Published Tuesday, May 8, 2012 AT 10:23 AM / Updated at 5:36 PM
Recruiting: Defensive prospect update
Sam McKewon Omaha World-Herald

Quick defensive prospect update on a few Husker targets. Kudos, again, to Huskers Illustrated and 247Sports — both partners of The World-Herald — for putting in the time here.

DT

Elijah Qualls is being recruited by some schools as a fullback. Nebraska’s interested in the Petaluma, Calif., talent as an interior tackle. Although he named Washington, Oregon State and Arizona as his top three, he’s still interested in what NU has to offer:

“I’m definitely still interested in Nebraska,” the 6-foot-2, 265-pound Qualls told HI. “I am still pumped I have their offer. I think they are a great school. I haven’t experienced much about them, but I really want to. That’s definitely a place I am considering taking a visit to and I hope they do come up to see my school.”

NU started making inroads back into Hawaii last year. Now it appears another prospect — 6-foot-3, 280-pound tackle Scott Pagano — will make a visit.

“No list yet but I do know I’m taking my first two official visits to Baylor and Nebraska,” Pagano told 247Sports. “I went to the Nike Camp in Dallas and I swung by Baylor while I was there. They had such a beautiful campus and we liked it a lot. Then they started talking to me so we decided we’ll go take a visit there in the fall.”

Pagano has 72 tackles — 30 for loss – and five sacks last year.

LB

Cameron Judge is an outside linebacker Nebraska’s still pursuing through the summer. Judge, from Thousand Oaks, Calif., is looking hardest at Pac-12 teams — his dad, Chris, played defensive back at Oregon in the 1980s — but will look at NU, too.

Wide receivers coach Rich Fisher is handling the recruitment.

“He’s a pretty cool guy, I really like him,” Judge told HI about Fisher. “He wants to come out for a spring practice. We’ve talked about the program, he’s told me how they focus a lot on defense and how they are known for a strong defense. That grabbed my attention. I need to get out there for a visit over the summer.”

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I’ve received a few emails/notes from readers about whether Nebraska should have offered Howells lineman Nathan Bazata, who committed to Iowa recently. I got the same questions last year on Giltner defensive end Drew Ott. And the year before that with Cole Fisher.

The answer is yes to all three, although Ott, to me, seems like the most polished, complete player right now. It’s true that Nebraska attracted a solid walk-on crop in the 2012 class — arguably its best in years — but establishing a scholarship track record with coaches is important. Iowa now has three scholarship players from Nebraska in the last three years, and don’t kid yourself: There will be plenty of motivation there. All three of them could have played at NU, and Ott especially has all the tools to be a top-shelf Big Ten defender.

About Sam McKewon

Sam McKewon covers Nebraska football for The World-Herald. Got a tip, question or rant? Good. Email him at sam.mckewon@owh.com. And follow him on Twitter at @swmckewonOWH. And call him at 402.219.3790.