Nebraska Football: 2017 Projected 2-deep depth chart

Nebraska football is coming off a nine win season in 2016. Can they take an even bigger step in 2017? Here’s how the 2-deep roster will look this season.

Nebraska head coach Mike Riley is entering his third season in Lincoln so the Cornhuskers are starting to be molded into his  team with a lot of his recruits. The biggest change this offseason was a change in defensive coordinator and scheme. Mark Banker is out along with the 4-3, replaced by Bob Diaco and the 3-4.

There is still talent on the roster, but there has also been a lot of turnover. The offense is almost all completely new. Nebraska will have their work cut out for them to stay competitive in the Big Ten West.  Being a traditional power, nine win seasons are the floor to most Cornhusker fans. Riley will need to start producing better results if he expects to be in Lincoln for the long haul.

Let’s take a look at how this year’s Huskers team is shaping up on both sides of the ball.

Offensive Line

Starting Tackles:  Nick Gates (LT), David Knevel (RT)
Backups: Matt Farniok, Christian Gaylord

Let’s start off with the good news for the Huskers. The offensive line will have a familiar look to it and that’s good considering they will be breaking in a new starting quarterback. Nebraska lost two starters from last year, but what remains is a healthy mix of talent and experience.

Both tackles return with junior Nick Gates and senior David Knevel. Gates is the most experienced Husker lineman and will protect Tanner Lee‘s blindside at left tackle. On the other side, Knevel returns after starting most games last year. He was hurt late in the 2016 season and missed three of the last five games.

Redshirt freshman Matt Farniok and sophomore Christian Gaylord will look to get reps in the regular rotation. Both players are former three star recruits and Gaylord played in all 13 games last year as a blocker on Nebraska’s placekicking unit.

Nebraska Cornhuskers Football

Starting Center:  Michael Decker
Backup: Cole Conrad

This is the one spot on the offensive line where there will be a fierce competition for the strating job. Sophomore Michael Decker probably has the edge here out of the spring so we will project him there. He played in all 13 games last season as a backup to the departed Dylan Utter.

However Decker has stiff competition from junior Cole Conrad, who also played in all 13 games last season as a backup. However when Knevel was hurt, he started the final five games at right tackle.  Now he has made the shift over to center. Both players should have ample opportunities to prove themselves in fall camp.

Starting Guards: Jerald Foster (LG), Tanner Farmer (RG)
Backups: John Raridon, Boe Wilson, Jalin Barnett

Junior Jerald Foster returns to the starting left guard position after missing the first nine games of the 2016 season, although he did return for the final four games. The left side of the line will be a real strength with him and Gates. One the right side, Tanner Farmer started 11 games last year, missing two due to injury. The former four star recruit looks to be a leader this year.

Sophomore Jalin Barnett and redshirt freshmen John Raridon and Boe Wilson should earn some reps this year. Wilson spent last year’s fall camp with the first team due to injuries, but the coaching staff did eventually redshirt him.