Today was just another Wednesday for Cameron Jurgens. Things were so chill he even had time to take a phone call from an intrepid reporter.

“Today’s not too stressful at all,” says Cameron. “I’m like everybody else, just watching to see who else signs.”

Jurgens is the crown jewel of Nebraska’s high school football Class of 2018, a standing further enhanced in local eyes by the fact he elected to sign with the Huskers. The 6-4, 250-pound Jurgens is one of the most highly regarded recruits in the country and when he signed with NU back in December it was a big deal, for him and his family, the program and its fans. And it's over, so today is just another Wednesday to him.

Bryson Williams did not sign with Nebraska. Neither did Zach Schlager. Both are Division I football scholarship players, Williams is already enrolled at Wisconsin, and Schlager is signed, sealed and will soon be delivered to Colorado State. Besides their obvious football talent and their Division I scholarships, a rarity in this state, they also have something else in common.

They both wanted to be Huskers.

Didn’t happen. And mostly for the same reason. Sorry to go over old ground but the bottom line is the previous Husker coaching staff didn’t want either one of them. Sure didn’t act like it wanted them. Sure didn’t make it feel like they wanted to keep them home and give them the chance to turn things around at Memorial Stadium.

Both would have liked that. Both will be very good players at their respective colleges and both are great kids. Good for them. Not as good for the Husker football program. Not good at all.

And before we go any further don't get me wrong. I, like you, love what is going on with Husker football these days, especially today. I just wanted to talk about three players, three of our state's best players, players who I have gotten to know a little and who were featured in Huskerland's 2017 football preview magazine, and their recruiting stories. So let's do that.

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Jurgens suffered a horrible leg injury late last football season and after surgery has been rehabbing ever since. Earlier today he told me he’s just off crutches and walking in a boot. “It’s a slow process but I need to be patient and make sure we do it right,” he says.

A phenomenon from way back in the day, Cam Jurgens is one of those kids gifted with great athletic genes but what makes him so great, IMO, is his discipline and his desire to be great. Nothing short of being as great as he can be - and that’s gonna be pretty great - will do.

Jurgens enjoyed his recruiting process, what there was of it, but let’s face it the kid verbally accepted his Husker offer a couple of years ago. There was that dalliance with LSU - he even made a late campus visit - but his heart bleeds Husker red. He was coming to Lincoln.

“Committing when I did I feel like I have been part of the team since I was a sophomore or junior in high school,” says Cameron, who has been on the sidelines at a number of Husker games since then. “I am ready to get to work and show them what Nebraska kids can do."

Zach Schlager is a Nebraska kid. Growing up in McCook he’s been a two-time all-stater at one of the state’s best football programs, one of the most dynamic difference makers I have seen play in person.

At 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds Schlager is a ferocious hitter on defense and has the speed to make plays all over the field. He played quarterback for the Bison mostly because he was such a great athlete, not because he was blessed with quarterback skills. What he was, is, blessed with is a tremendous competitive spirit and that alone made him a good quarterback.

You simply didn’t want to have to tackle ol’ No. 1.

Talking earlier today Zach said he has already started working the CSU weight training program - “it’s definitely a college plan, but it’s cool, I can handle it” - and can’t wait to leave his mark on the Rams program.

“I want to get out there and prove all the doubters wrong,” is how he puts it. Don’t look at me - I believe in the kid, always have.

Zach committed early for a reason, to get away from the recruiting noise, and he was happy with his decision to make his CSU pledge. The Huskers? Did he want to be a Husker? Well, yeah, yeah he did, but the feeling wasn’t reciprocated and when the rubber hit the road he chose the sure thing, the CSU offer. After all, his older brother Jake had enjoyed a record-setting career out there and Zach was comfortable with the college and the football program. That’s what a guy wants from his scholarship decision, right?

“I’m in a good place,” says Zach. “I had a great career at McCook, no regrets, even though we never made the big game (state final). Lots of great memories like the (2016 state semifinal) Elkhorn South game, that was the greatest game ever."

Bryson Williams isn’t a Nebraska boy, at least not a native, but he’s grown (and boy how) into what you’d call a Cornhusker State native. After moving with his family from Illinois he settled into Lincoln Southeast as a freshman and immediately became “that guy” in the program. As in, no doubt, that guy was gonna be something special on the football field.

And become special Bryson has, having grown (and boy how) into a 6-foot-2, 295-pound powerhouse of a lineman, equally dominant on both sides of the ball. His school is located just a few blocks from Memorial Stadium and when we spoke last summer he expressed a strong desire for the Huskers coaching staff to take him seriously but he doubted it would happen. Pretty much knew it wasn’t going to happen.

Wisconsin, another program known for producing great linemen, filled the gap left by the lack of active Huskers interest. Look, Bryson’s an intelligent kid, a great asset to any group he’s a part of inside or outside football, and he’s a terror when he’s, well, inside football. Wisconsin knew what it had and moved quickly to make sure Bryson knew he was wanted as part of its 2018 recruiting class.

“It came down to Nebraska and Wisconsin but I wound up choosing Wisconsin because of the relationships I had built with coaches, other members of my recruiting class, the academic advisors, and basically a lot of people around the program,” says Bryson.

And then Scott Frost and his staff were hired. One of their first visits to was to see Bryson, see if that Wisconsin verbal was rock solid. If there was a crack a dynamic figure like Frost could make it crumble into little red pieces.

Didn’t happen. In fact, Bryson enrolled at Wisconsin for the second semester.

“Coach Frost is a great person and he gave me a lot to think about,” says Bryson. “But in the end I stuck with my decision because I knew it was right for me. I am very close with other members of my recruiting class and getting to know the other guys on the team. I love it here.”

Husker football made a tremendous recruiting haul today but only one Nebraska high school player is part of the Class of 2018. There is a good chance that will change in coming years - Coach Frost wants it to change - and it will be great to see players like Schlager and Williams valued the way they should be.