Premium ContentClick on Premium Content on the Featured navigation bar for information.That splash of cold water Big Ten programs felt on signing day was called the Urban Meyer Rules. Whatever Meyer did in those first hours and days after he took the job and how he closed OSU's class — seizing it from the ashes — set some of the league's contenders on edge. Nebraska coach Bo Pelini is no fan of recruiting hoopla, but he doesn't stoop to carp about it or Meyer, and maybe years of recruiting in the SEC and Big 12 — a sneakier, snakier league by a mile — have...

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Premium ContentClick on Premium Content on the Featured navigation bar for information.Bo Pelini is on a mission. His words, not mine. Pelini's voice was filled with passion when he said it. There was a focus to it. The focus of a man ready to take it to the next level? This was Thursday, the day after signing day. I had arranged to meet Pelini in his office after his daily workout and before he headed into an offensive staff meeting. He had agreed to squeeze in 15 minutes to talk about where Nebraska football is headed.

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Premium ContentClick on Premium Content on the Featured navigation bar for information.Jared Crick stepped off the treadmill and climbed off the exercise bike feeling pretty good about himself this week in Indianapolis. The recovery from a torn pectoral muscle is still in progress, and the former Nebraska defensive tackle doesn't discount being 100 percent when he returns for the NFL Combine.

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Premium ContentClick on Premium Content on the Featured navigation bar for information.For the third straight day, Nebraska assistant John Papuchis discussed the 2012 recruiting class in front of Husker fans and boosters, delivering an enthusiastic message that contained one important footnote. He and the coaches are thrilled about their newest additions — 17 scholarship athletes signed letters of intent with Nebraska Wednesday. He said getting the prospects to Lincoln is only the first step, though.

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Premium ContentClick on Premium Content on the Featured navigation bar for information.Bo Pelini had his jaw set, voice rising. That look. "Notre Dame's got nothing on us," he said to Jordan Westerkamp. By all accounts, Pelini is a low-pressure recruiter. And throughout Nebraska's courting of the most prolific receiver in Illinois state history, he'd been just that. But on the night of Dec. 15, as Westerkamp chewed on whether to visit the Fighting Irish, Pelini was animated in Westerkamp's house.

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Premium ContentClick on Premium Content on the Featured navigation bar for information.Don't just ignore the elephant in the room. Offensive tackle Andrus Peat chose Stanford over Nebraska (and his defensive tackle brother Todd, and his cousin and 2012 commit Avery Moss). And that decision stings. "As I understand, It went down to the last few seconds beforehand," coach Bo Pelini said. He found out when you did. A potential All-American is heading to The Cardinal Farm for "school" and "fit" and all the other things you say when you don't want to admit, well, Stanford is closer,...

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Premium ContentClick on Premium Content on the Featured navigation bar for information.Two years, two Peats ... and almost too much drama. The only difference was that this one didn't go Nebraska's way. Touted offensive tackle Andrus Peat went relatively deep into national signing day before picking Stanford over the Huskers. The added punch in the gut was that the Nebraska staff basically found out along with those watching his announcement on ESPNU.

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Premium ContentClick on Premium Content on the Featured navigation bar for information.Lucky guy, Barney Cotton. He's the offensive line coach at Nebraska. That means he's the keeper of the flame. The last several years, the flame has flickered. The NU offensive line tradition is in rebuild mode. That status was driven home again on Wednesday when a five-star offensive tackle from Arizona chose Stanford over Nebraska. Yes, Stanford is a more desirable place to block than Pipeline U. But the Pipeline is making a comeback.

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Premium ContentClick on Premium Content on the Featured navigation bar for information.Familiar teams landed the most highly-touted faces in 2012. The top 10 classes according to 247Sports offer few huge surprises, aside perhaps, from Urban Meyer raising Ohio State's class from ashes in mere weeks to one of the Buckeyes' best ever. Alabama is No. 1. Texas is there. As are Georgia, Florida, Florida State and Oklahoma. Miami's ridiculously big class of 33 puts it in the picture. Those teams have been fodder and foil for Nebraska since the 1960s.

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Premium ContentClick on Premium Content on the Featured navigation bar for information.It's nice to see Urban Meyer making new friends. At Wisconsin on Wednesday, Bret Bielema held a signing day press conference. The name Kyle Dodson came up. Dodson is a massive offensive lineman from Cleveland who committed to Wisconsin last summer. Then Meyer took over at Ohio State. Now Dodson is a Buckeye.

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Omaha Burke coach Paul Limongi said much of his football program's recent success has to do with the sense of brotherhood and unity on the Bulldogs. Jordan Nelson, Carson Collins and Mitch McCann proved how thick it is Wednesday. All three Burke seniors signed paperwork to walk-on next season at Nebraska. Each turned down some Football Championship Subdivision and NCAA Division II scholarship offers to take a shot at playing at the highest level in their home state.

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