Blue-Grey Football Alumni Update: Nate Herbig

Blue-Grey All-American Combine alum and All-American Bowl invitee Nate Herbig is doing well nowadays at Stanford.

Plenty of prospects, some of them high-profile, others under-the-radar, have come and gone in the past decade or so, since the inception of the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl. Still, the talent level across the board on the national scene has been about as good as it gets.

Things don’t figure to change anytime soon as the hype continues to build for this year’s games: Dec. 17 and Jan. 29 at Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, also Jan. 5 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium and Jan. 14 at Houston Texans’ NRG Stadium.

To gain a better understanding about the rapidly growing direction of things, perhaps now it’s best to take some time to reflect on the humble beginnings. Therefore, moving forward, the plan is to more closely examine the brand’s many alumni from all over the country.

Nate Herbig from St. Louis (HI) takes center stage here. As a member of the Class of 2016, he was invited to the game at AT&T Stadium, a 21-14 victory for West over East. However, as one of nation’s top prospects at the time, his focus turned to recruiting.

Given the past, and future goals, perhaps the attention put toward the next level was warranted. Remember, Herbig first turned heads at the brand’s All-American Combine (Hawaii Regional), with NFL veterans Mark McMillian and Tevita Ofahengaue in attendance.

High-profile peers Tua Tagovailoa, Vavae Malepeai, Jeremiah Pritchard, Michael Eletise, Sean Auwae and Frederick Mauigoa commanded attention before, during, and after, the workout. When all was said and done, Herbig left one of the more lasting impressions.

Little, or nothing, has changed. Presently getting the job done, enjoying the spotlight of course, the 6-foot-4 and 334-pound junior offensive lineman for Stanford will once again be in action against USC on Sept. 8 in a Pac-12 Conference game at 8 p.m. (EST).

As a sophomore, Herbig played in 13 games, all starts for the Cardinal. By year’s end, he was named to the All-Pac-12 Conference, too. Many might have been able to see the writing on the wall, when as a freshman, 13 games were added to his resume, six starts.

There’s been talk about early entry to the NFL Draft. First, maybe a stop at the NFL Scouting Combine. Or after, the undrafted free agent route. Regardless, the journey included the All-American Combine in Hawaii and an invite to the All-American Bowl in Texas.