Coach Bo Pelini said the Dallas metro is one of a few areas he and his staff will spend more time in next year, evaluating and targeting potential prospects.

The NU coaches are still learning now that they’re a member of a new conference, Pelini said. Still trying to figure out the best recruiting approach.

The Huskers signed two players from Illinois and Ohio, so clearly they emphasized increasing their presence within the Big Ten footprint. But they want to re-open a few more doors. Maybe reset their strategy a bit, according to Pelini.

“I think there were a couple areas — where I thought we kind of moved out of a little bit last year because we went into the new conference — that we’re going to go back a little bit heavier into next year,” Pelini said.

>> Is Texas one of those regions? “I thought we got away a little bit from Dallas this year,” Pelini said. (Nebraska did sign defensive tackle Aaron Curry, from Keller, Texas).

>> Pelini also indicated that he’d like to be a little more productive with the players closer to campus. “Best case scenario? We’re getting 90 percent of our players from in-state and within 500 miles of this campus,” he said. “Every year’s going to be a little bit different.”

>> Pelini said they tried to get “a little bit more in-depth in Ohio.” He said the staff did well developing relationships on the East Coast — better than in the past, anyway. “I think (the Northeast will) be a good spot for us moving forward.”

>> One more quote from Pelini: “The Big Ten Conference, and our membership there, that’s new. And over time, you kind of start to learn how it’s going to change and how it’s going to affect your program. I think we have a little bit better handle on that after Year One. And I think one more year and we’ll have a pretty good understanding of what it’s going to mean for us going forward.”