No quarterback competition? No problem. Nebraska spring ball starts Monday and runs through the Red-White Spring Game on April 13, and though sophomore Adrian Martinez is entrenched as the Huskers’ starter under center, there are still plenty of intriguing storylines to follow.
Here are nine to watch as head coach Scott Frost begins his second go-round at his alma mater.
Wide open wide receivers room
The NU receivers group looks like this: Junior JD Spielman and then … what?Â
The 5-foot-10 junior has racked up 121 catches for 1,648 yards and 14 touchdowns in his first two college seasons and can do a little bit — or a lot — of everything.
After him, there are only question marks. Seniors such as Mike Williams (12 catches in 2018) and Jaron Woodyard (1) are up against the clock, as is sophomore Jaevon McQuitty (0), who's in his third year in the program. Freshmen such as Jamie Nance and Wan’Dale Robinson are already on campus and will be fighting for snaps. The staff is high on redshirt freshman Andre Hunt. Freshmen Demariyon Houston and Darien Chase join the fold this summer. Walk-on Kade Warner is actually NU’s second-leading returning receiver by catches (17).
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Opportunities abound and the Huskers have several pieces to work with, but we’re not talking about filling one spot. There are three or four major roles to determine, at least. Let the wild rumpus begin.
Washington’s status going forward
This one is pretty simple. Will sophomore running back Maurice Washington participate in spring ball fully in the midst of his legal proceedings in California? That should clear up some when Frost addresses reporters Tuesday. Then it may depend on exactly how the case plays out in the Bay Area.
Considering junior college back Dedrick Mills and freshmen Rahmir Johnson and Ronald Thompkins don’t arrive until the summer, this spring is a golden opportunity for sophomore Jaylin Bradley and senior Wyatt Mazour to try to earn their ways up the depth chart regardless of Washington's status.
Moving pieces on defensive staff
Frost said recently that outside linebackers coach Jovan Dewitt is battling a form of throat cancer. Dewitt indicated to the Journal Star that he’s going to try to be around a lot during the spring, but the extent to which he coaches on the field remains to be seen.
The Huskers also just hired new defensive line coach Tony Tuioti.
So Tuioti is getting caught up to speed and Dewitt may be unavailable — obviously he’s dealing with much more important stuff than work — meaning it’s a slightly more complicated spring for Erik Chinander and the defensive staff.
Jobs up for grabs on O-line
Nebraska must replace departed center Tanner Farmer and left guard Jerald Foster, and the battle for those spots will be intense.
Will Cameron Jurgens be healthy and available this spring? Can senior Christian Gaylord make a push at tackle, allowing Matt Farniok to potentially kick inside to guard? We won’t know if freshman Bryce Benhart — or any of NU’s other trio of rookie linemen — can make a push until they all arrive this summer.
Perhaps Farniok, who Frost recently called NU’s most consistent lineman in 2018, stays at right tackle. If the plan long-term is to move him, though, we may learn it this spring.
The time is now for players such as walk-on Trent Hixson and junior John Raridon. Is center a three-way battle between Jurgens, walk-on sophomore Hunter Miller and redshirt freshman Will Farniok? Or will the Huskers try others in the middle, too?
This will be one of the most intriguing groups overall.
Follow the leaders
Leadership development has undoubtedly started over the course of winter conditioning, but spring ball is the next step.
There are natural candidates on both sides of the ball, of course. Senior inside linebacker Mohamed Barry and junior cornerback Dicaprio Bootle, for example. Perhaps senior corner Lamar Jackson or one of the Davis brothers on the front line. Offensively, it’s going to be Martinez’s show. Who joins him? Is it Spielman? Perhaps Farniok or junior left tackle Brenden Jaimes.
Martinez's next step
A continuation of the previous item in some ways, but Martinez will also be looking for improvement and refinement on the field. Quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco is sure his 2018 completion percentage of 64.6 can still rise considerably. Martinez can protect the ball better. He can be more decisive in the run game.
And despite his clear physical prowess as a 6-2, 220-pound freshman, he can continue to get bigger, stronger and faster as well.
The goal for Martinez will just be steady progress over the next six weeks.
Guys who need it
Every spring, there are players at every schools who face turning points in their careers. These become make-or-break weeks, where guys either get into the heat of position battles or find themselves on the outside looking in.
There are many on the roster in that spot this spring. Some, like Bradley and McQuitty and Raridon, have already been mentioned. You can put a bunch of upperclassmen — linebackers Pernell Jefferson, Quayshon Alexander and even Alex Davis; defensive lineman DaiShon Neal; defensive backs Marquel Dismuke and Avery Anderson; punter Caleb Lightbourn — on the list. Who rises to the challenge?
Newcomers draw eyeballs
On the opposite side of the coin, newcomers are always a popular topic of conversation in the spring. The Huskers have eight: Robinson and Nance at receiver, in-state linebackers Garrett Nelson and Nick Henrich, defensive lineman Brant Banks, in-state tight end Chris Hickman, quarterback Luke McCaffrey and Oklahoma State graduate transfer Darrion Daniels.
Several will have the chance to make an impact as early as this fall. Most years, McCaffrey would be among the most-talked-about members of a recruiting class.
The Huskers have at least 19 more arriving this summer, but these eight have the first chance to impress the coaches. And as a bonus, the fans will get to see them in action April 13.
Backup quarterback situation
The Huskers’ depth is definitely in a better situation than it was at the outset of the 2018 season. Behind Martinez, NU has sophomore Noah Vedral, junior walk-on Andrew Bunch and McCaffrey, plus redshirt freshman walk-on Matt Masker.
NU might have a No. 2 and No. 3 technically speaking, but in the regular season, you can see situations in which Frost and Verduzco would want to get looks at any of the above signal-callers and for sure the first three behind Martinez.
Still, it will be spirited competition. Frost said recently that he’s never seen a quarterback work as hard to pick up an offense as McCaffrey has since arriving on campus in January.