Nebraska Football: 5 most important Huskers heading into 2021

The 2021 season is crucial for the Nebraska football program and here are the five most important players for the Huskers. 

We are getting closer to the start of the 2021 season and for Nebraska football, it’s going to be one of great consequence.

It could be the year that Scott Frost and the Huskers finally start to show some progress. If that happens, and the hiring of Trev Alberts is positive, and if the facilities have the impact Bill Moos keeps saying they will, then Nebraska might be in a better position than expected.

When Alberts said that Nebraska had to earn its place in the Big Ten (paraphrasing) I really liked it. The Huskers should be a yearly contender in the Big Ten West and this program needs to start competing for championships again, which it was when it entered the league.

But a winning season, a bowl berth, and a step in the right direction need to come first, and looking ahead to 2021, here are the five most important Huskers in terms of making that happen.

One reason for Nebraska football fans to be excited about 2021 is the fact that the Huskers return so many starters on defense (10). One of those is Ben Stille — a super senior.

Stille has been productive throughout his 41-game career with the Huskers. The 6-foot-5, 295-pound defensive lineman has 107 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, and 13 sacks to his credit as he enters his fifth and final season.

While he only finished with one sack last season, that didn’t tell the tale of his impact. Pro Football Focus said, “Stille was one of the more productive pass-rushing interior defensive linemen in the Power Five,” via 247 sports.

As a run-stopper, a pass rusher, and an all-around leader on the defensive front, few returnees will bring back as much to Nebraska football as Ben Stille.