LINCOLN — Junior college transfer Jermarcus Hardrick took advantage of his first opportunity to officially join the Huskers on Tuesday, signing a letter of intent and becoming the first member of Nebraska's 2010 recruiting class.

Hardrick, a former LSU pledge, is a 6-foot-7, 315-pound offensive tackle from Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College. He will enroll at Nebraska next month.

And that's a good thing for the Huskers, because the NU offensive coordinator says his linemen need competition. Hardrick will provide that, Shawn Watson said.

“He's a great talent to begin with,” Watson said. “We feel like we need to make competition throughout our whole offense.”

Nebraska's received nonbinding oral commitments from two other junior college athletes — tight end Chase Harper and linebacker Lavonte David. They have until Jan. 15 to sign letters of intent if they want to join the Huskers for spring practice.

The regular football signing period begins Feb. 3.

Lack of depth hurt O-line

Watson said he thinks that the offensive line would have benefited from more in-practice moments of competition throughout the year, but the unit lacked depth.

He theorized that injuries to a few key freshmen hindered the midseason development of the first-team linemen.

Jesse Coffey, Brent Qvale and Jeremiah Sirles all suffered injuries serious enough to significantly limit their practice chances, Watson said.

Even if those newcomers never saw game action, Watson said, they could have created a different atmosphere.

“I think some of those young guys would have made their way onto the depth chart,” Watson said. “Losing them hurt us a little bit, hurt that competition aspect.”

Washington kept in QB rotation

The coaching staff has made a concerted effort to include junior Latravis Washington in the quarterback rotation during the team's most recent practices, Watson said.

NU is starting to prepare for its final game, but at a more deliberate pace since the Holiday Bowl with Arizona is still about two weeks away. The teams will play Dec. 30 in San Diego.

So Watson has been able to involve Washington more. The one-time linebacker is splitting repetitions with junior starter Zac Lee and top backup Cody Green.

“We are taking all three of those guys and getting them a lot of reps,” Watson said. “We get the opportunity to work with them, so we've made it similar to spring ball. We've repped all three of them a lot.”

Martinez to stay at quarterback

For now, the plan is to keep true freshman Taylor Martinez at quarterback until he has been given a legitimate opportunity to prove himself, Watson said.

Martinez was tabbed early on in the recruiting process as a potential contributor at defensive back, but he has been a quarterback since he joined NU.

Martinez is one game away from completing a redshirt year, so Watson said he'll wait for a while before he and the staff decide on any potential position changes for the young quarterback.

“We obviously need to give him a chance to see what he can do,” he said. “We haven't had a chance to really coach him in the full, see what he can fully do.

“We won't exhaust that until we see what he can do.”

Pelini's Football 101 planned for June 2

The Bo Pelini Foundation's Football 101 has been scheduled for June 2.

Football 101, led by the Husker head coach and his assistants, will be held at the Hawks Center, Memorial Stadium and the Champions Club. Participants also will get a chance to work with Husker players, run plays on the field and take part in a Tunnel Walk.

Registration is open to those who are 18 and older. Organizers said space is limited to 1,000 participants. The registration fee is $95 — $65 is tax deductible — and may be completed online at bopelinifoundation.com beginning Feb. 1.

The fee includes lunch, a gift bag and a T-shirt. Some walking and standing is required. Accommodations will be made for those in need of assistance.

While the schedule has not been finalized, the event generally begins with registration at 7:30 a.m. and concludes before 5 p.m.

Questions may be directed to Executive Director Connie Jamrog at 402-326-5609 or to the board of directors at bopelinifoundation@yahoo.com.

— Jon Nyatawa

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