LINCOLN — Nebraska made a pitch to its latest football recruit sight unseen. Turns out, though, he came with a solid recommendation.
Daimion Stafford has not visited Lincoln. The NU coaches didn’t meet him until this week, several days after they offered Stafford a scholarship.
The catch? Freshman quarterback Taylor Martinez knows him well.
Martinez and Stafford lived for a while in the same neighborhood in Norco, Calif. — Martinez with his family and Stafford with Norco High School coach Todd Gerhart.
“Great kid,” said Gerhart, the father of former Stanford running back and Heisman Trophy finalist Toby Gerhart. “A very good athlete, and he’s very instinctive in everything he does.”
Stafford accepted the NU offer on Wednesday, one day after receiving a visit from defensive coordinator Carl Pelini. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound safety plans to enroll next January after graduating from junior college in December.
He’s the eighth pledge for Nebraska’s class of 2011.
Stafford considered offers from Iowa State, New Mexico and New Mexico State but described the Huskers as an easy pick.
“Pretty much I liked Nebraska from the day I heard about (the offer),” Stafford said. “They’re known as a powerhouse. Their defense was at the top last year. I want to be a part of that.”
That offer arrived a couple of weeks ago. Only days prior, Stafford got a text message from Martinez, alerting him that the Huskers were interested.
“I was real surprised,” Stafford said.
The future NU teammates connected when Stafford moved in with his high school coach after transferring to Norco as a sophomore in 2006.
“He had nothing in academics prepared,” said Gerhart, the Norco coach. “I just wanted to help him out and give him a chance. But he was definitely a Division I talent.”
Stafford failed to make it as a qualifier, primarily because of his poor start in high school, according to Gerhart.
“We got him close,” the coach said. “But I think he was short a core (class). Still, I knew he was going to be fine as long as football was a big part of his future.”
Martinez, who attended Norco as a freshman before graduating from rival school Corona Centennial, remains close with Gerhart. Martinez’s father, Casey, recently talked with his neighbor, Gerhart, about Nebraska’s interest in Stafford.
“I think it’s great,” Gerhart said. “He should be a very good fit there.”
Stafford said his skills at safety translate well with the Huskers’ defensive scheme.
“I can play like a linebacker in the box,” he said. “I can also play it straight. Wherever they want to put me, I can do it.”
Contact the writer:
402-444-1031, mitch.sherman@owh.com
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