As the March 30 start of spring football draws nearer for Nebraska, the Journal Star is taking a brief look at each position on the roster and where the Huskers stand. Defense week continues with a look at Barrett Ruud’s inside linebacker room.
Monday: Defensive line
Today: Inside linebacker
Wednesday: Outside linebacker
Thursday: Corners
Friday: Safeties
Saturday: Defensive two-deep
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Returning scholarship players: senior Will Honas, junior Eteva Mauga-Clements, sophomore Luke Reimer, redshirt freshmen Nick Henrich, Garrett Snodgrass and Jackson Hannah.
New this spring: junior Chris Kolarevic, freshmen Randolph Kpai and Seth Malcom.
Walk-ons to watch: sophomore Zach Schlager and redshirt freshman Garrett Hustedt.
Veteran presence: Honas’ return to use the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA puts him in a unique position. He’s a junior college player who now will log four seasons at a Division I college, too. Honas has steadily grown into a regular for the Huskers. He suffered a knee injury in 2018, played better late in the season in 2019 as he got back to fully healthy and then took another step forward in 2020. He’s the bridge to a wave of young players, and he’ll be looked to as the leader in Ruud’s group this fall.
Spring storyline
Honas’ return helped fortify what could end up being a deep group for the Huskers. Reimer burst onto the scene in 2020 and Ruud said the Lincoln North Star graduate’s challenge is to be one of the best in the Big Ten. Henrich has moved between inside and outside, but settled in and played the best of his young career late in the season inside. Then there’s Kolarevic, a graduate transfer from Northern Iowa who has two years of eligibility remaining and arrived on campus in January.
Beyond those four, things are a little more open. Snodgrass earned a few snaps at linebacker and was a special teams regular, while Mauga-Clements and Hannah were further down the depth chart last year. A normal offseason should help everybody, and the strength of the group will depend considerably on how much of a jump Reimer and Henrich make.
— Parker Gabriel
A look at the 2021 Nebraska football schedule
Week 0: at Illinois
When: Aug. 28, NoonÂ
Where: Champaign, Ill.
Illinois in 2020: 2-6
Last time the Huskers and Illini played: Illinois 41, Nebraska 23 (2020)
All-time series: Nebraska leads, 11-4
Week 1: vs. Fordham
When: Sept. 4, 11 a.m.Â
Where: Memorial Stadium
Fordham in 2020: 2-1 (shortened by COVID-19)
Last time the Huskers and Rams met: No previous matchups
Week 2: vs. Buffalo
When: Sept. 11, 2:30 p.m.Â
Where: Memorial Stadium
Buffalo in 2020: 6-1 (5-0 in MAC)
Last time the Huskers and Bulls met: No previous matchups
Week 3: at Oklahoma
When: Sept. 18, 11 a.m.Â
Where: Norman, Oklahoma
Oklahoma in 2020: 9-2 (6-2 Big 12)
Last time Huskers and Sooners played: Oklahoma 23, Nebraska 20 (Dec. 5, 2010, Big 12 Championship)
All-time series: Oklahoma, 45-38-3
Week 4: at Michigan State
When: Sept. 25
Where: East Lansing, Michigan
Michigan State in 2020: 2-5
The last time the Huskers and Spartans played: Nebraska 9, Michigan State 6 (Nov. 17, 2018)
All-time series: Nebraska leads, 9-2
Week 5: Northwestern
When: Oct. 2, 6:30 p.m.Â
Where: Memorial Stadium
Northwestern in 2020: 7-2, Big Ten runner-up
The last time the Huskers and Wildcats met: Northwestern 21, Nebraska 13 (Nov. 7, 2020)
All-time series: Nebraska leads, 8-6
Week 6: Michigan
When: Oct. 9Â
Where: Memorial Stadium
Michigan in 2020: 2-4
The last time the Huskers and Wolverines played: Michigan 56, Nebraska 10 (Sept. 22, 2018)
All-time series: Michigan leads, 5-4
Week 7: at Minnesota
When: Oct. 16Â
Where: Minneapolis
Minnesota in 2020: 3-4Ìý
The last time the Huskers and Gophers played: Minnesota 24, Nebraska 17 (Dec. 12, 2020)
All-time series: Minnesota, 34-25-2
Week 9; Purdue
When: Oct. 30Â
Where: Memorial Stadium
Purdue in 2020: 2-4
The last time the Huskers and Boilermakers met: Nebraska 37, Purdue 27 (Dec. 5, 2020)
All-time series: Nebraska leads, 5-4
Week 10: Ohio State
When: Nov. 6Â
Where: Memorial Stadium
Ohio State in 2020: 7-1 (national runner-up)
The last time the Huskers and Buckeyes met: Ohio State 52, Nebraska 17 (Oct. 24, 2020)
All-time series: Ohio State leads, 8-1
Week 12: at Wisconsin
When: Nov. 20Â
Where: Madison, WisconsinÂ
Wisconsin in 2020: 4-3
The last time the Huskers and Badgers met: Wisconsin 37, Nebraska 21 (Nov. 16, 2019)
All-time series: Wisconsin leads, 10-4
Week 13: Iowa
When: Nov. 26, 12:30 p.m.Â
Where: Memorial Stadium
Iowa in 2020: 6-2
The last time the Huskers and Hawkeyes met: Iowa 26, Nebraska 20 (Nov. 27, 2020)
All-time series: Nebraska leads, 29-19-3