Nebraska’s offense underwent substantial changes both in terms of coaching and personnel since the 2021 season ended in November.
Spring is going to be a wild ride across the board on Mark Whipple’s side of the ball, and there are a bunch of jobs up for grabs.
This list could look quite a bit different by April 9, but here’s a pre-spring depth chart projection.
Quarterback
Casey Thompson, Logan Smothers OR Chubba Purdy.
Analysis: Assuming he’s healthy and stays healthy, anybody besides Thompson emerging as a clear front-runner out of the spring would be a surprise. The Texas transfer has the most playing experience of anybody in Mark Whipple’s room and has the skill set to thrive in the Big Ten.
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As spring ball starts, we’re going with Smothers and Purdy in the co-No. 2 spot because they’ve also started games at the collegiate level. However, redshirt freshman Heinrich Haarberg is a dynamic athlete and has a big arm, so he can certainly make a push toward that pair. Richard Torres is expected to be limited this spring by a knee injury that ended his senior season and is just getting going in college ball.
Purdy is certainly a guy to watch, too. At 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, he should be fully healthy after battling injuries at Florida State and he’s got a lot of tools to work with. He and Smothers are at similar points in their college careers. Can one of them separate from the other?
Running back
Rahmir Johnson OR Anthony Grant, Gabe Ervin Jr.
Analysis: The full story at running back may not unfold this spring. For one, Ervin will still likely be limited by a knee injury he suffered in September. Another reason: Talented freshman Ajay Allen, the lone recruit new assistant coach Bryan Applewhite was fully involved in landing, arrives on campus this summer.
The room is still full of intrigue over the coming weeks, though. Johnson emerged as the lead back last year, but then was slowed by injuries late in the season. Grant, a former Florida State back and a former high school teammate of Ervin’s, is talented and put up more than 1,700 yards in junior college last fall. Jaquez Yant showed flashes for NU last fall, but also inconsistency, and Markese Stepp found himself in a similar position.
Wide receiver
Omar Manning, Zavier Betts.
Trey Palmer, Alante Brown.
Isaiah Garcia-Castenada, Oliver Martin.
Analysis: The top six actually came together in a relatively straightforward manner. Palmer is a prime candidate to take over the slot position that Samori Toure manned last year. He’s got game-breaking speed and caught 30 passes for LSU in the SEC last fall. Plus, he’s known Mickey Joseph for years, so the two have a strong bond and Palmer knows what’s expected.
Garcia-Castaneda, the New Mexico State transfer, can play inside or outside and Manning and Betts return as physically imposing, talented perimeter options, too. Martin and Brown appear to be next in line among the returning players, and it will be interesting to see if any of a trio of redshirt freshmen or freshman Victor Jones Jr. can push toward the two-deep.
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Tight end
Travis Vokolek, Thomas Fidone.
Analysis: Funny enough, when Vokolek first transferred to NU from Rutgers, he was known mostly for his receiving skills. Now entering his sixth collegiate season, he’s hailed mostly for his rugged work in the run game. However, with Austin Allen off to the NFL, the 6-6, 260-pound Vokolek will get a chance to show the whole range.
What will be most interesting is if Fidone can recapture the momentum he was building last April when he tore his ACL and turn himself into a difference-making all-around player at a young age. He’s a dynamic talent in the receiving game and that may be his calling card early in his career, but the more he can do, the more snaps he’ll play this fall. It could be a receiving/blocking rotation with either Chance Brewington or Chris Hickman, depending on how much Fidone proves capable of right away.
Offensive line
LT: Teddy Prochazka, Brant Banks.
LG: Nouredin Nouili, Broc Bando.
C: Ethan Piper, Trent Hixson.
RG: Kevin Williams Jr., Henry Lutovsky.
RT: Hunter Anthony OR Turner Corcoran, Bryce Benhart.
Analysis: The most confounding, wide-open group gets saved for last. Prochazka and Corcoran are out for the spring with injuries, but the guess here is Prochazka will be back at left tackle when he’s healthy. Banks took reps at left tackle and even started the opener in 2021 as Corcoran worked back from a camp injury. Unless he’s in line for a starting role elsewhere, perhaps Banks is a swing tackle for Donovan Raiola.
Corcoran is tougher to peg, because he might be the right tackle but he might also be an intriguing option at center. For now, Piper and Hixson are likely to get a lot of reps in the middle this spring. If one proves a solid option, maybe Corcoran stays out on the edge. Maybe not. This is the group where these projections are most likely to be entirely wrong.
Nouili took over the left guard job in the middle of 2021 and played well enough that it would make sense to keep him there (again, unless he’s a real option at center. He did take snaps pregame in 2021).
Right guard is an interesting spot. Lutovsky is a huge kid at 6-6 and 330 and is widely believed to have a very bright future in the program. Williams’ addition via the portal in December didn’t gain as much attention as some others, but there are people on the staff who think he’s among the most athletic linemen on the roster. A veteran/young guy competition could be in the cards.
Anthony could play guard or tackle, most likely, but staying at right tackle, where he played the most at Oklahoma State, might make sense at least this spring given the injuries to Prochazka and Corcoran.