As the start of Nebraska spring football creeps closer — NU's first practice is March 9 — the Journal Star is looking at Husker underclassmen who face particularly critical junctures. Spring is important for every player — no quarterbacks are on this list, for example, but the coming weeks will be an early litmus test of whether anybody can push Adrian Martinez for the starting job — but maybe particularly so for these guys.
This series will run in print Tuesday through Sunday and we'll start a new set — redshirts to watch — next week.
Tuesday: Junior outside linebacker Caleb Tannor
Wednesday: Sophomore kicker Barret Pickering
Thursday: Junior wide receiver Jaevon McQuitty
People are also reading…
Friday: Junior tight ends Kurt Rafdal and Austin Allen
Saturday: Sophomore defensive lineman Tate WildemanÂ
Offensive linemen Boe Wilson (senior) and Trent Hixson (junior)Â
We close this series with a pair of linemen who were entrenched as starters for the 2019 campaign but have already regularly been the subject of talk about spring competition.Â
Wilson has started for almost two full seasons -- NU's past 21 games at right guard, to be exact -- while Hixson, the Omaha Skutt Catholic graduate, won a starting job during preseason camp and a scholarship to go along with it before starting all 12 games at left guard.Â
Even still, both seem to potentially have tough fights on their hands in the coming months. Head coach Scott Frost and offensive line coach Greg Austin have both been open about the possibility that right tackle Matt Farniok slides to guard, which could displace one of the above pair. On top of that, there are a lot of returning players in Austin's room, including promising youngsters like Ethan Piper and veterans like Broc Bando, who made significant strides last year and actually played in place of Hixson on a couple of occasions.Â
What are the odds that NU rolls into 2020 with the exact same starting five as it featured for all of the 2019 season? Everybody's back, but it's no guarantee. Combine that with the entrenched nature of left tackle Brenden Jaimes and center Cameron Jurgens and the talk of sliding Farniok to guard, and it's easy to see why Wilson and Hixson have plenty on the line this spring.Â