It’s been quite a spring in Lincoln and it all comes to a head this weekend as the Husker Spring Game is finally upon us. So far, we have heard stories of new players starting to move into starting roles and other starters continuing on their natural progressions. Two big stories however have dominated the spring over all others.
For the first time in about 8 seasons, there has been an honest to goodness open quarterback battle. Transfer Tanner Lee and redshirt freshman Patrick O’Brien, along with early enrollee Tristan Gebbia have been battling it out to lead Nebraska this fall. All three quarterbacks were brought in to fit head coach Mike Riley’s offense. This offense requires an accurate passing first QB. Tommy Armstrong, while a great competitor, was not blessed with an accurate arm. For the first time since Coach Riley arrived, he has quarterbacks that are equipped to run a pass first offense. To the coaches credit, they worked to put together an offense that Armstrong could have success with, but they clearly should be more comfortable coaching a player up in an offense that they have taught for over two decades, moving forward.
The second big story, is the arrival of new defensive coordinator Bob Diaco. Diaco comes from being the head coach at the University of Connecticut. If you haven’t heard about Coach Diaco, he was defensive coordinator at Notre Dame when the played in the National Championship game a few seasons ago and he brings a fire to the position that players have seemingly fallen in line for. Diaco’s pedigree and his energetic personality has dominated the headlines. Let’s hope that it translates to a return of Blackshirt dominance on the field. I don’t expect we will see much in the spring game, but reports so far is that Nebraska has a good one.
So as we get set for the game Saturday, let’s look at the position groups and the players to watch for that maybe we don’t know anything about yet.
Quarterback: This is as good a place to start as any and should be a fun day for some fans. Tanner Lee, Patrick O'Brien and Tristan Gebbia are the players to pay attention too. I look for Lee to take the lead after this spring and I hope to see that O’Brien and even newly arrived Gebbia aren’t that far off from being ready for action. Look for some deep throws and some quick releases. Should be a lot of fun!
Running Backs: Players to know are Tre Bryant, Mikale Wilbon and Devine Ozigbo. All three have played in some respect in the last two seasons. Wilbon is probably the shiftiest and the best athlete, but Bryant is probably the best of the three when it comes to all parts of the game. Player that you should look out for, but don’t know, is Wyatt Mazour #37. Coach Riley compared him to Danny Woodhead this spring. Lets just hope Wyatt gets some touches this weekend so we can find out!
Tight End: Players to know are Tyler Hoppes, Matt Snyder, and Jack Stoll. Hoppes has had a big spring, and the transfer from Wayne State has certainly been a surprise. Snyder and Stoll are young and coming off injury plagued seasons so far, but they have been solid and steady this spring. Offensive Coordinator Danny Langsdorf has said that this position has been a pleasant surprise this spring. It will be interesting to see if that pans out. Player to keep an eye on is David Engelhaupt #83. A late add to last season’s class from Norfolk is a great athlete. David should be a great player down the road, so watch for him a little bit.
Wide Receiver: Players to know are Stanley Morgan, De’Mornay Pierson-El, Bryan Reimers, and JD Spielman. Morgan has had an awesome spring, until a recent injury cost him the last couple of practices. From most accounts, Morgan has been the best player this spring on the team. While there isn’t a lot of catches coming back from the last few seasons, Morgan and Pierson-El (finally healthy) and Reimers do have some experience. Spielman has been electric this spring as well. Player to keep and eye on is #9 Keyan Williams. Williams is a transfer from Fresno State and happens to be the son of wide receiver coach Keith Williams. So far Williams has been the leader to replace Jordan Westerkamp in the slot. That is a key role in this offense, so watch out for Williams on Saturday.
Offensive Line: Players to know are Nick Gates, Jerald Foster, Cole Conrad, Tanner Farmer and David Knevel. This unit has a lot of starts behind it now. It has had a bit of a rough spring, adjusting to a new defense in practice and trying to get everyone on the same page. I happen to think their level of play, while not great, has been overplayed a little bit in the media this spring. The one healthy game that these cats all played together, against Northwestern, they were at times dominate. If they can manage to stay on the field together, this unit should come together well this fall. Players to keep an eye on #56 Boe Wilson and #79 Michael Decker. Wilson continues to get high praise, in fact he almost didn’t redshirt because he is so close to ready to go. Decker has been running with the first team at center up until Conrad moved over from tackle. I expect Decker to push Conrad next fall to start at center. It should be a good battle.
Defensive Line: Players to know are Mick Stoltenberg, Carlos Davis and Freedom Akinmoladun. Big Mick has had a great spring and the move to a 3-4 front with Mick at the nose so far seems to be a great fit. Davis and Freedom both have a handful of starts under their belt and with Coach Parella in charge will hopefully return the defensive line to a position of strength for the Blackshirts. Player to watch #99 Peyton Newell. Newell hasn’t been able to break into the lineup yet, but the move to the 3-4 should give him another life and hopefully he can take advantage of the opportunity. He needs to because Coach Parella is bringing in three studs this fall to help out and if he doesn’t have a hold on his spot by then, they could pass him by.
Linebacker: Players to know are Dedrick Young, Chris Webber, Marcus Newby, Luke Gifford and Alex Davis. This group has a combination of experience and youth. The switch to the 3-4 should provide ample opportunity for this group to shine. Different roles and different players will continue to emerge all the way into next fall from this group. Webber and Gifford have had solid springs and I expect them both to play a lot. Player to watch #15 Avery Roberts. The highly touted freshman has not disappointed since he arrived on campus in January. Roberts was the highest ranked defensive recruit in 2017 and should be a playmaker this fall. Watch out for him Saturday.
Safeties: Players to know are Josh Kalu, Aaron Williams, Antonio Reed and Kieron Williams. Kalu has moved over from cornerback to get more talent on the field and this group seems to roll six deep without much trouble. JoJo Domann would and should be on this list, but a torn ACL this spring will keep this young stud on the shelf, which is too bad. Player to watch #19 Marquel Dismuke. Dismuke may not play a lot this fall, but the talented safety from California should play on special teams and eventually be a big factor on defense. Watch to see how many times he is on the field this weekend.
Cornerbacks: Chris Jones, Lamar Jackson, Eric Lee. This group has great experience in Jones and Jackson has come far enough that Kalu has moved to safety. While it may not have much depth that you know of this spring, Lee has blossomed and should play in the nickel and spell Jones and Jackson on regular downs. This group has some young players on the way, that should provide plenty of depth this fall. Player to watch is #23 DiCaprio Bootle. Bootle already as the coolest name on the team on lockdown and now the super fast DB from Florida will start making his mark this spring. When he is out on the field, he should stand out, hopefully in a good way!
There will be plenty of other new names on Saturday, so get your programs out. It should be a fun game on Saturday, now let’s just hope for good weather!
GBR!
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