Among the position groups with perhaps the most question marks this offseason for Nebraska is the outside linebackers.
Not only is a new — albeit familiar — coach in place in former defensive line coach Mike Dawson, but playing time is almost certainly up for grabs.
Part of that is because a 12-game starter graduates in Alex Davis, but really, the bottom line for Nebraska is that the defense simply needs more production from the edge players.
“One of the things we really need to improve is pass-rush,†head coach Scott Frost said on his local television show on Sunday night. “I think that would have changed a lot of games for us last year.â€
The Huskers in 2019 struggled to replace Luke Gifford’s production. JoJo Domann (six starts), who by the end of the season wasn’t even listed as a true outside linebacker on the depth chart, led the way with nine tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Then Davis, senior Tyrin Ferguson, sophomore Caleb Tannor (four starts) and freshman Garrett Nelson combined for just 10 TFLs. Davis, Ferguson and Nelson all went sackless, while Tannor logged 2.5.
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Now Davis and Ferguson are gone, a pivotal year awaits Tannor, Nelson’s role could continue to grow and Domann is the only proven playmaker of the group.
That makes NU’s three additions for the 2020 recruiting cycle — junior college prospect Niko Cooper and high schoolers Blaise Gunnerson and Jimari Butler — all the more intriguing.
Frost talked briefly on his show about all 23 of the Huskers’ scholarship signees, and his comments about the three outside linebackers were among the most interesting.
Frost said the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Cooper, who is slated to arrive in May and has three seasons of eligibility remaining, is “a grownup, physically and emotionally.â€
“He handles himself so well,†Frost added. “Has an NFL body coming off the edge and rushing the passer. We’re excited to get him cranked up and teach him the defense. I think he’s got a change to make an immediate impact.â€
Gunnerson is an early enrollee, and though he has already had surgery on both of his hips to address a genetic issue (overgrowth of his hip bones), Frost said he’s impressed with what he’s seen so far.
“Blaise is one of my favorite kids I’ve ever recruited just from his personality,†Frost said of the 6-6, 250-pounder. “He’s coming in and working with the team and getting along with the guys and leading, to be honest with you, already. He’s enormous. When I walk by him, it kind of intimidates me.â€
Butler, listed at 6-5 and 220, played football for only one year in Mobile, Alabama, but took a talented conference by storm, racking up 14.5 sacks and 22 TFLs for Murphy High. He flipped his verbal commitment from Tennessee to Nebraska late in the recruiting process.
“Jimari I think has huge potential, and I don’t think he’s even scratched the surface of what he can be yet,†Frost said. “I think he has a chance to be a special player for us.â€
Question marks will continue to dot the outside linebacker group between now and September and perhaps well into the season. A player could switch positions or NU could find a transfer addition, but regardless, there’s little doubt Frost and the staff hope this incoming trio can push the envelope sooner rather than later.
“I think these three kids are all going to be as good a players as we have on the team,†Frost said.
Notes
* Frost noted that mid-year enrollee Alante Brown ran the fastest 40-yard dash time on the team at the beginning of winter workouts.
Brown (5-11, 190) was the top-ranked prep school player in the country after a year at St. Thomas More in Connecticut. Before that, he started at quarterback at Chicago Simeon for three seasons.
“He’s a guy I’m used to having in my offense, a guy that can play running back and carry the ball and play receiver and get open on routes and do things after the catch,†Frost said. “I think he’s going to make us better immediately.â€
* Cornerback Tamon Lynum has had no trouble adjusting to collegiate weight and nutritional programs, apparently. Frost said the cornerback from Orlando, Florida, has already put on “I think 15 pounds†since winter conditioning started in mid-January.
Lynum is listed at 6-2 and 170 pounds and, as one of NU’s earliest 2020 verbal pledges, is a player the Huskers and secondary coach Travis Fisher have been high on for a long time.
“He’s a kid that we thought, just watching him move with his length and fluidity and ability to play the ball, ability to strike and tackle, we kind of thought the sky is the limit for him,†Frost said Sunday. …“Big, long kid that is going to play man, play zone and, again, I think he has a ton of potential to be a great player here.â€