Originally published Feb. 8, 2007 in the Omaha World-Herald
Helu says: "I just prayed about things, and I think I started favoring Nebraska when I saw their situation. They have a pro-style offense and a lot of zone-blocking schemes. I really liked their young linemen they already had in their program. I just felt that things were just set up for me to have more success there."
Did you know?
Helu visited Lincoln with fellow commits Ryan Hill and Quentin Castille on the first weekend of September. Rated as the 55th-best running back in the nation, Helu ran for 11 touchdowns as a senior after making a big impression at the Nike camp in Palo Alto in May.
Coachspeak
"His strength is his acceleration. He can take a play from zero to 60 in whatever is good if you're a car guy. Most of his weight is in his legs, too. My strength coach would be sweating like a dog stretching Roy out before games from holding his legs up." -- San Ramon Valley coach David Kravitz
The gurus say
"Roy's a kid that if things don't go according to plan at running back, he could make a fine safety," Jeremy Crabtree of rivals.com said. "He may not be the most explosive running back, but he does a lot of positive things. You don't see him trying to reverse field too often."
About Helu
With offers from BYU, Oregon and California, Helu said it really came down to the Huskers and Cal.
Our take
Of the three running backs in this class, Helu is the most likely to redshirt next season. His north-south style fits a Callahan offense that relies heavily on positive first-down production.