1 week Ago
It’s a phrase commonly said by coaches ahead of big games or season-defining moments: block out the noise. It’s only April, but that’s the situation that awaits the Nebraska football team this week. With the transfer portal set to open beginning Wednesday through April 25, the Huskers will try to keep the focus on their spring camp despite the potential for transfer decisions to distract them from the on-field work.
Blocking out the noise has never been so real. Let’s drop into coverage: 1. Two-year transformation Two years is a long time in the world of college football, and it certainly feels that way for Heinrich Haarberg.
Set to play tight end during his senior season this fall, Haarberg’s last two seasons have been spent as a backup quarterback (2024) and an eight-game starter at quarterback (2023). As he reflected on his journey earlier this week, Haarberg shared an interesting thought on that 2023 season. People are also reading.
.. “That year was like a war every week trying to find a win,” Haarberg said.
Of the 138 players on the 2023 Nebraska football team, just 43 remain on the team this spring, a testament to how Matt Rhule has flipped the program’s roster since a difficult first season on the job. The list, sorted by class: * Seniors: Michael Booker, Derek Branch, Marques Buford, Turner Corcoran, Heinrich Haarberg, Malcolm Hartzog, Elijah Jeudy, Henry Lutovsky, Teddy Prochazka, DeShon Singleton and Javin Wright. * Juniors: Janiran Bonner, Justin Evans, Emmett Johnson, Tyler Knaak, Cameron Lenhardt, Luke Lindenmeyer, Luke Longval, Roman Mangini, Dylan Parrott and Gage Stenger.
* Sophomores: Tristan Alvano, D’Andre Barnes, Demitrius Bell, David Borchers, Jacob Bower, Jacob Brandl, Jeremiah Charles, Conor Connealy, Jaidyn Doss, Cayden Echternach, Mason Goldman, Gunnar Gottula, Kwinten Ives, Brock Knutson, Sua Lefotu, Maverick Noonan, Dylan Rogers, Grant Seagren, Sam Sledge, Rahmir Stewart, Brice Turner, Riley Van Poppel and Kenneth Williams. The one-score losses, five in total and four in a row to end the season, aren’t remembered by the majority of this year’s team, nor are the offensive struggles and turnover troubles that defined the Huskers’ 2023 campaign. Those who were on the field in those moments have learned from them, while many of Nebraska’s other returners were simply young players watching from afar rather than being in the middle of the action.
The changes since then have been twofold, with Nebraska hitting the transfer portal and adding recruits from the high school ranks as Rhule changed the team’s personnel. Then there was the change in attitudes, one which was visible in a more confident Husker team last fall. When a similarly difficult stretch of one-score losses popped up, a bold change at offensive coordinator gave the Huskers part of the impetus to get over the line.
The change in fortunes wasn’t all from Rhule or from Dana Holgorsen’s play calls, though — it was from the internal belief that the Huskers had built up. Now two years removed from that damaging 2023 season, the Nebraska football team has a roster loaded with young talent that is no longer weighed down by the baggage of a bowl game streak or the team’s track record in one-score games. In that regard, Rhule’s transformation of the Husker program has been crucial.
2. Running back development Outside of Emmett Johnson, the returning 13-game contributor who’s expected to lead the Husker backfield, the picture at running back remains murky for Nebraska. And of the players who are leading the battle for the backup role — Kwinten Ives and Mekhi Nelson — experience is lacking.
Ives and Nelson have followed similar paths as recruits hand-picked by NU assistant EJ Barthel from his recruiting areas in the Northeast who’ve earned their dues on the scout team. In fact, Barthel said it’s like “deja vu” with Ives and Nelson’s development following the same process that Johnson previously went through. “I know we’re in a different world now with the portal and everyone’s kinda (needing) an immediate fix, but traditionally it’s all about development,” Barthel said.
There are differences between the styles of Ives and Nelson, though, given Ives stands at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds while Nelson is a 6-foot, 185-pound back. Ives’ frame has been built over the last two seasons — he arrived in Lincoln as a 180-pound freshman — and it’s now put him in the running to be NU’s short-yardage back. The player who filled that role last season, Dante Dowdell, also provides another example of Nebraska’s running back development.
During Dowdell’s freshman season at Oregon, he “wasn’t getting coached well,” Barthel said, before the combined work of spring camp, summer workouts and fall camp helped Dowdell earn his role in the running back committee. One productive season later and Dowdell became one of the top transfer running backs in the country. What had to happen before then — learning knowledge of protection, defensive fronts and ball-carrier vision — are the very same skills which Ives and Nelson are training this spring.
“When we got Dante here, he had (played) 18 snaps and a lot of people didn’t think he was good enough. He had a spring here and was he was going through the same process Mekhi and Kwinten went through,” Barthel said. “.
.. We’re fairly confident that those guys will make that trajectory as well.
” 3. Pass rushing potential Who can Nebraska turn to for pass-rushing production? That’s a key question the Huskers will need to answer by August, and it’s one that could have many different solutions. Jack linebackers Dasan McCullough and Willis McGahee IV are at the forefront, while defensive linemen Cameron Lenhardt and Keona Davis are two others who project as the team’s top pass rushers.
The way NU generates pressure in 2025 is sure to be different from a year ago, with game-changers Nash Hutmacher and Ty Robinson no longer present in the heart of the defense. Rhule said last week that regardless of position, he wants Nebraska’s four best rushers to be on the field in pass-rushing situations. After all, remember the unique way NU used James Williams and Princewill Umanmielen in 2024? The specialists played rarely outside of third downs and obvious passing scenarios and were effective in getting to the quarterback.
They might’ve found new homes in the portal, but that strategy could be continued even if it means Nebraska needs to bring along its young, untested pass rushers quickly. After the team’s first spring scrimmage on Saturday, Rhule likes the progress he’s seen up front, but he knows the Husker pass rush still needs developing. “We have some guys that I know can rush; we have some really athletic guys and we’re also pass protecting at a really high level, which is good,” Rhule said.
“I wouldn’t say that we’re absolutely dominant or destroying them defensively, I think we’re kinda having an iron sharpens iron (approach).” “I like where the D-line is,” Rhule said. “I see a comprehensive rush plan starting to come together.
” 4. Waiting for guidance The legal news that everyone around college athletics was watching on Monday has not yet been finalized. The House v.
NCAA settlement, which received preliminary approval from the courts in October, went in front of the same judge for its final approval hearing. Items previously established in the settlement include: * Athletes immediately becoming eligible for payment from NCAA member schools. * A revenue sharing agreement that will distribute funds to student athletes.
The $20.5 million figure for yearly payments comes from this portion of the settlement. * Former student-athletes gaining back payment for damages, with a pool of $2.
8 billion established for payouts. This is the framework that athletic departments, including at Nebraska, have been operating under in previous months. However, they haven’t known for certain if the numbers will remain the same and if they’ll be given the green light to begin payments starting in July.
The delay in a final decision comes from a number of legal challenges and objections which are being weighed by the presiding judge, Claudia Wilken. Final approval could come this week, though, if lawyers from both sides are able to come to a new agreement that satisfies a key point of contention: roster limits. A proposal for a grandfather clause which would allow schools to keep players on scholarship rather than taking scholarships away is under consideration, and Rhule said it’s wait-and-see mode on Nebraska’s end.
With a large roster that would need significant cuts if the 105-player roster limit remains in place, Nebraska has planned accordingly. The Huskers have not added any walk-on commitments to their 2025 recruiting class — even though Rhule said they’d like to — and have allowed collegiate coaches to watch spring practices with an eye toward the players who may not make the roster in the fall. If the settlement is approved or adjusted this week, it’d go a long way toward Nebraska knowing exactly what it must do to satisfy all the new requirements by the fall.
5. A lesson in leverage The biggest story in college football this week came out of Tennessee. According to a report from ESPN, after Tennessee refused quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s request to have his NIL compensation increased, the team’s projected starter simply entered the transfer portal instead.
The timing of the news, which came a day before Tennessee’s spring game and the end of its spring camp, was no coincidence. After all, Iamaleava knew that teams would prefer to have 15 practices in the spring with a new quarterback rather than starting fresh in the fall. He knew that few top quarterbacks would be available in April, and he knew that his status as Tennessee’s projected starter would give him some leverage in the contract negotiations.
What Iamaleava didn’t know, however, was that he was about to learn a lesson in leverage. In this era of NIL deals, the players hold plenty of the cards. They can request to have their contracts renegotiated or adjusted at any time, and they can transfer away in either the winter or the spring.
But just as players will have an idea of their market value and what they’re worth to their team, so do their respective schools — and they can show players the door at any time too. “At the end of the day, no one's ever bigger than the program,” head coach Josh Heupel told reporters after Tennessee’s spring game. As a talented quarterback, Iamaleava will likely land on his feet in a good situation.
However, his story is a cautionary tale for others to learn from. NIL contracts are still a two-way street, and teams aren’t obliged to cave into demands just to keep a specific player on their roster. Photos: Nebraska football spring practice, April 8, 2025 Nebraska's defense practices on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at Hawks Championship Center.
Nebraska linebackers coach Rob Dvoracek throws the ball during a team practice on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at Hawks Championship Center. Nebraska's Gage Stenger (left) and Roger Gradney compete for the ball during a team practice on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at Hawks Championship Center. Nebraska's Dylan Rogers (right) picks up a ball during a team practice on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at Hawks Championship Center.
Nebraska defensive line coach Terry Bradden talks to players during a team practice on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at Hawks Championship Center. Nebraska's Javin Wright returns the ball during a team practice on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at Hawks Championship Center. Nebraska's Vincent Shavers picks up the ball during a team practice on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at Hawks Championship Center.
Nebraska's Elijah Jeudy (left) and Dylan Parrott run drills during a team practice on Tuesday at Hawks Championship Center. Nebraska's Marques Buford catches a ball during practice Tuesday at Hawks Championship Center. Nebraska's David Hoffken runs drills during a team practice on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at Hawks Championship Center.
Nebraska's Keona Davis runs drills during a team practice on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at Hawks Championship Center. Nebraska players, including Elijah Jeudy (right), listen in during a team practice on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at Hawks Championship Center. Nebraska's Andrew Marshall (left) and Malcolm Hartzog run drills during a team practice on Tuesday at Hawks Championship Center.
Nebraska's Caden VerMaas (bottom left) and Tanner Terch (bottom right) run drills during a team practice on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at Hawks Championship Center. Nebraska linebackers coach Rob Dvoracek (bottom left) looks on as Rahmir Stewart (32), Javin Wright (33) and Vincent Shavers (1) practice Tuesday at Hawks Championship Center. Nebraska's Caden VerMaas (bottom left) and Tanner Terch (bottom right) run drills during a team practice on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at Hawks Championship Center.
Nebraska's Justyn Rhett picks up a pass during a team practice on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at Hawks Championship Center. Nebraska associate head coach Phil Snow coaches during a team practice on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at Hawks Championship Center. Subscribe for the best Husker news & commentary Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Husker football/baseball reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
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