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.
Defensive Line
Starting Defensive Ends: Freedom Akinmoladun, Carlos Davis
Backups: DaiShon Neal, Peyton Newell
The Huskers are not huge up front, but they have enough experience to be serviceable. Junior Freedom Akinmoladun bulked up some in the offseason and is now listed at 280 pounds. In the past two seasons, he has ranked in the top two on the team for sacks.
On the other side of the line should be sophomore Carlos Davis, who played in all 13 games last season. While he saw significant playing time at the tackle position, he will now play defensive end. The 300 pounder’s outstanding play last season earned him an honorable mention on BTN’s All-Freshman team.
Both sophomore DaiShon Neal and junior Peyton Newell will look for some extended playing time as both have played reserve roles thus far in their careers Neal played a lot on the punt block team last season, but should be a regular part of the defensive end rotation this season.
Starting Nose Tackle: Mick Stoltenberg
Backups: Khalil Davis
Speaking of bulking up, the Huskers biggest player up front is Mick Stoltenberg, gearing up for the starting nose tackle position in the new 3-4 scheme. He has put on about 20 pounds this offseason and now is listed at 305 pounds. As a sophomore, Stoltenberg played in 12 games and made nine starts, finishing the year with 25 tackles, three tackles for loss and one and half sacks.
Behind Stoltenberg is Carlos Davis’ brother, Khalil. He played in 12 games last season as a reserve defensive tackle and looks to get more quality playing time this season.
Linebackers
Starting outside linebackers: Marcus Newby, Luke Gifford
Backups: Sedrick King, Alex Davis
Nebraska is very deep at the linebacker position. Marcus Newby is expected to be a leader at outside linebacker for the new-look defense. Last year he played in 12 games with four starts. He is versatile at both run stopping and dropping into coverage. Junior Luke Gifford saw extensive action in 2015 before getting hurt with his role reduced last season. With the new defense, he is sure to play a key role this year as a starter.
Both Sedrick King and Alex Davis were recruited as defensive ends but will make the transition to outside linebacker in the new scheme. What they lack in experience they have in talent and athleticism, so both will be pushing for quality playing time this fall.
Starting inside linebackers: Dedrick Young, Chris Weber
Backups: Avery Roberts, Mohamed Barry
Dedrick Young has played a prominent role his first two seasons, a starting outside linebacker in both. In his freshman year, he set a Nebraska record for most tackles by a true freshman. The other inside linebacker spot looks to be filled by senior Chris Weber. The former walk on will be called upon to be a leader in his final season. Last year he played in all 13 games as a reserve middle linebacker and on the special teams.
Mohamed Barry played in all 13 games last year and has experience playing both inside and outside linebacker. He will probably be a reserve inside linebacker this year while also continuing his role on special teams. True freshman Avery Roberts enrolled early in January and has quickly learned the Huskers’ new schemes. The former 4-star prospect was the number one player out of Delaware and could definitely earn a reserve spot and quality playing time.
Defensive Backs
Starting safeties: Kieron Williams, Joshua Kalu
Backups: Antonio Reed, Aaron Williams
The safety position is one of the better position groups for Nebraska. Seniors Kieron Williams and Joshua Kalu lead the way. Williams made nine starts at safety in 2016 and led the team in interceptions with five. Kalu has been a staple for the secondary since he first set foot on campus. He has made 28 starts in his collegiate career and now is making the transition over to safety from cornerback. He led the team in pass breakups last year and looks to continue the trend in 2017.
Antonio Reed and Aaron Williams will be pushing both Williams and Kalu for playing time. Reed played in 12 games a year ago with one start in the Music City Bowl. Williams has even more experience, with 14 career starts. He has the ability to slide into the nickelback role when needed.
Starting cornerbacks: Lamar Jackson, Aaron Williams
Backups: Dicaprio Bootle, Eric Lee, Chris Jones
Coming out of the spring there was optimism with the cornerback position, but recent news will affect the depth here. Senior Chris Jones was projected to play a big role for his senior year, however in mid-July it was revealed he had offseason surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee. He’ll miss a significant amount of time, but has not been ruled out from playing this season yet. The other disheartening news is that the highly touted Elijah Blades has decided to go to junior college for the 2017 season.
With that in mind, it is a crap shoot to guess who the starters will be at cornerback. Sophomore Lamar Jackson gained a lot of playing time as a true freshman so he looks to earn a starting spot this season. We’ll slot Aaron Williams opposite Jackson since he has experience playing the nickelback role.
Redshirt freshman Dicaprio Bootle and sophomore Eric Lee do not have the experience, but because of the depth issues now may be forced into the reserve roles. Lee played mostly on special teams last season. The Huskers better hope that Jones heals quicker than the current projection off four to six months.
Wide Receivers
Starting receivers: Stanley Morgan, De’Mornay Pierson-El, Bryan Reimers
Backups: JD Spielman, Keyan Williams, Jaevon McQuitty
The receiving corps is losing a ton of production from last season with the graduation of three fifth-year seniors. The younger guys must step up for their unproven quarterback. Junior Stanley Morgan has the look of a number one receiver, the only catch is now he has an off the field marijuana possession charge from May. It remains to be seen if that charge will affect his playing time early in the season.
De’Mornay Pierson-El has a lot of experience and looks primed for a breakout year his senior year. He’s been an explosive return man and needs to bring that same burst to his role as a primary receiver. Rounding out the top three receivers looks to be Bryan Reimers. The Lincoln native and former walk on had one start a year ago and played in 12 games. He’s the tallest target of the receiving corps, standing at six-foot-five.
The backups are unproven but can play key roles this fall. Redshirt freshman JD Spielman has worked out with the scout team. Keyan Williams transferred from Fresno State so he sat out last season. Finally, true freshman Jaevon McQuitty was one of the better pickups for the Huskers in the 2017 class. The coaches likely won’t redshirt McQuitty and he’ll push for early playing time.
Tight Ends
Starting tight end: Tyler Hoppes
Backup: David Engelhaupt, Connor Ketter
None of the tight ends currently on the roster caught a pass last year for the Huskers and their offensive system seldom utilizes the position. Guessing here that Tyler Hoppes earns the job by being the most experienced, but the experience mainly comes from his play on special teams. The same can be said for David Engelhaupt and Connor Ketter. All three will compete for this job and it’s a wide open competition.
Running Backs
Starting running back: Devine Ozigbo
Backups: Tre Bryant, Mikale Wilbon
The offensive backfield has to improve for Nebraska to stay competitive in the Big Ten this season. With two-year starter Terrell Newby gone, this is another position that is open heading into fall camp.
Junior Mikale Wilbon is probably the most shifty of the three backs. He played in 10 games last year, running for 89 yards on 15 carries. Tre Bryant is lightning fast. He carried the ball 43 times for 172 yards and a touchdown a year ago while also serving as one of the kickoff return men. Devine Ozigbo had the best 2016 of the three backs. He carried the ball 97 times for 412 yards and five rushing touchdowns.
It is really anyone’s guess who the coaches will go with as the starter. We will plug in Ozigbo as the top guy based strictly on last year’s statistics. However it would not surprise if they stick with a three-headed rotation at least in the early part of the season to sort things out. All three will have ample opportunities to prove they should be the featured back.
Quarterbacks
Starting quarterback: Tanner Lee
Backup: Patrick O’Brien
Tommy Armstrong‘s time is up after five years in Lincoln so a new quarterback will be taking snaps this season. Offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf will hand the reigns over to Tanner Lee. He has been in the system for a year as he burned a year of eligibility after transferring from Tulane.
Lee had starting experience at Tulane which should help him this fall. His stats for the Green Wave were not great, completing only 54 percent of his passes with 23 touchdowns thrown to 21 interceptions. Experience is experience, however, and Lee will have better offensive weapons around him at Nebraska. Lee is also not much of a runner so expect the Huskers to run a more traditional passing scheme.
Behind Lee will be Patrick O’Brien. O’Brien will be a redshirt freshman so no experience, however O’Brien is a former 4 star recruit. He has the talent, but he’ll just be learning another year unless something goes wrong with Lee.
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It’s entirely possible that Nebraska will go just as far as Lee is able to take them. They don’t have the good fortune of an easy schedule, but at least it’s a bit back loaded. The Huskers have five games before they play Wisconsin, Ohio State and later Penn State.