And, if so, what in the hell is Lane Kiffin putting in the water in Knoxville?

According to ESPN, Marve might prefer to walk on at UT - Miami inexplicably wouldn't grant him a release to the Volunteers - than sign a scholarship at Nebraska, Purdue, or anywhere else, for that matter.

Whether Marve picks NU or not isn't as material as, well, Kiffin's almost sudden, out-of-the-air ability to snag incredible talent. He's already ticked off plenty of folks in the SEC, and even a few high schools. Can this brash, bull-in-a-china-shop nonsense really work?

Apparently.

We aren't saying Kiffin can't coach. In fact, we like his offensive philsophy. His short, painful stint at the Oakland Raiders proved he's a run-first guy. His attack needs good running backs, and he got two of the nation's best in David Oku and Bryce Brown to sign with him.

But, still - convincing a known quantity at quarterback to pay his own way for a year? Can Kiffin pull that off?

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For most of the Bill Callahan administration at Nebraska, the diminutive gum-chewing coach of unfortunate catchphrases couldn’t get a break with his gilded quarterbacks.

They either cut town (Joe Dailey and Harrison Beck), got sick (Jordan Adams) broke up with NU over voicemail (Josh Freeman), weren’t quite as good as advertised (Sam Keller) or wisely backed out the door when the waiting room looked a little grim (Blaine Gabbert).

Bo Pelini rolled double fives in his first year with a blue-collar, suburban Chicago kid, Joe Ganz. Chips for everybody at the table, ditto the waitress. Maybe he’ll do it again with the similarly built Zac Lee. Or maybe Cody Green, after a year of seasoning, is the franchise quarterback Husker fans hope he is.

But now, a couple more quarterbacks – former Miami signal-caller Robert Marve and former Duke basketball point guard Greg Paulus - have at least knocked on NU’s door, and are inspecting the exterior to see if they want to come in.

The question is: Would or should Pelini invite them to stay?

In case of Marve, it’d be a three-year commitment, with Marve redshirting in 2009 to play two seasons after that. With Paulus, it’s a one-year, one-shot deal, as one of the nation’s best high school quarterbacks in 2004 spent four years as the Blue Devils’ point guard.

A quick scan of the many NU fan message boards reflects trepidation among Big Red Faithful for either player. Husker followers, ever loyal, seem concerned about two issues:

*Impact on team chemistry. Specifically a guy like Green, who’s been tabbed as “the guy” in 2010 or 2011. Quarterbacks are often a competitive-yet-tight-knit bunch, and introducing a new guy is a bit like adding a new critter to a pond. He’d better be ecologically compatible. Michigan’s quarterbacks, reportedly, weren’t too keen on Paulus joining the Wolverines, for example, after national news broke that he was considering a transfer there.

*Eating up needed scholarships. With Paulus, he’d be taking a scholarship likely headed to a deserving walk-on who’s bound to play more than Paulus would. Marve’s scholarship would be a three-year commitment, and may deter some other QB recruit from taking the Husker plunge.

There are additional concerns – Marve’s ugly divorce from Miami, Paulus’ rustiness and lack of raw arm strength – to consider, too.

But Pelini, and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, are chemistry guys. Players who aren’t fitting in either leave NU or make the slow drip down the depth chart. If Paulus and/or Marve rub Pelini and Watson wrong, they won’t get an RSVP.

The scholarship argument is intriguing. Nebraska has so few scholarships available – three or four under 20, barring something unforeseen - for the 2010 recruiting class because the typical attrition that occurs with coaching regime change has been less pronounced under Pelini. Yes, you’ve got Witt, John Levorsen, Major Culbert and a few others way down the depth chart. But this isn’t the exodus NU initially experienced under Callahan, or Kansas State decidedly didn’t enjoy with Ron Prince. Because Callahan signed what looks a terrific class in 2007 – and Pelini followed it up with 28 signees in 2008 – the 2010 class was destined to be small.

Worrying about whether Marve cheats NU out of some prospect would be blaming a potential transfer for a problem they didn’t create. As for eating up a scholarship intended for a walk-on? There are scholarship guys on NU’s roster now who inhabit the basement of the depth chart without much hope of ever playing. If Pelini and Co. want to honor those scholarships, well, we applaud it, but the consequence of doing so is leaving some walk-ons unrewarded.

You think Paul Velander on Nebraska’s basketball team didn’t look at some of Doc Sadler’s scholarship recruits – stiffs like Alex Chapman and Shang Pint – and occasionally wonder “Why?” Of course. But Velander was a motivated team guy, and Sadler got him to buy in. Velander was the team MVP in 2009.

Not every walk-on success story ends with a scholarship. Ask Derek Meyer.

So the real question becomes: Can they contribute?

In the case of Paulus, there’s no firm answer, and it’s not like Husker coaches can put him through a three-hour exam of field drills and film study to find out.

We know Paulus is a team guy – he gave up his starting point guard position at Duke for his senior season to no real avail come the NCAA Tournament. We also know he’s mentally tough, having withstood the merciless verbal abuse of every opposing student section in the ACC. For three years, Paulus was a lightning rod for criticism, the poster child for What’s Wrong with Duke Basketball. The 2009 NCAA Tournament, in which the Blue Devils were filleted by Villanova in the Sweet Sixteen, proved that theory at least partially false. At any rate, you’re getting a kid who knows how to compete amidst adversity.

But Paulus has talked about wanting to fight for a starting job. Well, he won’t start at NU; built much like Lee, without Lee’s speed and apparent arm strength, there’s virtually no way Paulus wins the job in the fall unless Lee gets hurt. Sure, Paulus could learn at the feet of a very good NFL-style offensive coordinator in Watson, but unless his heart is really into being a backup, what’s the point?

Marve is more appealing.

The redshirt year gives him a chance to learn the offense while he works out the kinks on the scout team. And while his Miami statistics don’t necessarily suggest it – a 55 percent completion rate, 13 interceptions - Marve had his moments last year. He throws a smooth spiral, shows requisite arm strength and is particularly adept at moving around the pocket without taking off downfield.

Plus, the Hurricanes’ offensive line was average at best, and Marve faced five top 25 defenses (Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest). That’s not entirely an excuse for the turnovers, but the kid isn’t, say, Cody Hawkins. He’s an NFL talent with moxie and toughness, and he spent two years in a pro-style attack that may not mirror Nebraska’s version of the West Coast Offense, but at least clues him in to some key principles.

Marve would arrive at NU with some baggage, most of which is well known. That said, a complete separation from his home in Tampa, his high school coach and even his parents might be good for him. Nebraska is a bona fide football factory and it may benefit Marve to dive head first in the deep end of the Big Red pool, immersing himself in Shawn Watson’s thick playbook and daunting work ethic.

Concerns about his competing with Lee, or Green, are fair, but Nebraska should foster and embrace competition instead of worrying about whose feathers get ruffled.

If Marve seems OK with competing, and doesn’t demand some kind of answer or ultimatum, then NU should give the kid a long, strong look.

Check out video on Robert Marve: Texas A&M game and North Carolina game.

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Nebraska’s newest quarterback walked into Memorial Stadium Tuesday in a black hooded sweatshirt with a backpack to none of the fanfare of guys like Zac Lee and Cody Green.

That’s because Latravis Washington has already been with the NU program for two years – as a linebacker.

“It’s something he wanted to try and we wanted to look at,” head coach Bo Pelini said. “He’s got a big arm. We needed another arm. We’re just gonna see what he looks like.”
Washington was recruited as a dual-threat quarterback by West Virginia and Ohio State, among others, out of Bradenton (Fla.) Bayshore High School, and attended NU’s Elite Quarterback Camp in 2005 and 2006. Nebraska, however, recruited him exclusively as a linebacker, and, at the time in 2006, Washington was adamant about staying on defense. Then-defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove was adamant about keeping him there, too.

But Washington played sparingly as a true freshman in 2007, and struggled to recover from an injury in 2008. His move to quarterback, facilitated by the departure of backup Patrick Witt, “was a mutual thing,” said Pelini, who have never seen Washington play quarterback. Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson has.

WILL linebacker Blake Lawrence, also a high school quarterback, joked that if offensive Watson needs another arm, he’s up for it.

“I hope Latravis does well over there,” Lawrence said. “But we’ll miss him at linebacker.”

Pelini also briefly discussed Robert Marve, the former Miami (Fla.) quarterback who is considering transferring to Nebraska, among other schools.

“With Patrick leaving, it kinda leaves a hole in the class,” Pelini said. “If it was the right guy, and the right situation and right kid, it’d be something we were interested in. Possibly. We’ll see how it plays out. Specifically him? I don’t know.”

NU’s four quarterbacks will “start in green jerseys” during spring camp, but may not be off-limits for all of the workouts.

“How we’ll handle it in the scrimmages, I’m not sure,” Pelini said.

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OK, so this one comes way out of left field - former starting Miami quarterback Robert Marve, who was involved in a real mess trying to get out of the Hurricanes' program and transfer to the schools he preferred, has apparently whittled his list down to six finalists - and Nebraska is one of them.

Other finalists: Michigan, Purdue, Texas Tech, South Florida and UCLA. The story mentions Marve has visited Nebraska, as well.

Marve, who started 11 games last year threw for more than 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns, would have to sit out 2010, but would have two years to play after that. Marve presumably flew onto the Husker radar after backup Patrick Witt left the program.

The Tampa, Florida, native redshirted in 2007 - after sustaining injuries in a serious car crash prior to fall camp - then got the starting nod in 2008 before while sharing time with Jacory Harris. Marve was suspended twice for violation of team rules, and chose to leave the program, with he and his parents giving the distinct idea that Marve has been poorly treated by UM coach Randy Shannon.

Shannon certainly seemed to hold a grudge, initially forbidding Marve from transferring to any ACC or SEC school, as well as any program in the state of Florida. Eventually the transfer order was changed to any ACC school, along with Florida, Tennessee and LSU. Shannon had already told Marve that, no matter what, he wasn't starting in 2009, and that Harris would be named the starter in the spring.

Rivals rated him the No. 8 pro-style quarterback coming out of high school in 2008. In his final year of high school play, Marve threw for 4,380 yards and 48 touchdowns. He's identifiable by the glove he wears on his non-throwing hand.

The best game of his short career at UM was against Texas A&M, when he threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-23 win.

We'll keep you up to date on this one. It ought to be interesting.

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