Scott Frost was in the middle of an answer about his quarterbacks having to learn new footwork and progressions under Mark Whipple on Wednesday when he made a point of addressing another element of NU’s offseason of change on offense.
“That combined with obviously improved offensive line play, even through (five) days, there’s a lot of good things happening and it’s been positive,†Frost said.
What makes the change up front that clear to the fifth-year coach?
“The first thing is they’re just coming off the ball. That’s been something that I’ve been frustrated with for a long time. Shoot, when I was playing here, guys looked like they were in 40-yard dashes when the ball was snapped. That wasn’t up to the standard that I wanted, that’s the first thing.
“Protection has been better, too, though. I think Donny’s (OL coach Donovan Raiola) just done a good job with those guys’ mentality and technique and I can’t wait to watch them keep improving.â€
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A pair of "pleasant surprisesâ€: NU is working a pair of veteran offensive line transfers into the mix this spring, but neither arrived as sure-fire starters.
The head coach said Kevin Williams Jr. and Hunter Anthony are both off to a good start, however.
“I think everybody’s been pleasantly surprised with both of them early on,†Frost said. “I love both of their attitudes. They’re both tough, they’re both doing really good things and they’re going to compete for time.â€
Anthony, the Oklahoma State transfer, has played at least some right tackle in camp and it appeared in photos provided by the university that Williams was playing left guard with 2021 starter Nouredin Nouili flipped to right guard. Frost, though, said they’re moving around over the spring.
“One of them’s at guard and one of them’s at tackle, but I saw the tackle play guard today and the guard play tackle,†he said. “We’re going to get our best five on the field and we’ve got a long time to figure that out.â€
Purdy limited: Florida State transfer quarterback Chubba Purdy has been limited through the first two weeks of spring ball by a lingering injury, but he and his coaches said a post-spring break ramp-up is in the cards.
“I’ve been doing just seven-on-seven stuff," Purdy said. "I’m dealing with something right now. I should be back after spring break. So after another week, I should be good.â€
Purdy is signaling in plays to his teammates and watching film — "Just getting the mental reps right now," he said — but his position coach isn't too concerned about his timeline.Â
“We saw enough that we know he’s a good player,†Whipple said. “And you know he’s a tough guy because he went through all of winter conditioning and didn’t say a word (about the injury). I said, ‘Now look, we can’t do that. If you’ve got some issues with your foot or something, let us know so we can take care of it.’ But he’s just so hungry to play and that part is a good thing. I’d rather have that than somebody who’s always in the training room.â€
Whipple reiterated that Purdy has plenty of time to state his case this offseason.
“I was tempted — he said, ‘I feel as good as I have’ when I just saw him in the hallway — to say, Hey, let’s get about eight-10 reps,’ but I’m not going to do that because he’s got spring break and he’ll come back and we’ve got plenty of time. We’re not playing a game until late August and we’ll have time when we come back. Then you’ve got the summer and fall camp, so there’s more than enough time.â€
Recruiting staffer moving on:Â Nebraska is losing one of its recruiting staffers.Â
Trent Mossbrucker, who had been the director of football and recruiting administration, is taking a job in the recruiting department at Purdue, a source confirmed Wednesday to the Journal Star.
Mossbrucker is no longer listed in the directory. He had been with Frost dating back to the 2017 season at UCF.
Rivals first reported that Mossbrucker was set to join the Boilermakers later this month.Â
The Huskers earlier in the offseason added Vince Guinta from Baylor as the program's senior director of personnel and recruiting.Â
Moving quickly: Frost’s offense is defined in large part by its capability to run a quick tempo.
With Whipple in town now, the system evidently has that capability as well.
“I think it’s faster, honestly, a little more tempo,†sophomore quarterback Logan Smothers said.
Plus, “We throw the ball a lot,†he said.
It’s all about getting first downs, he said.
“For us, it’s not been too hard,†Smothers said of the adjustment. “Most of the terminology is the same. It’s just a couple new routes, new faces.â€
That’s what practice is for, he said.