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Spring snapshot: For Husker QBs, eyes (and making up for lost time) will be critical when action resumes

Nebraska spring football consisted of just two practices before it was halted due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Even so, conversations with head coach Scott Frost, several players and almost every assistant coach provided at least some information about every position on the field.

Over the next two weeks, the Journal Star is taking a position-by-position look at the Huskers, what was learned early in March and what to look for whenever NU returns to the field.

Quarterbacks

Scholarship players: Juniors Adrian Martinez (21 starts) and Noah Vedral (2), redshirt freshman Luke McCaffrey and freshman Logan Smothers.

Steven M. Sipple: Frost mindful of Big Ten size; Crouch still stews over bad call; and Adrian's edge

One storyline

The storyline, really, between now and September — regardless of when football is actually practiced again — in the Nebraska quarterbacks room is going to be about the race for the starting job.

Head coach Scott Frost made it clear at the outset of spring ball that there would be a competition for the job, and that Martinez entered spring with the lead. The question about whether McCaffrey or Vedral can wrestle the job away will remain an open one, but Frost said he thought Martinez had mentally bounced back from a sophomore campaign that saw his passing numbers regress nearly across the board.

“I can't say a lot other than he seems like he's in a good place right now,” Frost said. “I've lived this. When a team struggles, the team's struggles are the quarterback's struggles, and the quarterback's struggles are the team's struggles. He cares as much as anybody on our team and wants to win as much as anybody on our team. He takes that hard just like I would or just like you would.”

One of the interesting things, on a more micro level, that came from that March 9 news conference blitz was offensive coordinator Matt Lubick and quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco discussing where they thought the quarterbacks needed to target improvement. When the offensive staff did its self-scout, it was clear that it thought Martinez and the NU quarterbacks missed too many chances in 2019.

“I think just the read-and-key part of it and being comfortable with that,” Verduzco said. “…Whether you’re playing JV football or you’re a 12-year veteran in the NFL, you can always get better at that part of it. We’ve identified that piece of it going into spring. Then being masters at the protection part of the game, because we have some control over our protections.”

Verduzco called Martinez’s performance in the read-and-react department “pretty good,” for 2019, but said there was plenty of room for growth going into Year 3.

“There were some times when he could have maybe helped himself and helped his team by being a little bit more disciplined with his eyeballs and where they belonged,” Verduzco said. “Some instances where, ‘Man what are you doing with your eyes?’ We’re sitting together watching tape and, in his brain as he would sit back and reflect on that particular snap, ‘I don’t know.’”

Improvement in that department — from Martinez or any of the others — will be a significant part of who shows they can run the offense most efficiently.

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Verduzco, when asked how to keep four highly scholarship quarterbacks happy in an era when transfers have become more and more common.

“I don’t know. We’re going to find out together. We seem to think we do a pretty good job of evaluating the guys that are here in terms of explaining why they’re No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 on the depth chart. We seem to think we’ve gained their trust, so they trust us. So I think that will stem off some of it, but I won’t know until we find ourselves in this position.”

One thought

The Journal Star’s Steven M. Sipple recently posited that a long break in action will make it even more difficult for one of the challengers for the quarterback job to unseat Martinez, given the junior’s experience and the potential decrease in time between whenever the team reconvenes and the beginning of the regular season.

Here’s another: This is a tough break for Smothers as much or maybe more so than any of the other guys. The freshman worked to get to campus early and was just starting to get fully healthy after being injured at the end of his high school career. Plus, consider that part of the reason Martinez and McCaffrey each got in position to play as freshmen was because of mechanical adjustments they were able to work on with Verduzco.

“I couldn’t work with Adrian, couldn’t work with Luke until we started spring ball in terms of getting their stroke squared away,” Verduzco said. “So Logan has a few things we have to get taken care of.”

Now that work is delayed.

Spring snapshot: Who, what, when, where just the beginning of questions facing Husker WR room

Nebraska spring football consisted of just two practices before it was halted due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Even so, conversations with head coach Scott Frost, several players and almost every assistant coach provided at least some information about every position on the field.

Over the next two weeks, the Journal Star is taking a position-by-position look at the Huskers, what was learned early in March and what to look for whenever NU returns to the field.

Spring snapshot: For Husker QBs, eyes (and making up for lost time) will be critical when action resumes

Wide receivers

Scholarship players (10): Senior JD Spielman, junior Omar Manning, sophomore Wan’Dale Robinson; redshirt freshmen Chris Hickman, Demariyon Houston and Jamie Nance; freshmen Alante Brown, Zavier Betts, Marcus Fleming, William Nixon.

One storyline

At one point on the first day of spring ball, Nebraska quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco said he had to gather up his position group and explain something to them.

“I had to get them as a group and say, ‘Listen, when the (receivers) are running this route, it’s not going to be like what you’re used to before. It’s going to happen a lot faster and it’s going to be a lot more crisp,’” he recalled after the first of two spring practices the Huskers got in before it was shut down due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

Likewise, head coach Scott Frost said “some things the receivers did better (on Day 1) than I've seen since I've been at Nebraska.”

The warm and fuzzies are all well and good (what is the first day of spring ball for, after all?) but, man, this is shaping up to be quite a challenge for first-year offensive coordinator and receivers coach Matt Lubick.

Ten scholarship receivers looks like a decent number, maybe just a tick or two below a full boat. But, consider: Spielman is on leave from the team and expected to return, but that’s not a guarantee. Four more guys — Manning, Betts, Fleming and Nixon — don’t arrive until the summer, assuming that still happens on time and everyone qualifies academically. Of the remaining half, Hickman is moving from tight end while Houston and Nance are trying to prove they’re ready to help and Brown was a midyear enrollee.

All told, that leads to a striking fact: With Spielman at least temporarily out of the fold, the grand total of production outside of Robinson is one catch for zero yards (Hickman). And now, at the very best, a delayed spring ball. Perhaps none at all.

There are some walk-ons in the mix — primarily junior Kade Warner — who have experience. Mostly, though, between the status of the incoming signees, the unknown landscape ahead, the overall inexperience and the unknown around Spielman, this group might have more question marks than any other.

“There's obviously some guys that we're thinking might be able to help us this year that aren't on campus yet, so we're going to have our work cut out for us as a staff to get some of the skill guys ready to play on offense,” Frost said. “(We’ll have to) trust some new guys to play.”

“(Lubick’s) got his work cut out for him but I trust him to get it done."

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Lubick highlighted Hickman as a guy he thinks can be a standout blocker and explained why it’s such an important part of the game for receivers.

“I always tell receivers that there’s nothing that says more about who you are as a person than how you block, because it’s completely selfless,” Lubick said. “I mean, we want guys that want the ball, but when you’re actually blocking, it’s for the betterment of the whole football team. Any running play that goes for more than 10 yards is because of a receiver blocking. It’s something we always talk about. As a matter of fact, we talk about that more than we talk about catching it or running routes because they’ve got to feel the importance of it.”

Steven M. Sipple: Frost mindful of Big Ten size; Crouch still stews over bad call; and Adrian's edge

One thought

As far as football goes, much of the post-shutdown attention initially centered on the NU operation on campus: Are student-athletes staying on campus? Is the weight room open? How will food service work?

One thing that’s become clear, though, is that the effect is going to be felt by incoming signees, too. It’s just unclear exactly how. Many schools are shut down or running modified schedules. Standardized testing is going to look different this spring.

The first names that jump to mind are Betts (high school) and Manning (junior college), two players Frost has openly said have academic work to get wrapped up to ensure they qualify at Nebraska. But this will affect everybody in some way, shape or form. That’s not necessarily a cause for alarm, of course. But for a group where multiple new guys are already being counted on to help, having more question marks doesn’t make things any less stressful.

Spring snapshot: When Nebraska football resumes, who will end up as starters on the offensive line?

Nebraska spring football consisted of just two practices before it was halted due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Even so, conversations with head coach Scott Frost, several players and almost every assistant coach provided at least some information about every position on the field.

Over the next two weeks, the Journal Star is taking a position-by-position look at the Huskers, what was learned early in March and what to look for whenever NU returns to the field.

Offensive line

Scholarship players (17): Seniors Brenden Jaimes (33 starts), Matt Farniok (28), Christian Gaylord, Boe Wilson (21); juniors Broc Bando, Trent Hixson (12), Matt Sichterman; sophomores Cameron Jurgens (12), Will Farniok; redshirt freshmen Bryce Benhart, Matthew Anderson, Jimmy Fritzsche, Brant Banks, Michael Lynn, Ethan Piper; freshmen Turner Corcoran and Alex Conn.

One storyline

This will be an interesting group to watch, to see what the starting lineup ends up being when the season begins and if all the experience on the line can help Nebraska’s offense go at a better, and more consistent, level.

Nebraska returns its full starting group from last season — tackles Brenden Jaimes and Matt Farniok, guards Trent Hixson and Boe Wilson and center Cameron Jurgens. But it’s possible Farniok moves to guard, bumping out one of the returning starters. And that means a new right tackle, possibly redshirt freshman Bryce Benhart.

Regardless, the directive from Husker offensive line coach Greg Austin is that there is no reason the line shouldn’t be better. Austin has 17 scholarship offensive linemen, plus a dozen walk-ons, on the roster.

“We don’t have a new center, we don’t have new all of this,” said Austin when spring practice began earlier this month. “We’ve got 1,000 guys now, and plenty of reps to go around.”

When the game or practice film gets shown in the O-line room, Austin says no excuses will be allowed.

“I don’t want to hear it. Let’s get the job done,” Austin said.

Farniok has started 24 straight games at right tackle over two seasons. But Austin thinks he may like Farniok as a guard, too.

“He’s a thick kid that has a good low center of gravity and can move people,” Austin said. “He’s shown an ability to move people, get his pads under guys. I think athletically he’s better in short spaces. I think his athleticism is tailored more to being a guard.”

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The Nebraska offensive line is fortunate to have a player like Jaimes, a three-year starter who Austin said played really in 2019, especially in the second half of the season. You couldn't have asked for better tackle play, especially in pass protection, Austin says.

And Austin said Jaimes could have left early college a year early, and made an NFL roster.

“To be honest with you, it was, 'Is he going to come back? Is he not?' Nobody knew,” Austin said. “Brenden knows why he came back. Brenden had an opportunity to play in the NFL this year. So him coming back, this is not, 'I want to come back and increase my draft (stock).' This is a come back to get this stuff right and be the senior leader in the room that you’re supposed to be. Be the cornerstone of the offensive line and continue to mentor the young guys behind you and progress those guys and be the right-hand man to the coaches. Like, that’s your job now.”

One thought

Nobody knows what the condensed offseason will look like. How many “spring practices” will Nebraska get back when the NCAA opens things up? When will the whole team be back in Lincoln doing strength and conditioning workouts together?

But in a condensed offseason the offensive line may be best suited to lead the Husker offense, with the mix of returning starters and players with one or two years in the program behind them. That's more depth than the line has had during the previous two seasons.

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Spring snapshot: Unknowns, youth, but perhaps stability in Husker RB room led by senior Mills

Nebraska spring football consisted of just two practices before it was halted due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Even so, conversations with head coach Scott Frost, several players and almost every assistant coach provided at least some information about every position on the field.

Over the next two weeks, the Journal Star is taking a position-by-position look at the Huskers, what was learned early in March and what to look for whenever NU returns to the field.

Running backs

Scholarship players (5): Senior Dedrick Mills (six starts), redshirt freshmen Rahmir Johnson and Ronald Thompkins, freshmen Sevion Morrison and Marvin Scott III.

Facebook Live Replay: Assessing the impact of coronavirus on sports; sketching possible return timelines; chatting special teams

One storyline

On the first day of spring football, every assistant coach spoke with reporters along with head coach Scott Frost and eight players.

Every coach except for running backs coach Ryan Held, that is. He and his wife, Kate, were busy welcoming their second child together.

At some point, when Held gets back to his running backs room on the other side of the coronavirus pandemic, he’ll be welcoming some new faces to his football family, too.

Those are freshmen Sevion Morrison and Marvin Scott III, summer arrivals who join a group that’s light on numbers but maybe not so hamstrung in terms of options.

In fact, it’s worth wondering if perhaps 2020 is shaping up to be as stable as the room has been so far in the Scott Frost era.

Remember, in 2018 NU thought Greg Bell would be its top option before, eventually, Devine Ozigbo surged to prominence a month into the season. Dedrick Mills pulled past Maurice Washington in similar fashion as 2019 proceeded.

But Mills, unlike Ozigbo, has another year of eligibility. Behind him, yes, there are many question marks. Redshirt freshman Rahmir Johnson impressed Frost on Day 1 of spring ball when he was the first player named among a group of young players looking to take steps forward.

"I thought several of them looked different than they did last fall,” Frost said, adding Johnson, “ran harder than I've seen him.” Ronald Thompkins is a wild card but it’s probably best not to assume he’ll jump right back in after multiple years of injury issues.

The two freshmen will be counted on to some degree, too. Maybe heavily. But Mills sure is a good starting point. He looked more and more comfortable in Nebraska’s zone-based scheme as the season went on. He rushed for 347 yards over NU’s final three games and averaged 5.2 yards per carry overall. Mills carried the ball 143 times last season a year after Ozigbo led the team with 155.

How much could that number jump for Mills, the Waycross, Georgia, native, with a healthy senior year?

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OK, we’re a little short on (relatively) fresh running back-specific quotes, but one thing to keep in mind is that, in addition to the running backs themselves, NU has a trio of versatile options in sophomore Wan’Dale Robinson and freshmen Alante Brown and Will Nixon, all of whom have been running backs at times in their careers. Here’s Frost on Brown, a mid-year enrollee, after Day 1 of spring ball:

“He caught a slant (in practice) and took it to the house. It was a pretty sight. I think Alante's the type of guy we want in this offense — a guy who can play inside receiver, slot, play in the backfield if you need him. He's going to give us some versatility. He's got a lot to learn and a long way to go, just like a lot of us, but I think the early signs are positive."

One thought

Another potential benefit for a running backs room that will be short on experience behind Mills: a veteran offensive line. Frost talked about position groups having to complement each other, and this is a good example.

“I think we are really young in some positions we are going to be this fall,” he said. “And there are some other places that we have a ton of experience and a ton of leadership, so one of the keys for us is going to have to have our leadership from some of the veteran guys we have at some positions carry over and help other positions too.”

Spring snapshot: A lot to replace, but plenty of potential as NU reloads on D-line

Nebraska spring football consisted of just two practices before it was halted due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Even so, conversations with head coach Scott Frost, several players and almost every assistant coach provided at least some information about every position on the field.

The Journal Star is taking a position-by-position look at the Huskers, what was learned early in March and what to look for whenever NU returns to the field.

Defensive line

Scholarship players (13): Senior Ben Stille (14 starts); juniors Damion Daniels (one start), Keem Green, Chris Walker, Jordon Riley, Deontre Thomas, Pheldarius Payne; sophomores Tate Wildeman, Casey Rogers; redshirt freshmen Mosai Newsom, Ty Robinson; freshmen Marquis Black, Nash Hutmacher.

One storyline

Start with this: who will start? There are 15 total starts spread among 13 scholarship players, with 14 of those starts belonging to Ben Stille. The Ashland native is the only senior among the defensive line group, and one of just two (junior Damion Daniels is the other) who started a game last season.

It’s a large but largely unproven group that will have to replace the production of three players — Carlos and Khalil Davis, and Darrion Daniels — who could very well hear their names called in the NFL Draft.

That’s why it was no surprise to hear second-year defensive line coach Tony Tuioti bring up Stille early and often in a recent interview.

“He’s a done a great job in the offseason, meeting with the guys individually, going through the installs, trying to coach the young guys up,” Tuioti said. “During the player-run practices, he leads that a lot. So he’s a big mouthpiece for us. We’re going to need him to lead us.”

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The Huskers will also need their younger players to fill in the gaps. There are five juniors along with Daniels who ooze potential in Green, Riley, Walker, Thomas and Payne. Sophomore Rogers got snaps last season, and Wildeman was a four-star recruit. Newsom and Robinson redshirted.

And don’t forget the freshmen yet to get to campus — Black and Hutmacher.

“I think the biggest thing for me is being able to get these young guys to close the gap in terms of feeling comfortable about what they’re doing within the scheme of the defense, but then knowing how their technique can help them make plays within the scheme of the defense,” Tuioti said.

That’s what makes the current situation all the more daunting on the football side for Nebraska. The young players need reps, and badly, at a key position. Tuioti knows that, and in two practices, he tried to divide things up as evenly as he could.

But it’s hard to get reps when you’re sitting alone in your living room waiting out a pandemic.

“I just try to get as many reps as I can and even it out for all those guys,” Tuioti said. “Because I want to be able to get a good sample size to get them some evaluation in terms of how they can help us and improve.”

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Tuioti is no stranger to the Big Ten from his time at Michigan, but last season served as a good reminder of just what he needs to prepare his group for in conference play after going up against the likes of Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor and Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins at running back, and Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs on the offensive line.

“It just confirms what I know about the Big Ten. You’ve got big, physical offensive linemen, and you’ve got really, really dynamic running backs. … In this conference we’ve got to be able to stop the run and be physical at the point of attack. So we try to stress that as much as we can to the guys, being solid up front.”

One thought

While there’s plenty to be proven, Tuioti at least has the beginnings of a rotation in mind. Stille, Daniels and Thomas seem to be the lead group. But there are young players close to being ready as well.

“I feel good about Jordon Riley being able to go out and play for us. I feel good about Ty Robinson going out and playing for us. Casey Rogers has come along, too,” Tuioti said. “So I feel good about at least six of the guys right now being able to go out and play for us.

“I’d like to build that and try and get it to eight we feel really good about, but it’s still to be determined from now until we get done with training camp in August.”

Spring snapshot: What comes after seniors Miller and Honas at inside linebacker?

Nebraska spring football consisted of just two practices before it was halted due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Even so, conversations with head coach Scott Frost, several players and almost every assistant coach provided at least some information about every position on the field.

The Journal Star is taking a position-by-position look at the Huskers, what was learned early in March and what to look for whenever NU returns to the field.

Inside linebacker

Scholarship players: Seniors Collin Miller (12 starts), Will Honas; junior Eteva Mauga-Clements; redshirt freshmen Nick Henrich, Jackson Hannah, Garrett Snodgrass; freshman Keyshawn Greene. 

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One storyline

At the inside linebacker position, Nebraska is led by seniors Collin Miller and Will Honas, who each ranked in the top four in tackles for the Huskers last season.

But Miller and Honas can’t play every snap. In fact, inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud says coaches would like to feel pretty good about six guys at the position. Maybe only four or five play, but they want to feel like they have enough guys.

“When I was playing, 60-65 snaps was a really normal game, now it’s closer to 80-85 snaps,” said Ruud, who played linebacker at Nebraska from 2004-07. “So to have one guy to play each position all the way through a season, it ends up adding up to three or four extra games, so you want to have guys you can rotate through.”

So it’s what happens after Miller and Honas that is also important for the Huskers this offseason. Who can be a good player after them? Redshirt freshmen Jackson Hannah, Nick Henrich or Garrett Snodgrass? Junior college transfer Eteva Mauga-Clements? Or someone else? Remember, last year at this time nobody expected walk-on Luke Reimer to play like he did in 2019.

Ruud thinks there are talented enough players after Miller and Honas.

“Everybody clicks at a different point,” said Ruud when spring practice began on March 9. “(Luke) Reimer last year, it was like his fourth practice where I was like, ‘This guy is going to be a good player.’ Then he had an injury and it slowed him down, but it kind of just clicks for everybody at a different point. Sometimes it’s halfway through spring practice, sometimes it takes a guy all of spring and half of fall. Sometimes it’s a year. You teach each guy individually, but you’re always hoping that it just clicks at some point where they’re playing really fast, really instinctively and they’re flying to the ball and not thinking out there.”

Reimer, a sophomore walk-on from Lincoln North Star, may be the most explosive player on the team at the linebacker spot, Ruud said.

“He exceeded our expectations for sure,” Ruud said. “He’s a little bit of a late bloomer probably, and we’re just hoping he continues to expand on that.”

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Hannah was one of Nebraska’s highest-ranked recruits in the 2020 class coming out of Nashville, Tennessee, and there is still a whole lot of time for that to show on the field. Hannah didn’t play any games last season, taking a redshirt year that Ruud sees as being really good for Hannah.

“Sometimes people tend to view redshirts as almost a negative, but for years and years around here, that was just the way it went,” Ruud said. “In a 20-person (recruiting) class there may have been one or two that played and everybody else was a redshirt. When you redshirt, you get a chance to really have a full year in the weight program, and usually guys make big strides in that regard. And (Hannah) was a guy that had to change his body a little bit and had to trim some fat down and get stronger. He’s done a good job in that regard. I think that year is going to make it really good down the line for him. I think usually it makes guys pretty hungry again, too, and they’re ready to get out and play.”

One thought

Regardless of whether Nebraska gets back some of its remaining spring practices, the normal flow of the offseason isn’t going to be the same with spring practice, time spent in the film room and strength and conditioning.

But with seniors in Miller and Honas, the inside linebacker spots may be best suited to help the defense run smoothly when practice and games resume, following a bumpy offseason.

Spring snapshot: Is outside linebacker the most wide open position on the Husker roster?

Nebraska spring football consisted of just two practices before it was halted due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Even so, conversations with head coach Scott Frost, several players and almost every assistant coach provided at least some information about every position on the field.

The Journal Star is taking a position-by-position look at the Huskers, what was learned early in March and what to look for whenever NU returns to the field.

Outside linebackers

Scholarship players (9): Senior JoJo Domann (8 starts); junior Caleb Tannor (4); sophomores Garrett Nelson, David Alston and Niko Cooper; redshirt freshmen Jackson Hannah and Jamin Graham; freshmen Blaise Gunnerson and Jimari Butler.

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One storyline

There are two big questions facing the Nebraska outside linebackers room, and they’re related.

Who’s going to earn snaps in Mike Dawson’s room and, perhaps more importantly, where is production going to come from?

Last year, NU used now-departed Alex Davis on one side and rotated through JoJo Domann, Caleb Tannor and others on the other. It was a stable enough rotation (aside from senior Tyrin Ferguson’s disappointing season and eventual dismissal from the team) and the group mostly stayed healthy through 2019.

Production, however, became a problem. NU’s returning trio of contributors (Domann, Tannor and Nelson) combined for 13½ tackles for loss and five sacks total while each played in at least 11 games. Nine of those TFLs came from Domann.

The other six scholarship players on the roster have yet to appear in a game for Nebraska.

Quite a task for Dawson, who returns to the coaching staff after a year coaching the same position for the New York Giants.

“I think that they probably read the internet as good as anyone and they don’t want to be the group getting singled out that, ‘Hey we need to get better pass rush and do a better job setting the edge.’ I think they know and understand that. They’re eager to get that done. We have a lot of work to do. There’s a lot of work ahead of us and I think anytime after a season you work your self-scout and you kind of go back and see what you did well and what you didn’t do well and you try to improve it. …

“We need to get better doing what we’re doing, and these guys are eager to get that done.”

The challenge will be multilayered. Neither Domann nor Tannor has prototypical size for playing on the edge in the Big Ten, and Nelson is still learning the ropes of Big Ten football. Perhaps Cooper, a junior college transfer with impressive size at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, provides a lift. Maybe one of the freshmen contributes early. NU is high on both Gunnerson and Butler, but that’s a big ask for a true freshman.

Bottom line: NU has options, particularly once Butler and Cooper get to campus, but not much in the way of proven production. In fact, there’s an argument to be made that this is the most wide-open position group on the roster.

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Dawson spoke highly of Gunnerson, the 6-5, 250-pound freshman who had offseason hip surgery and would have been something of a limited participant in spring ball.

“Blaise has the measurables that you look for,” Dawson said. “If you were going to draw up or write up, 'What does an NFL outside linebacker look like,' he kind of checks off all those boxes. The thing I’ve been more impressed about with him is he’s a guy who should technically still be in high school. He should be a senior in high school and he’s here already. He’s extremely intelligent and he seems to have a good grasp.

“He not only asks questions, which, sometimes young guys like that will ask the question, but not only does he asks questions, but he asks questions that are good. The next step of thinking. He’s not asking a question that’s just repeating something I just said just to hear himself ask a question. It’s hey, this guy is really paying attention, he’s diving in, and he’s trying to take the next step with it.”

One thought

There’s always a chance the complexion of the outside linebackers room will change some in the coming months. You can bet it’s one of the positions NU will be scouring the transfer portal for. Perhaps an addition could come from elsewhere on the roster, too.

For instance, defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said redshirt freshman defensive back Javin Wright could play outside linebacker in addition to corner or safety.

“First and foremost, he’s ridiculously smart player,” Chinander said of the 6-3, 205-pounder. “He can tell you what all the guys did before I even pulled him into a different position. He’s really, really smart. Has a great football knowledge. Second of all, he’s a very good-sized kid. We can do whatever we want with him. If we decided secondary and the back end is going to be his best position, I think he can stay lean and be a 205, 210-pound safety or corner. And if we have to move him down … I think (strength coach Zach) Duval can do a good job with him and get him up to 225, 230 pounds.”

Spring snapshot: Fisher's secondary has young talent, but veteran Huskers hold the key for 2020

Nebraska spring football consisted of just two practices before it was halted due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Even so, conversations with head coach Scott Frost, several players and almost every assistant coach provided at least some information about every position on the field.

The Journal Star is taking a position-by-position look at the Huskers, what was learned early in March and what to look for whenever NU returns to the field.

Secondary

Scholarship players (13): Seniors Dicaprio Bootle (25 starts), Marquel Dismuke (13) and Deontai Williams (2); junior Cam Taylor-Britt (10); sophomores Braxton Clark (1) and Quinton Newsome; redshirt freshmen Myles Farmer, Noa Pola-Gates and Javin Wright; freshmen Henry Gray, Jaiden Francois, Ronald Delancy and Tamon Lynum.

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One storyline

A year ago, much was made about a talented, incoming four-man recruiting class in Travis Fisher’s secondary. Now, another is inbound and there is again plenty of reason to think that 1) the future is bright for Fisher’s group and 2) the youth movement is going to arrive en masse at some point and it could be this fall.

But before we get too far down that road, let’s get one thing straight: This is a veteran-led group and the veterans have every chance to make it difficult for those young, talented guys to get on the field extensively in 2020.

"Overall, we just want to be a great group of guys that the team can depend on,” senior Dicaprio Bootle said before spring ball was shut down. “We know that football games can be easily won or easily lost based on our play.”

One starter is off to the NFL in cornerback Lamar Jackson, but another returns in Deontai Williams, who missed the final 11-plus games of 2019 after a season-ending injury in NU’s opener against South Alabama.

Williams joins fellow seniors Marquel Dismuke and Bootle plus junior Cam Taylor-Britt in the group that you figure is going to be on the field in some way, shape or form. Dismuke is as close to 100% safety as Fisher, known for cross-training and cross-playing his guys, will get. Williams will probably stick at safety, too, though Fisher said even he took some corner reps during the first day of spring practice.

Bootle and Taylor-Britt bounced back and forth between corner and safety in 2019 as injuries thinned out the group.

So, is it as simple as those latter two become the starting corners? Sophomores Braxton Clark and Quinton Newsome will want to have something to say about that. Perhaps Bootle or Taylor-Britt will man the slot when NU plays nickel.

Defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said Williams’ return could have a cascading effect on the other veterans.

“When he got injured, I thought he was playing as good of football as anybody on the defense,” Chinander said. “That hurt us a lot just because of his play, and also Cam Taylor-Britt did a great job for us, but he was a lot better when he was playing nickel or corner and then when he had to play all three, that became a lot for any kid.”

Unless one of the veteran quartet is unseated by a younger player, there are essentially part-time roles to be filled in. Can a young guy like Myles Farmer make a push for a rotational job at safety? Can Clark, Newsome or a freshman corner lock up a sub package role or something closer to a full-time job? Odds say depth will be needed at some point on the injury front.

Regardless, Fisher liked where his group was at before the sudden hiatus.

“When I first got here (in 2017), it was a pretty deep group, but it was just that I had a lot of pieces where nothing matched,” Fisher said. “Now you’ve got guys on the same page. It feels like I’ve got guys on the same page. … When I speak to one, I speak to all of them and they all listen.”

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Farmer is clearly one of the most highly thought-of young players in the program. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound redshirt freshman safety from Atlanta draws rave reviews from people around the program, and Fisher didn’t hold back in early March.

“Did I want to play Myles Farmer? Yeah, sure did. A whole bunch,” Fisher said. “… Myles Farmer is one of the top guys, I think, on the team. A guy like that, you really want to make sure he has everything he needs before he steps on the field. Because if he is struggling with this or struggling with that or struggling with weight, you don’t want to throw him out there just because he’s Myles Farmer. You want to make sure he’s ready. …

“He’s physical, he can run. Great to have in the room. He came to Lincoln, ever since he committed, he’s been all about this place and he’s still the same way.”

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The secondary in 2020 is shaping up to be something like the NU defensive line was in 2019. It’s expected to be the strength of the defense and it will likely be largely comprised of veteran players. We’ve got a long way (and a lot of uncertainty) to go before we even get to the 2020 season, so it’s too early to look ahead to 2021. But with three seniors likely to start on the back end this year, that youth movement is going to have its time before too long.

Spring snapshot: A near total rebuild on tap after dismal 2019 for Husker special teams

Nebraska spring football consisted of just two practices before it was halted due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Even so, conversations with head coach Scott Frost, several players and almost every assistant coach provided at least some information about every position on the field.

The Journal Star is taking a position-by-position look at the Huskers, what was learned early in March and what to look for whenever NU returns to the field.

Special teams

Scholarship players: None

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If you’re in the market for head-scratching special teams factoids, the 2019 Nebraska season is a good place to look.

Maybe you point to the six place-kickers who attempted field goals for NU, making just 12-of-20 overall. Of those six, the only one left on the roster now is walk-on Lane McCallum, who is listed as an outside linebacker.

Or maybe you note the kickoff duties, where Nebraska’s 21.1% touchback rate was No. 111 in the nation and its 56.2 yards per kickoff was No. 121.

Or maybe it’s the backbreaking kick-return touchdowns allowed against Wisconsin and Iowa in close November games.

“We are waiting on a few of our commits and recruits from last year to come in and give us depth and more talent at certain places,” head coach Scott Frost said in March. “Certainly kicker has been an issue for a little bit around here. We are not in the best place right now.”

Or maybe you recall that, after Wan’Dale Robinson put a 39-yard kick return to his name in his collegiate debut, the Huskers’ best was a 30-yard return by freshman walk-on running back Zach Weinmaster. Same for JD Spielman in the punt-return game. He ran back a 76-yard touchdown against South Alabama and then had 10 returns for 32 yards in the final 11 games.

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Bottom line: A solid but certainly not spectacular punt unit was about all Nebraska had going for it in 2019.

And all of that will have to be rectified in 2020 without a scholarship specialist (so far), without spring ball and without a special teams coordinator.

New faces abound. Chase Contrerez and Tyler Crawford will battle with holdover Gabe Heins for the place-kicking job. William Przystup and Grant Detlefsen (and maybe Crawford) will try to win the punting job. The kickoff job will be wide open. Cade Mueller probably has the first crack at the long-snapping job.

If Spielman returns to the team, he’ll be a factor at punt return again. Otherwise, a group of mostly young players including receivers Robinson, Alante Brown, Demariyon Houston and Jamie Nance will all have chances in the return game, as will DB Cam Taylor-Britt, RB Rahmir Johnson and perhaps others.

And it will all be overseen by senior special teams analyst Jonathan Rutledge.

“We’re going to try this,” Frost said of the new setup. “I didn't really want to burden someone like (assistant coach Mike) Dawson with making sure our outside linebackers improved and running all four special teams. That's a heavy role. I wanted somebody that could kind of do the Xs and Os and schematics off the field for our special teams and really train our coaches to go out and implement it with our players.

“It's going to save our position coaches a lot of time and have somebody whose entire time is dedicated to making our special teams better."

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Frost on how much special teams cost Nebraska in 2019.

“One of our focuses and emphasis on the team was special teams potentially costs us three or four games last year,” he said. “You could probably make an argument for more of that. But we definitely need to be better in that area. … The effort needs to change. The details need to change. And having one guy (Rutledge) to drive it I think is going to help us, and all the coaches are on board, too.

“We know how important it is and we’re going to make sure we put in the time to be better at it."

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Special teams talk usually centers on the specialists themselves, but the Huskers also must improve in the general ranks, too. That’s where Frost is hoping Rutledge makes a difference, in the implementation of scheme.

On the plus side, freeing a big redshirt freshman class (21 scholarship players) from the constraints of the four-game rule should help in roster depth, which often leads to better special teams play. But it will be a challenge even there, as NU will have to replace some of its better core special teams guys like Isaiah Stalbird (transfer) and Jeremiah Stovall (graduation) who led the team in special teams tackles with 10 and seven, respectively.