The latest episode begins with NU's new QB situation. Plus, the guys share thoughts on some interesting comments from a men's hoops player.
Soon after taking over as Nebraska's running backs coach last week, Bryan Applewhite headed straight to Texas to recruit.Â
He enjoys the reception he receives at high schools.Â
"Every school that I've gone to, I've gotten a 'Go Big Red' as soon as I walked in," Applewhite said. "It's been unbelievable. The big 'N' is still known throughout country."
Having grown up in eastern Colorado, Applewhite is acutely familiar with Nebraska's football program. During an appearance Wednesday on the "Husker Sports Nightly" radio program, Applewhite showed a keen understanding and obvious appreciation for the program's rich history.
"You couldn't go to school where I went to school (in Colorado) and not talk about Nebraska football," said the 1993 graduate of Brighton High School.
Applewhite brings more than two decades of collegiate coaching experience to the Nebraska staff. He spent the past two seasons coaching running backs at TCU after making stops at Colorado State, Louisiana-Monroe, Montana State, Wyoming and Northern Colorado.Â
He got on a plane Sunday to travel to Texas to recruit.Â
"Growing up and going to high school in eastern Colorado, and then to get the phone call from Coach Frost offering me the job — it was a dream come true," Applewhite said. "You couldn't go to school when I was in middle school and not be able to talk about the Nebraska-CU game. You better be able to talk about all the Nebraska players, you better be able to talk about what happened and who scored what touchdown.
"It just feels surreal still. It still hasn't sunk in."
Asked to describe his coaching style, Applewhite noted he went straight from being a fullback at Northern Colorado into coaching at his alma mater as a graduate assistant.Â
As a result, "I never got the opportunity to forget what it was like to be a player," he said. "I went straight from player to coach. In my first spring (as a coach), I was coaching guys I (played with) in the fall. So, I understand what you go through every day as a student-athlete. I never forgot that."
He said he's demanding, but understanding. Â
"I want perfection, I want physicality, I want toughness," he said. "But I also understand there are some outside things, especially today with the way social media and all that is, there's a lot of pressure on student-athletes, and just students in general, period. But at the end of the day, we have to stay focused on our task at hand, and that's you came to college to get a degree and be the best person you could possibly be — and help Nebraska win football games."Â
Anthony Grant plans to help in that regard. Nebraska on Sunday landed a commitment from the New Mexico Military Institute running back who has been among the most productive ball-carriers at the junior-college level over the past two years.Â
"Anthony's an explosive kid. He has tremendous vision," said Applewhite, noting Grant's impressive size (5-foot-11, 210 pounds) and ability to get to top speed quickly. "He has incredible instincts. He's tough. He's got great hands out of the backfield. I was just tickled to death, excited to get the opportunity to work with him."Â Â
Applewhite said he hasn't had a chance to meet personally with Nebraska's running backs.
"That's still to come," he said. "It's all happened so fast."
Keeping up with the transfer portal. Here's who the Huskers have coming to Lincoln