Curt McKeever: This coach knows how to put on a production

If you attended or caught wind of the State of the Union primer, known in these parts as the Nebraska football recruiting announcement, there was no need to watch the president speak from the House chamber Wednesday night.

Who needs George Bush's outlook for America when Bill Callahan already has you convinced it's going to be a helluva year for Husker Nation?

Nebraska has landed a 31-player class that longtime recruiting analyst Tom Lemming ranked No. 1 in the country, and you could feel the head coach's energy as he discussed all the ingredients that went into the biggest victory he's enjoyed since coming to Lincoln last January.

And I thought "Mamma Mia!" was the don't-miss theatrical production in town this week.

For nearly an hour, without intermission, Callahan had the look of an Tony Award-nominated leading man, and in his acknowledgements, left no stone unturned when thanking those who helped along the way.

He started with a coaching staff that "showed resiliency in the face of some tough conditions," moved to athletic director Steve Pederson for taking time out of his schedule to meet recruits, threw in the secretaries (no, not our beloved Mike Johanns), the academic support people, players (past and present), associate AD for corporate sales Paul Miles (recruiting is all about salesmanship, you know), and finally, you the fans, Callahan's "10th full-time assistant."

When he stepped away from the podium, I was almost expecting many members in the audience, including some adoring media types, to pull out red and white ‘N' flags and form a greeting line to offer their gratitude.

Really, it was as rosy a reception as Bush received later Wednesday. Would you believe one TV guy was heard grumbling about his station's recruiting special show being pushed to a later time — all because of reaction to the president's speech?

I doubt "Nightline" dropped the ball with its programming. Nevertheless, what Callahan and his staff have accomplished with their first full season of recruiting is quite a coup. Think about this a second — nearly half the players they signed committed after the Huskers' mysteriously miserable 5-6 season.

Sure, you can chuckle (perhaps rightly so) over all the victories big-time recruiting classes brought NU assistant John Blake when he was failing as Oklahoma's head coach. You can point out how Lemming and Callahan are old Chicago buddies, so, of course, his class will get preferential treatment.

Heck, a good time could be had by rummaging through your junk for those cardboard cutouts of Mack Brown's noggin, so you can perform a Conan O'Brien-esque skit in which the Texas coach points out all the national championships that have come from his renowned recruiting classes.

When it comes to that topic, I'm not one to peruse the Internet message boards. I will admit now, grudgingly, that these rankings have moved beyond the inexact science of the 1980s and '90s.

High school and junior college players are under the microscope more than ever and it likely won't be long before colleges get to see them in a national combine setting that mirrors the one NFL teams rely on while making pre-draft evaluations.

"I really believe they give you a better chance to win," Callahan said of having a class viewed as being in the upper echelon.

Can one class change a program so dramatically that it makes you think the fall of 2004 was nothing but a mirage? I wouldn't bank on it, but then that would rob many of the only real hope they have for next season, wouldn't it?

Callahan didn't just step off the train, so he knows any predictions about 2005 would be premature.

In the same vein, he has no problem proclaiming, "I'd like to believe we made all the right moves to improve Nebraska."

To him, the Huskers' 2005 class looks "outstanding, athletically."

At the least, that should give Nebraska some much-needed depth, a prerequisite for teams that hope to compete for championships of any sort.

Let's hold off awhile on any more of that talk.

Callahan designed a staff based on recruiting. That should've been apparent last year when, late in the game, Nebraska swung big and connected with a few high-profile kids. And now that he and his crew have their bearings, the Huskers are comfortable throwing the heater at the Murder's Row likes of Southern Cal, LSU and Texas.

Guess that would mean that the only remaining question to be answered is whether these guys have what it takes to coach 'em up?

Maybe some of those recruiting analysts can put their heads together and come up with a system to rank schools based on those strengths, then have the NCAA reserve a day where people can play hooky from work and discuss the findings.

Now, if that thought doesn't make you stand up and shout, you should've heard the president last night.

Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.