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LINCOLN — Nebraska added a second running back to its recruiting class on Thursday. And before you even start to wonder, rest assured, the first back has no problem with this late addition.
Ameer Abdullah of Homewood, Ala., accepted the Huskers' scholarship offer on the heels of a visit to Lincoln last weekend. It marked a recruiting victory for NU after a seven-week dry spell in which it failed to secure and maintain an oral commitment.
Abdullah's first order of business? Contact Aaron Green, the high school All-America back from San Antonio who pledged to the Huskers in October. Green and Abdullah struck a friendship last summer at a recruiting camp and have stayed in touch.
“We're both excited,” Abdullah said. “I think we like the direction Nebraska is taking its offense.”
The 17th NU commitment, Abdullah drew attention early this week for his comments about the Nebraska offense, saying coach Bo Pelini shared with the running back a plan for a more spread-oriented attack.
Asked about it Thursday, Abdullah said he expects the Huskers to use more two-back sets next year in the Big Ten and pressure defenses by stacking the field with speed to complement the athleticism of quarterback Taylor Martinez.
Abdullah appears to fit such a plan. At 5-foot-9 and 177 pounds, he rushed for 1,013 yards and 18 touchdowns and caught 33 passes for 515 yards as a senior at Homewood High.
He was named the south region player of the year by the Birmingham News and scored the winning touchdown in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic in December. Abdullah then starred in practices before the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The performance propelled Abdullah on to the national recruiting scene. Nebraska first made contact in mid-December and offered a scholarship only about a week ago. Southern California also offered Abullah as a cornerback. Other offers came from Tennessee, South Carolina and Texas A&M.
Abdullah was set to visit Southern Cal this weekend but canceled it after making the pledge to Nebraska.
“I loved the connection to Nebraska,” Abdullah said. “What set them apart from other teams, they came to me on a personal level. They wanted to know about me and my family instead of me as a football player.”
He said he visited campuses at LSU and Tennessee but that Nebraska “takes the cake.”
“The fan base,” he said, “they really treat you like family.”
The addition of Green and Abdullah should help stabilize the NU backfield after the loss of Roy Helu, a senior who rushed for 1,245 yards last season.
Rex Burkhead returns as a junior after rushing for 951 yards last fall. But no other backs bring extensive experience, and the academic status of Braylon Heard — the lone back in Nebraska's 2010 recruiting class — remains unresolved.
Abdullah said he has qualified academically. Signing day is Feb. 2.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1031, mitch.sherman@owh.com
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