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The dream is still alive. You can see it in Bronson Marsh’s eyes.
You know the one. Nebraska kid wings footballs to his dad in the backyard. He’s got the poster of Memorial Stadium above his bed. He’s got the Tom Osborne (or Bo Pelini) photo on the dresser. Every bite of vegetables and gulp of milk in his young life was with the thought of wearing a red jersey some day.
And so the kid grows up. Well, maybe not that big. Or, that fast. But the dream in his head is still there, though it has moved a bit south.
Like, underneath the left side of his chest.
The dream of the Nebraska kid playing for Nebraska U. is still alive. That’s what Pelini said when he took over two years ago. That’s what Tom Osborne did when he took over as athletic director — he immediately offered a scholarship to a small-town Nebraska kid.
They said there is more than enough room for the heart and soul and love and passion for all things Big Red — if not on the field, then pushing up the rest of the team from the bottom of the depth chart. That’s what made Nebraska great, right?
Well, Marsh is all ears.
The Millard South quarterback made his official visit to Lincoln this weekend. Nebraska needs quarterbacks. And Marsh had one of the great careers ever for a Nebraska high school kid, setting the state career passing mark and putting a Class A state title exclamation point on it.
He’s the quarterback nobody wanted to play against and everybody wanted to play with.
But, at 6-foot, 205 pounds, he has the frame of a kid who was a great high school quarterback who walks on and plays defense — or ends up having a nice career on a Division II field.
Marsh might be somewhere in the middle. And where he ends up might not even be up to him.
There are only a handful of scholarships left for this year’s NU class. And NU has its eye on some big fish nationally, including Brion Carnes of Bradenton, Fla., who is a cousin of Husker legend Tommie Frazier.
Marsh had heard rumors that he was going to get an offer this weekend. But he might have to wait until the other recruits make up their minds.
“It’s been the dream,’’ Marsh said. “I have confidence I can play anywhere at the next level. It’s all in what the coaches see. I just want to get down there and show them what I can do and try to make believers out of them.’’
His coach, Andy Means, was a former Husker walk-on who developed into a starter. So Means isn’t just a coach sticking up for his kid.
“I’m one of those kids,’’ Means said. “Those kids have always been the cornerstone of the program.’’
When I asked Means what intangible Marsh had that could translate into Big 12 football, he simply pointed to his heart.
“You can’t measure it in a kid until you see it,’’ Means said. “You can do all the measurements and 40 times and jumps and all that stuff. The kid has to have that (heart).’’
Indeed, wouldn’t you want that passion from a kid like Marsh in the locker room, weight room and practice field? Wouldn’t you want it from a kid like Ron Coleman, the running back and linebacker from Omaha North who dominates on the football field and wrestling mat?
Pelini knows about those kinds of kids. He was one himself. But the flip side of the dream is the reality that is ever present in Pelini’s job.
That is: While Pelini would love to have a team full of Marshes and Colemans, he’s paid to win Big 12 and national championships. And that means recruit studs with physical talents.
And while Husker fans want their share of Nebraska boys running out of the tunnel on Saturdays, Husker fans also like to win. I remember former coach Frank Solich being criticized heavily — here at home — for signing too many Nebraska kids. As I recall, that was the Independence Bowl season.
“I used to get upset and get frustrated, but ultimately they have to pick the kids that they think are going to impact their program and allow them the best chance to win,’’ said North coach Larry Martin. “It’s hard for me because ultimately my job isn’t going to be on the line if any of these kids can’t play, so I respect that.
“There’s a happy medium there. But you never know, it’s not over yet. Sometimes kids decommit. I remember last year (Pelini) came through our weight room late and was still looking for some defensive linemen.’’
Like Marsh, Coleman has the heart, but, at 5-11 and 250, he’s been largely ignored by the top level schools. Martin said Pelini told him if Coleman could get up to 285 pounds, he might have a shot at defensive tackle. Kansas State suggested that Coleman go to a junior college.
But Coleman isn’t interested in gaining 35 pounds or junior college or a walk-on program. He wants to play — and play linebacker. So he’s looking at Southeast Missouri State or Northwest Missouri.
If it doesn’t work out for Marsh, he might see Coleman in Maryville, Mo. If Marsh doesn’t get an offer this weekend, he’s going to visit Northwest Missouri on Sunday and Monday.
Would the Husker dreamer consider walking on at NU? Um, maybe.
“That’s a decision I will have to make,’’ Marsh said. “It’s definitely hard to turn down money.’’
Even dreamers have their reality.
Contact the writer:
444-1025, tom.shatel@owh.com
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