, and all of a sudden, I was a left tackle my junior year."

He was a left guard in the U.S. Army All-Star game, but sustained a slight knee injury early in the game and was forced to the sideline. Still, he had held his own against the nation's best, and earning a starting position in the prestigious all-star game was a confidence builder for him.

"I had a lot of scholarship offers, but the only official trip I took was to Nebraska," he said. "I took an unofficial trip to Florida when they played Troy State my junior year, but I've known forever where I wanted to go. When I was little, I'd watch DVDs of Nebraska's national championships in the '90s. I couldn't  get enough of them."

Despite having three different offensive line coaches at Countryside High School in Clearwater, Moore took pride in his team starting his junior season 9-0 and his senior season with 10 straight wins.

"My decision came down to Nebraska-Florida, but it was never close in my mind," Moore said. "Nebraska's facilities are so much better, and Nebraska just seems more family-friendly. The weight room and training table are important to me, and there is no comparison. Nebraska gets a 10 for both ... no contest."

As immersed as he gets in football, Moore is somewhat adventuresome.

"I surprised my parents when I asked for a set of drums for Christmas my junior year," he said. "My sister had gotten Rock Band, and I kind of got hooked playing the drums on the computer. I haven't had any lessons, but I taught myself how to play. For me, it's been a great way to relax."

A way to ease the tension ... a way to get himself ready for the long, grueling journey ahead of him.

Respond to Randy

Voices from Husker Nation

Thank you for getting the stories of these young men out there. What a group of guys to represent the state of Nebraska! It makes me proud to be a fan and proud of being from Nebraska when I see the kids the program is getting to play. I think it's outstanding that these kids understand education is as important as playing football. I hope you continue to put these stories out there to better educate us fans on the character of these young men. Thank you. Morgan Retzlaff, Phoenix, Arizona (Battle Creek, Neb. native)