If you follow college football recruiting closely, today is Christmas, your birthday, your bar mitzvah, and your high school graduation all rolled into one. But, like baubles and gift certs and the keys to a 78 Dodge, all that glitters doesn’t necessarily turn to gold — or national championships.

The Huskers will score a top 15 class this year, but what Coach Bill Callahan and staff can do with these big fast guys only the next four years will tell.

Like any Nebraska fan, I like to hear about studs and superstars packing their gym bags for North 10th Street in Lincoln.

But the quality of the recruiting means only what Rivals.com and other analysts think it is. It’s like Mel Kuiper comes to high school. Frankly, I don’t put a lot of stock in individual players because there is a lot going on with an 18 or 19 year old. Does the name Harrison Beck ring any Big Red bells? They may be BMOCs in high school and specimens in their skivvies, but how will they do away from home for the first time, learning a new system, taking classes (they do that you know), getting to know a new staff and teammates, and because of NCAA rules, living like kings when they are on the field, in the weight room, or at the training table, but like paupers when they arrive back at their dorm rooms.

Callahan et al have snared a good group of high school athletes. Still, it is up to the kids and coaches to make it work. In one stretch of the late 90s and early 2000s, Notre Dame had the best recruiting class in the nation year in and year out. Such quality did not translate to a national championship and the Irish have lost nine bowl games in a row. Good classes have paid off at some schools like Florida (champs this year), Texas (last year), and USC (the two before). And each has a top five class again.

Bottom line is that extraordinary talent is a good place to start, but being a great football team requires more than a top recruiting class.