Nebraska's relatively thin depth at tight end may get a boost next year from the 19th verbal commitment for the Huskers' 2011 recruiting class.

Darien Bryant, a 6-foot-4, 215-pounder from Pickering, Ohio, gave his pledge to NU Thursday afternoon when tight ends coach Ron Brown dropped by for a visit at Pickering North High School. Earlier in the week, head coach Bo Pelini visited Bryant in his home. He picked Nebraska over North Carolina and Hawaii, but also had offers from West Virginia, Michigan and Michigan State, among other schools.

Bryant caught 18 passes for 248 yards and a touchdown this fall for Pickering North, a school located in Central Ohio. He had 29 tackles on defense. He'll be a tight end for the Huskers, who have soon-to-be-juniors Ben Cotton and Kyler Reed returning – but little proven talent after that. Freshman walk-on Jake Long surged toward the end of the season. J.T. Kerr is a scholarship recruit, but has thus far not played much. Ryan Hill, a junior from Colorado, retired from football due to repeated concussions.

NU's 2010 commit, Chase Harper, failed to academically qualify. Nebraska appeared in the running for Washington transfer Kavario Middleton, who also ran into academic snags. He eventually went to Montana.

Brown and Pelini played a key role in Bryant's willingness to commit to Nebraska. The Huskers were also scheduled to bring in another tight end, Dallas product Andrew Peterson, for an official visit this weekend. He's the third player from Ohio to commit for the 2011 class, joining defensive tackle Kevin Williams and defensive end Max Pirman.

See also: Instant Analysis - Darien Bryant and What's Left to Recruit on Offense

Permanent Link to this Blog Post