The tallest of the four is 6-foot Jamie Nance. None of them weighs more than 190 pounds.

Frost, in his third year in charge at Nebraska, has done a good job of targeting bigger players across the board, with Manning being a shining example.

If Manning gets his academic work completed, it's easy to envision him being a go-to weapon right away.

“He looks different than anybody I’ve ever coached and has tape to match,” Frost told reporters in mid-December.

So, the operative question: Is Manning's academic situation a potential problem? Or is it comfortably manageable?

"He'll be able to do it for sure," Hopkins says. "I have no doubt in my mind he'll be able to make it."

Hopkins didn't want to discuss a timetable for when Manning will be ready to arrive in Lincoln. It won't be this spring, obviously. The earlier in the summer, the better. For one thing, Manning needs to develop chemistry with Nebraska's quarterbacks. There's urgency in that regard. We're talking about a player on whom Husker coaches are counting. That's not speculation. It's fact.

Manning, who earned second-team junior college All-American honors in 2019, will arrive ready to play, Hopkins says.