How Scott Frost won over a Nebraska recruit's mom
Sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference in recruiting.
Caleb Tannor, a four-star linebacker from Lithonia, Georgia, had offers from across the SEC. When his signing ceremony arrived last Wednesday, there were five hats on the table with him — four from the SEC (Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss and Mississippi State) and Nebraska.
Tannor chose the Huskers.
Nebraska became a serious option for Tannor after an official visit last month. And Nebraska’s chances only increased after new head coach Scott Frost visited Tannor’s mother, Felicia, at work. Felicia works at a local elementary school and was cleaning up in the cafeteria when Frost stopped by.
Without hesitation, Frost helped.
Frost stopped in to visit with Felicia about her son and Nebraska, but she was busy cleaning up the cafeteria. Nebraska defensive backs coach Travis Fisher said Frost didn’t miss a beat. He started grabbing chairs and putting things away.
“Coach Frost goes into the school and his mom is in the cafeteria and he’s right there helping her stack chairs,” Fisher said. “They were just there stacking chairs. That won the mom over real quick.”
Tannor’s former high school football coach at Miller Grove, Justin Larmond, recalled how excited the experience made Felicia.
“Felicia told me that,” Larmond said. “He helped with all that stuff. He just happened to be there at the time they were cleaning up. He just pitched in and did everything. He picked chairs up, helped take out the trash. All that stuff.”
According to Rivals.com, there were times when Tannor was leaning toward Auburn and Florida. Ole Miss also factored heavily into the equation. Ultimately, it was Nebraska who landed Tannor’s signature.
“It was a real tough decision, but I just took my time with things and made sure I made the right one,” Tannor told Rivals. “After every visit, each school really gave me something to think about, but I just took my time and it came to me that Nebraska was the best place for me.
“I was thinking about this decision every day and basically every hour for the last few weeks and I feel great about my decision to go to Nebraska.”
Tannor is one of the highest-rated prospects in the Huskers’ 2018 class. The class, Frost’s first at his alma mater after two years at Central Florida, is ranked third in the Big Ten and No. 21 nationally by Rivals.com.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
