Nebraska football: 10 topics to watch as Huskers enter preseason practice

LINCOLN, Neb. — Pre-season camp is here in Nebraska. On Sunday, the Huskers held their annual Fan Day. Training begins Monday morning.

It’s time to turn the page on the summer and focus on the four weeks that remain until Nebraska travels to Minnesota for the opening game of the Matt Rhule era.

Here are 10 topics that should get your attention as preseason camp begins:

The head coach

Nebraska Athletic director Trev Alberts has been watching Rhule for about 10 months, dating back to the early days of the coaching search last fall. For more than eight months, Rhule has been at work.

“Coach Rhule is the guy I thought he was,” Alberts said last week.

For the AD and many Huskers, the details make the difference. Rhule leaves little to chance with the Huskers’ daily schedule and his plan to restore a winning culture. Every moment has a purpose; every person has a job.

At Nebraska, his style represents a change from the training regime of the past five years.

“There were guys it didn’t work out with,” linebacker Luc Reimer He said, “Or maybe it took them a little while.” All respect to the previous staff and the former coaches, but they are no longer there.

A new era has dawned. It’s worth watching the man at the top.

The dormitories

Nebraska players — and coaches – moved into Selleck Room on Sunday. They will stay in the residence for two weeks, according to the plan developed by Rhule in June.

The Huskers did not know the identities of their camp roommates late last week. In many cases, the Nebraska the staff aimed to pair players with teammates who might not be a natural match.

“I feel like this will be an experience that will take the team to another level as far as building brotherhood and bonding,” the quarterback said. Jeff Sims said.

That’s the intention. In another camp quirk, Nebraska players will read and discuss a book, “Twin Thieves: How Great Leaders Build Great Teams,” by Steve Jones and Lucas Jadin, about the coach of a fictional team who helps his players to overcome doubt. Rhule chose him on the recommendation of offensive line coach Donovan Raiola.

Ease

The Huskers’ new football complex isn’t quite ready. Before the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the project in 2020 and 2021, it was scheduled to open this time last year. Then the entire 315,000-square-foot, $165 million building had to be ready for the start of camp this year. Further delays caused Nebraska to focus only on preparing the first floor, player-specific areas such as locker rooms, practice and recovery areas and the weight room for move-in before the season.

“It’s going well,” Alberts said. “That’s also been a challenge.”

Nebraska aims to limit disruption to players while traveling. The building sits just east of Memorial Stadium, but transitioning to a new space remains a “herculean task,” according to Alberts. The Huskers could move to the new complex as they move out of the dorms. Or it could happen at the end of camp.

“We also have great facilities where we currently reside,” Alberts said.

The football coaching, coaching and administrative offices are expected to come online later this year.

The quarterback

Sims has earned Rhule’s trust and the admiration of his teammates for reasons beyond his obvious physical attributes.

“What impresses me the most is his ability to keep a locker room behind him,” Reimer said. “That’s something I took note of.”

Sims has worked this offseason to add weight and improve his body composition. He enters camp at 230 pounds. THE Georgia Tech Transfer said he’s ready to be whatever Nebraska expects him to be as a pass-first quarterback who is willing to run when needed.

“I know that as Nebraska’s starting quarterback, I represent the entire state,” he said. “It’s a real honor. I am lucky to be in this position. I’m ready to step up and give everything I have to the state of Nebraska.

The waiver

Nebraska continues to await word from the NCAA regarding waiving immediate eligibility for Georgia transfer Arik Gilbert. Gilbert, a former five-star tight end prospect who began his career at LSUonly played three games over the past two seasons with the Bulldogs to deal with personal issues.

He is eligible to practice at Nebraska, but requires clearance to play without sitting out a season due to his two-time transfer status.

“I just want to help the kid,” Rhule said of Gilbert, a 6-foot-5, 275-pound sophomore. “I will say this, he should be able to play, in my opinion. But it’s not my decision. I hope he can play, but if he can’t play, we will be by his side.

The youth

For all discussions surrounding transfers such as Sims, wide receiver Billy Kemp IV and center Ben Scottall of whom add experience to the roster, Rhule’s first team at Nebraska is young.

How old ? Of the 137 players on the roster, 101 are freshmen and sophomores. This team only includes 10 seniors. He’s nine if you count the offensive lineman Nouredin Nouili as a junior. He’s listed as a senior but has only played two of his four years on varsity — and 2020 doesn’t count toward his eligibility.

In a sign of transitional times in college football and Nebraska’s struggles to retain talent in recent seasons, only cornerback Quinton Newsome among seniors signed as a scholarship player with the Huskers out of high school. Reimer and defensive back Phalen Sanford came as extras. The other seven transferred to the program.

So even though Nebraska is old on the offensive line and experienced at several other spots, it is once again a young team.

The list

A certain fluidity often exists when the calendar moves to August. On Sunday, during fan day at the Hawks Championship Center, the juniors Myles Farmer was not present. He started 11 games last year at safety and left the spring as the favorite to start at safety or rover.

Wide receiver Marcus Washington wore a cast on his right hand.

Recruited to play both sides of the ball, true freshmen Jason Maciejczak And Mason Goldman will begin their time in Lincoln with the defensive line. Also recently, the tight end Chase Androff and linebacker Seth Malcolm left the program. Nebraska added tight end Nate Boerkircher and linebacker John Bullock on the stock market in May.

Rhule will be available to answer questions on the roster Monday.

Huskers returning from the gate

Zavier Betts And Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda considered valuable pieces for Nebraska. Both receivers entered the transfer portal last year and returned to the program after Rhule was hired.

Betts, who left in spring 2022, had to successfully complete 18 credit hours in spring 2023 to restore his eligibility. He is over 21, according to Rhule.

“He’s very smart and he cares about people,” Rhule said. “I hope Zavier sees what he’s capable of.”

Sims sees it.

“Zavier made plays that will leave you speechless – catches, passes in front of people,” the QB said. “He’s a great player and he just wants to get better.

“He attacks it head on. He has made great progress. I’m very proud of Zavier for this.

The schedule

For the third straight season, Nebraska will open against an away conference opponent. You know how it went for the Huskers at Illinois two years ago and against North West in Ireland last year.

The Aug. 31 trip to Minnesota appears to be a more daunting challenge for the Huskers than those two games. This impacts camp as the Huskers begin the season with two Power 5 foes on the outside. There will be no let-up for Rhule and his team.

The Gophers will look to physically punish Nebraska. The Huskers need to walk a fine line in creating a physical environment in Lincoln over the next month without limping into the opener — or they’ll risk backfiring Minnesota And Colorado before leaving the house.

The respect

Rhule exposed it last week during Big Ten media days.

“There’s a lot of work to be done on us,” he said. “If we move forward in this direction, then people will respect who we are. Our players will respect who we are. Our adversaries will respect who we are. And that’s the first step toward a championship mindset.

Respect is earned on tape, Reimer said — not from a highlight video or social media campaign. It starts with game film.

“We want to be a team where you turn on the film,” Reimer said, “and it’s like, ‘Holy smoke, these guys are different.’ These guys are violent.

Nebraska’s attempt to regain respect began in the first days of the offseason. It’s about to open a new chapter when the games begin in a few weeks.

(Top photo by Malachi Coleman: Mitch Sherman / Athleticism)