LINCOLN — Out of 102 commits and signees in five Bo Pelini recruiting classes at Nebraska, 27 of them have pledged their services to the Huskers after Jan. 1.

That's 25 percent of Pelini's classes since 2008. So NU does plenty of work in the month before Signing Day. This year won't be any different; it should be the most commits Nebraska's had after New Year's Day since 2008, when Pelini had 14 pledges after Jan. 1.

The Huskers sit at 11 commits in what could be their most ambitious class to date. That commit list could grow to 18 or 19 signees by Feb. 1.

So while 247Sports — a partner with The World-Herald — currently ranks NU's class 66th in the country, its average point ranking is 14th. That's good for third in the Big Ten behind Michigan (No. 3 overall class nationally) and Ohio State (No. 7).

Nebraska — 9-4 in 2011 after a 30-13 loss to South Carolina in the Capital One Bowl — probably won't catch the Wolverines or Buckeyes. But it's in good position to surpass Penn State (No. 34), Iowa (No. 39) and Purdue (No. 42), which are the next highest-ranked league teams on the 247Sports list.

NU has pledges from four linebackers — Jared Afalava, Zaire Anderson, Thomas Brown, Michael Rose — and might be done recruiting that position now that top target Quanzell Lambert picked Rutgers. But work continues to be done at every spot but kicker, where NU signed Mauro Bondi in 2011.

Here's a breakdown of where the Huskers stand heading into the last month. All rankings and ratings are from 247Sports.

* * *

QUARTERBACK

• Already committed: Tommy Armstrong (3-star, 86 rating)

• Targets: Devin Fuller (5-star, 98 rating); Alonzo Moore (3-star, 87 rating)

• Skinny: Fuller — at 6-foot, 185 pounds — insists that he wants to play quarterback, despite being a better wide receiver or corner prospect, and TCU, NU, Rutgers, Notre Dame and Arizona — which just hired Rich Rodriguez — are listening. Moore — who has Mississippi State and Louisiana Tech among his finalists — is willing to play a variety of spots, although Husker coaches were impressed with his option skills in a summer camp.

• The next month: Moore will decide, and Fuller will hear another round of arguments from several schools. A Jan. 20 visit to Rutgers — Fuller is from New Jersey — could be key.

• 247 quote: "Nebraska is my type of offense and I feel I can really flourish in that type of offense." — Fuller

* * *

RUNNING BACK

• Already committed: None

• Targets: Christian Powell (3-star, 82 rating); Davante Bourque (4-star, 91 rating)

• Skinny: NU is in the market for a big back to complement its crop of smaller, quick ones. Powell, from Upland, Calif., now appears to be a UCLA lean, while Bourque — 6-2, 210 — just decommitted from LSU and has visits scheduled to Tennessee and Miami.

• The next month: Bourque will try to find room for an NU visit, while Powell likely cements his relationship with the Bruins.

• 247 quote: "I show a lot of heart and I play like a manchild." — Bourque

* * *

WIDE RECEIVER/TIGHT END

• Already committed: Jordan Westerkamp (4-star, 90 rating); Sam Cotton (3-star, 81 rating)

• Targets: Brent Wilkerson (4-star, 93 rating)

• Skinny: Westerkamp has been committed to NU since May, but Notre Dame offered last month and has the Lombard (Ill.) Montini Catholic star torn. He'll make a final decision between the Huskers and Irish soon. Wilkerson — 6-4, 245 — decommitted from Penn State and visited Nebraska this weekend.

• The next month: If Westerkamp pledges to ND, Nebraska must have a Plan B. It could very well be Alonzo Moore.

• 247 quote: "It's really the fact that if I come, then I can compete early there. (The Huskers) have a great family atmosphere there. It's a good school, too." — Wilkerson

* * *

OFFENSIVE LINE

• Already committed: Guard Paul Thurston (4-star, 92 rating)

• Targets: Tackle Andrus Peat (5-star, 98 ranking)

• Skinny: Peat — 6-7, 280 — is one of the nation's elite tackle prospects, an immediate contributor with height and thickness whose brother, Todd Peat, is a defensive tackle at NU. Andrus Peat is down to four schools — Stanford, Florida State, Nebraska and USC — but some observers think that it's really between the Huskers and the Cardinal.

• The next month: Peat is likely to take his time. Nebraska will let him.

• 247 quote: "He wants me to find the right school for me. He'd like me to come to Nebraska, but if I didn't, he wouldn't mind." — Andrus Peat on his brother Todd Peat

* * *

DEFENSIVE TACKLE/END

• Already committed: Greg McMullen (4-star, 93 rating); Avery Moss (3-star, 86 rating)

• Targets: Wilkerson, Vincent Valentine (3-star, 86 rating), Aaron Curry (3-star, 86 rating), Nate Iese (3-star, 83)

• Skinny: Valentine — listed at 6-4, 313, but probably heavier than that — seemed to have Nebraska at the top of his list for some time, but has been quiet in recent weeks. Iese could stay out West with an upcoming visit to UCLA. Curry was recruited by Iowa and could be a guy new Husker position coach Rick Kaczenski is interested in pursuing for NU.

• The next month: Valentine will decide, and Curry is likely to visit. Iese would be a bonus commit.

• 247 quote: "When Coach (Tim Beck) came to visit, he said at first Nebraska didn't think it needed defensive tackles. But then as the season went on, he said they decided they did need defensive tackles." — Curry

* * *

LINEBACKER

• Already committed: Afalava (4-star, 93 rating); Anderson (3-star, 87 rating); Brown (3-star, 88 rating); Rose (4-star, 93 rating)

• Skinny: With Lambert picking Rutgers and former commit Deion Jones flipping to LSU in December, NU may be done at linebacker, having eliminated McKeesport, Pa., prospect T.J. Neal weeks ago. Rose was spectacular in the Under Armour All-American game.

• The next month: Keeping everyone on board and pointed toward academic qualification.

• 247 quote: "I'm the Nebraska guy. Hopefully, I can persuade some other guys to think about Nebraska." — Rose

* * *

SECONDARY

• Already committed: Mohammed Seisay (4-star, 90 rating)

• Targets: Raymond Ford (4-star, 95 rating); A.J. Leggett (4-star, 95 rating); Brandon Beaver (3-star, 89 rating); Anthony Standifer, (3-star, 87 rating); Corey Thompson (4-star, 94 rating); Marques Mosley (2-star, 78 rating); Sebastian Smith (3-star, 85 rating)

• Skinny: Fast, furious and ever-changing. Nebraska is spinning a lot of plates here after top target Jordan Diggs eliminated NU from contention, choosing to stay in the SEC. Thompson — a Texas A&M commit — and Smith — an Indiana decommit — are new to the board at safety, while Ford — a UCLA commit — and Standifer — a Michigan decommit — are new to the board at corner.

Though 5-10, 165, Ford is a headliner, a confident speedster whose teammate, Thomas Brown, is committed to the Huskers. Leggett was a Miami commit, but he's been told that he won't qualify to get into the private school; Mosley had a window to commit to NU and it closed, so he chose Colorado instead. But apparently Nebraska's opened the window back up. Beaver's been an NU target for a long time, but he's leaning toward Washington and now will visit Oklahoma.

• The next month: Nebraska needs one corner and one safety at least. Ford seems like the best bet. He's the best player, too. Thompson could be one of those late flips. Mosley — 6-1, 175 — is a wild card, considering that NU is a far stronger program than Colorado at this point, and the Huskers are sniffing around again.

• 247 quote: "I liked everything about Nebraska." — Ford

Contact the writer:

402-202-9766, sam.mckewon@owh.com, twitter.com/swmckewonOWH

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