O?Brien, Grim: California Dreamers Get Head Start

Huskers.com Hosts Signing Day Special

Big Red Bash Set for Thursday, Feb. 4

Pro Bowlers Inspire Recruiting, Dreams

Randy York N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

Even though Patrick O'Brien and Derrion Grim are part of Nebraska’s 2016 football recruiting class, Wednesday won’t be a wild wow for either.

The Huskers’ two early signees already live on campus. They’re taking classes and eating every day at the Training Table. Both enjoy getting a head start on their fellow Husker recruits, participating in winter conditioning and having the chance to play in the annual Red/White Spring Game inside Memorial Stadium six weeks before the other members of their recruiting class graduate from high school.

Talk about the calm before the storm of Wednesday’s typically zany National Signing Day. O’Brien, a 6-4, 230-pound freshman pro-style quarterback from San Juan Capistrano, Calif., looks and sounds confident and comfortable after living in Lincoln for almost a month. Grim, a 5-11 wide receiver from Stockton, Calif., was equally cool and collected in our interview. 

Greg Sharpe, the voice of Nebraska football, and Husker Sports Network sidekick Lane Grindle will broadcast Wednesday’s Signing Day Special that will originate from Memorial Stadium, beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday’s program will feature O'Brien and Grim and the entire 2016 recruiting class and be offered free to all Huskers.com visitors.

As a warm-up to the big picture recruiting overview that officially will be unveiled Wednesday, we welcome all Big Red fans to our recent conversations with the Huskers’ two early signees:

Derrion Grim (pictured above) Glad that He De-Committed from Boise State

"I moved to Lincoln on Jan. 7 and love it out here in Nebraska. I’m majoring in Business Administration. The college experience is great. I had four high school classes that were about one hour and 30 minutes each, compared to classes here, which are 50 minutes to one hour and 15, so it's actually a lot shorter and a lot better. The reason I de-committed from Boise State was being able to maximize my potential. Nebraska has everything from the coaches to the weight room to the athletic facilities. This is a place where I can become the best I can be.

“My father played football at Pitt. He’s a football trainer and works with younger kids, high school athletes and college athletes in Stockton, Calif. He knew all about Nebraska. He's been doing it for a very long time, but now he's starting to take it a little more serious and actually plans to make it a business. He started at the end of my high school season in California. I’ve been working out with him for a long time. If I wasn't the poster child for his business, it would probably be one of the kids that he coached at Brookside Christian High School.

"I'm loving the experience in Lincoln, rooming with Tyrin Ferguson and the Davis twins, Carlos and Khalil. They're hilarious. They're great. We live in the University Suites, about 10 minutes away from the stadium. It's a great combo at the house. Patrick (O'Brien) and I tried to room together, but it didn’t work out. He’s a great guy and also hilarious.

"It's really cool to have meals three times a day at the Training Table. I haven't had three meals in a day ever, so I'm always full. I go to lunch still full from breakfast and I go to dinner still full from lunch. I go to bed full and never hungry, which is awesome.

“I know it’s only early February, this team has a good mindset. Everybody's going 100 percent in the weight room and going 100 percent when we condition. Everyone does extra in everything, so it's like we're ready. We're developing the mindset to go out and play against anybody who's on our schedule and beat them."

Positive, Energetic Williams Grim's Next Step after Learning from His Dad  

“Keith Williams (pictured above motivating his wide receivers), our wide receivers coach, recruited me. He's a great coach and knows a lot about receiver play, and that played a big part in my recruiting process. He's one of the best coaches in the nation in my eyes, and I know for a fact that he can teach me things that I don't know about. He's just so energetic and great to be around because he's funny. He works out just as much as us because he's always running around with a big smile on his face. He makes things fun.

“You don't have to be super-fast and you don't have to be super tall to play receiver. Receiving is about the fundamentals and the technique and if you have that down, then you can be great. My dad played receiver. I learned a lot from him, including how to release and how to play in the snow. He wanted me to learn before I came here.  He taught me how to run routes, how to break down on certain routes and how to break down on curls. He taught me everything that he knew about receiver play and told me that Coach Keith Williams knows a lot more than he does. I can’t wait to learn stuff that’s beyond what he taught me.

"Coach Williams is always smiling. He’s just that type of guy. Even if you do something wrong, he'll come up to you and talk to you about it and he'll try to help you correct it so you don't do it wrong the next time. I don't know what to expect this spring because I've never been a part of it. But I do know for a fact that I'm going to go out there and try my hardest and see what I can do. It’s the only way to see if I'll play this year or if I'll redshirt."

Mike Riley: Awesome Guy, Great Coach, Knows What He's Talking About

"Coach Riley (pictured above before his team upset eventual Big Ten champion Michigan State) is an awesome guy. He's definitely one of the main reasons why I came here. I've heard great things about Coach Riley from Brandin Cooks (former Oregon State and New Orleans Saint player). He’s also from Stockton and like my big brother. I look up to him. I've heard a lot of great things about Coach Riley from my dad. He's just a great guy, a great coach and he knows what he's talking about for the offense that we run. Can’t wait to be around him also.

"The vibes are good here. Everybody's always coming to practice smiling, even for the 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. workouts. They're still smiling because they know that they're here for a purpose and they're here to win, so it's always positive vibes. They're always working extra-hard. When the coaches tell us to do something, they might say, 'This run, make it in 18 seconds,' and we make it in 16 because we want to be great. I love the positive, hard-working vibes.

"My strengths are running after the catch, running routes, and plucking the ball out of the air. I run about a 4.5 or 4.6 in the 40. People say that's fast, but with the strength and conditioning we have here,   I want to get down to at least a 4.4.

"I know Patrick O’Brien wants to be a great quarterback. I know he wants to start playing as soon as possible because after weight training, he always asks me, 'Hey, do you want to throw? Do you want to run routes with me so I can throw you the ball?' and I'm like 'Of course' because we always try to get better. We're trying to get timing with each other because I know for the next three to four years, we're going to be with each other, regardless. So getting timing now would be better than getting timing two years from now. I know Nebraska’s sold out 347 straight games. I’ve heard people say there’s no place like Nebraska. I haven’t even been here a month and I think I already know why the say it. This is the perfect place to get better and have 90,000 fans cheer you on every home game.”

Patrick O'Brien (above) Adjusting Easily to Nebraska’s Support System

"When I came on my visit, I definitely enjoyed Nebraska. Since I've been here, I've had a really good time and met some good people. They really take care of you out here. They take care of you in the training room if you're ever sore or hurt. The locker room’s great because the equipment guys take care of you.  They get the gear you need and clean it off for you. The academic support is there. Tutors are great. The nutrition at the Training Table is as advertised. It’s nice when the food is really good and you don’t have to spend money buying it.

"I thought I was going to live with Derrion Grim and then they changed our room, so now I'm rooming with Chase Urbach and Jordan Ober, our two long snappers. We live in the University Suites, and we all like it. I’m glad I made the decision to come here. I'm the type of person that's going to stay loyal to the decision I made. I had opportunities to go other places, but I chose Nebraska, which was one of the first to take a chance on me. I was going to stay loyal to the school that gave me a chance. I only took one official visit, but visited USC, UCLA, Notre Dame and Northwestern. I've been to Stanford a few times and visited a lot of East Coast schools my junior year. I've seen a good amount of schools and happy that I’m here."

Nebraska Fans Have the Same Great Expectations O'Brien, Teammates Have

"Nebraska’s fan base is extraordinary. They obviously have expectations and I have expectations for myself. I'm working hard every day to get to where I want to be and be able to perform on a very consistent basis. There's going to be pressure pretty much wherever you go. It comes with the territory. Playing quarterback for a major Division 1 school is going to be tough anywhere. I don't think it'll bother me. I've just got to work on my craft and do what I have to do.

"My parents were both competitive. My mom played volleyball but competes in pretty much everything. She's super competitive and raised me. I was the type of kid that would cry in handball in elementary school. I hate losing, so it's always been instilled in me and it's something that I'll always carry with me. My dad was a pretty good athlete in college like my mom. He was an All-American in swimming. I swam until I was 10, but didn't really love the sport as much as he did, but still had fun.

"I definitely got my competitive experience from both of them. They went through the grind and did big things when they were my age. It kind of goes with the territory. Everyone's an athlete in my family so you just kind of have to live up to it. I just do what I do every day and keep working hard. There's definitely obstacles along the way, but if I just focus and do what I have to do, I think I'll be fine.

“Coach (Mike) Riley is an excellent coach. He's got a great personality. I kind of connected with him really well and I could see myself working with him for four or five years. He's a great guy and a great college coach. He's really genuine and you can see he's not fake at all. He just comes off as an extremely nice person, and you can tell it's sincere.

“Coach (Danny) Langsdorf obviously understands the offense that he's running, and I feel it fits me very well. He's a great guy also. He was the first to recruit me and came to watch me throw. He's a great coach, and I look forward to working with him."

O’Brien: National Championship Trophies Represent New Recruits’ Top Goal

"Obviously, walking by the national championship trophies every single day motivates you a lot. That's our plan, to bring a national championship back to Lincoln. Everyone here is working hard to get to that point. That's obviously the goal of every team in college football, but I feel like we have a good shot in these next couple years. That's the ultimate goal for every team in the United States, and that's where we want to be.

“I’ve been fortunate. I worked with (former NFL quarterback) Trent Dilfer a little bit. He coached me with the Elite 11. He gave us great points about playing quarterback at the Division 1 level and said if we make it to the NFL, it's going to be based on your body, mentally and all the aspects that come with it. He did his best to teach us how to deal with it.

“I’m enjoying living in Lincoln and was able to see the basketball team at Pinnacle Bank Arena on AveryStrong Day. It's great to see how everyone here tries to take care of you and take care of others. Everyone here is so welcoming. If you need help with anything, they'll do their best. People almost treat you like part of the family. They care.

"Academics and Life Skills are big at Nebraska. They make it easy on us when we’re able to volunteer. They take care of us in every way. Dennis Leblanc is a great guy and definitely knows what he's talking about. He gets his job done and makes sure that all of our football players know it's pretty much on us to succeed in the classroom. We’ve just started orientation with Life Skills, but know how important it is in Nebraska’s culture.

“I loved coming to Lincoln for the Wisconsin game. I really had a good time and knew this was the place for me. I'm an Eagles fan, so I’m not exactly rooting for anyone in Sunday’s Super Bowl. But I like what Cam's (Cam Newton) doing right now, so you've got to give it to him."

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