Nebraska has seen significant developments on both offense and special teams this offseason.
Even since spring ball would have ended in a normal year — this year has been anything but normal, of course — several major dominoes have fallen.
On offense, quarterback Noah Vedral transferred to Rutgers, wide receiver JD Spielman entered his name into the transfer portal, incoming receivers Omar Manning and Zavier Betts both officially qualified and joined the program and, most recently, head coach Scott Frost said that senior offensive lineman and 2019 captain Matt Farniok would move from right tackle to right guard instead of left guard.
On special teams, new analyst Jonathan Rutledge helped recruit Australian punter Daniel Cerni, the first scholarship specialist at NU since it signed since-departed kicker Barret Pickering in the 2018 class, and also LSU walk-on graduate transfer kicker Connor Culp.
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To recap, that’s a No. 2 quarterback and a No. 1 wide receiver out of the picture, a shuffle along a veteran offensive line and potential new starters into the program to handle perhaps all of the team’s punting, place-kicking and kickoff duties in the past two-plus months.
Along the way, interestingly, things have been far quieter for Erik Chinander’s defense. Recruiting efforts have continued in earnest for 2021 and beyond, of course, and there is the possibility the Huskers could add a late transfer like junior college defensive back Nadab Joseph, but overall the picture has been more stable.
Stability in this case, though, does not mean devoid of questions. In fact, there’s still much we don’t know about what the Blackshirts will look like this fall.
So, with that in mind, here’s a bit about what we’ve learned and questions still to be answered for Nebraska at each level of the defense.
Secondary
What we know: Travis Fisher’s group has veteran presence and young talent, headlined by the senior trio of Dicaprio Bootle and safeties Deontai Williams and Marquel Dismuke. We also know NU thinks Cam Taylor-Britt can be a special player at corner and that bouncing around last year made life more difficult for the ascending player.
Questions remaining: What will the lineup look like? Is it as simple as Bootle and Taylor-Britt at corner and Williams and Dismuke at safety? Bootle could also play safety or in the slot if a bigger corner like Braxton Clark, Quinton Newsome or one of the freshmen can handle a perimeter job. Also, might the Huskers add a transfer like Joseph? The former blue chip prospect could shake up Fisher’s lineup decisions.
Can a young player like Myles Farmer or Noa Pola-Gates, or even a true freshman, crack the rotation in a significant way?
Overall, there are questions to be answered in the secondary, but Fisher seems to have plenty of options to work with.
Linebacker
What we know: Three seniors — Will Honas and Collin Miller inside and JoJo Domann outside — will be counted on for major roles and the rest is a bunch of question marks.
Questions remaining: First, the inside linebackers. There is an exciting corps of young players — sophomore Luke Reimer, redshirt freshman Nick Henrich and incoming freshman Keyshawn Greene for starters — behind the senior duo, but who breaks through into the rotation? How fast can juco transfer Eteva Mauga-Clements pick up the system and what will his role be? We know Barrett Ruud wants to rotate players — more than three, if possible — to keep his guys fresh. What that rotation looks like at this point seems like a wide-open conversation.
Outside, NU has lacked pass-rush punch since switching to the 3-4 in 2017. This is a pivotal year for junior Caleb Tannor. Will he grow into a full-time player? What progress does Garrett Nelson make in Year 2? It’s a lot to ask a true freshman to make an impact on the front seven, but opportunity will be there for Blaise Gunnerson (if healthy) and Jimari Butler. Same for juco transfer Niko Cooper. And do either of the other guys — Jamin Graham and David Alston — have a run toward playing time in them? The Huskers don’t need a 10-sack guy off the edge, but they need better play than last year. New OLBs coach Mike Dawson knows it and the players know it. The path to that production? Less clear.
One more intriguing question: Does, perhaps, a hybrid guy like redshirt freshman Javin Wright get a look on the edge? It’s a lot to assume a move like that could pay off right away, but sometimes jolts come from surprising places.
Defensive line
What we know: Nebraska has a senior leader up front in defensive end Ben Stille. In addition, NU will hope for increased roles for juniors Damion Daniels and Deontre Thomas.
Questions remaining: While we know some other strong candidates for the rotation in Tony Tuioti’s room, we don’t know what it’s going to look like. Redshirt freshman Ty Robinson could quickly become a linchpin player on the defense if he takes the flashes he showed in limited duty last fall and builds on it. Keem Green now has an offseason under his belt and Jordon Riley impressed in the short amount of time between arriving on campus in January and the shutdown in mid-March. Really, those two plus fellow juco transfer Pheldarius Payne will be central in whether the Huskers can effectively replace the senior trio that is now on to the NFL.
Don’t lose track of redshirt freshman Mosai Newsom or sophomore Casey Rogers, either. Just like linebacker, there are several interesting options up front for the Huskers. The question, of course, is if interesting turns into productive.
Nebraska needs it, especially considering the Huskers finished last in the Big Ten in rushing defense during league play by allowing 5.66 yards per carry.
Miss our position-by-position Spring Snapshot series? We've got you covered
In a series that launched March 23, our Husker staff examined each position of the Nebraska football team. Here's each part, all in one place.
The Journal Star is taking a position-by-position look at the Huskers. Naturally, we begin in the quarterbacks' room.Ìý
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This is shaping up to be quite a challenge for first-year offensive coordinator and receivers coach Matt Lubick.
The offensive line will be an interesting group to watch to see if all the experience can help Nebraska’s offense go at a more consistent level.
Travis Vokolek is capable of making immediate contributions, his coach says, and redshirt freshman Chris Hickman will play both WR and TE.Ìý
Dedrick Mills is a good starting point at RB after becoming more comfortable last season. After him, the Huskers may rely on fresh faces. A lot.
A large but largely unproven group will have to replace the production of three players who could very well hear their names called in the NFL Draft.Ìý
Inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud saidÌý"everybody clicks at a different point," opening the conversation for who is going to emerge at the position.
New but old position coach Mike Dawson has plenty of options at outside linebacker, but not much in the way of production.Ìý
Largely comprised of veterans, the Nebraska secondary in 2020 is shaping up to be the strength of the defense.
Nebraska will rely on essentially a clean overhaul in a phase that "potentially costs us three or four games last year."Ìý