I love the OB and miss it dearly. But it wasn't an on-campus stadium, and it didn't belong to the University. What made the OB special to all of us was all the winning that took place there. We won 3/5 NCs inside that building (lost a few as well), 58 home game winning streak record, the countless times we beat our rivals in there. It was the WINNING that made it what it was to this program. When we played like we have in the past 20 years, people didn't go either. There was no talk of the need for an on-campus stadium then?
I'm not for or against a new stadium. But we don't need a new stadium to win. We beat the brakes off of ND in 2017 in there and it was electric. Notice how it's the only game people really talk about there. Packed house, electric, dominant win=memorable. If I was a top HS kid, I wouldn't want to go to a place that people blindly follow even when the team sucks. I'd feel bad for people wasting their hard-earned money to come see garbage football. When you see a packed HRS for a Canes game, you know you're doing something right and that should be the goal of all these "top" HS kids.
I know its a lot of maturity and forward thinking to ask of an 18 year old. But this should be the recruiting pitch. If you're that elite come here, you're going to get the on-field recognition cuz you're a dog right? plus the recognition in the community, those butts in the seats are literally there to see you because if not they wouldn't be here. They don't just come like they have for 50 years straight at Nebraska.