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Whistles blew and players hollered inside the Hawks Championship Center as a large number of high school coaches milled around in the hallways. Nebraska football’s practice facility was a hub of activity on Saturday as it hosted a coaching clinic and the Husker football team’s seventh practice of the spring. Now nearly midway through its spring camp, Nebraska is beginning to see some of the results it’s been after.
Let’s drop into coverage: 1. A spring of opportunity on defense With a new coordinator comes new opportunities, and that’s the case for John Butler and the Husker defense. Making his first media appearance of the spring this week, Butler evaded specifics about players who’d caught his eye and who he was looking at in starting roles.
Instead, he spoke generally about the defense he’s inherited and the way he’s evaluating them in practice. People are also reading..
. Practice reps are graded from 9-on-7 drills and team sessions, with coaches looking for whether players won in coverage, affected the football and made the play in front of them. Those grades are then sent to players so they’re aware of areas to improve.
“The more plays you make, the more you make your way up the depth chart,” Butler said. Having moved back to the collegiate level from the NFL last season, Butler has been looking to grow personally as a coach. That includes the work he’s laid out for the Husker defense this spring, which starts with early down, base defensive packages with an emphasis on “effort and execution.
” First, Butler said, the defense will learn how to finish plays before they get into third-down packages and other advanced practice work. “You’re trying to provide as much experience and as much exposure to the things that they’re gonna see, and that’s why it’s so important to have practice, walkthroughs and meetings,” Butler said. “That’s how you develop them in that regard every single day.
” There’s a long way to go until it’ll be clear what the Butler-coached 2025 Husker defense will look like. But for a sneak peek, look no further than the team’s bowl game. Albeit with different personnel — including upcoming NFL draft pick Ty Robinson — Nebraska held strong in the red zone during that matchup.
It stopped Boston College on fourth down four separate times, forced a fumble and made plays in the game’s biggest moments. That’s the vision of the defense that Butler is looking to keep moving forward. 2.
Nebraska’s roster move Head coach Matt Rhule’s announcement on Saturday that wide receiver Hardley Gilmore has been dismissed from the team naturally brings up the question: why? After all, Gilmore is a player who likely could’ve helped Nebraska win games in the fall, and given he followed his positional coach to Lincoln, the Huskers had plans for how to utilize his pass-catching talents. However, sometimes things simply aren’t a great fit. Now in year three, Rhule believes in the culture and unity among the Husker football program that has been built.
Disrupting that unity, even for a talented player, comes with a cost — and it’s why Gilmore’s departure follows the same process that led to former transfer addition Marquis Groves-Killebrew moving on in January. Both players hadn’t been recruited by Nebraska for years with relationships built over time; they were transfer portal pickups who quickly landed in Lincoln, then moved on after things didn’t pan out. “We’re not going to ruin the locker room over one guy,” Rhule said in February.
As Rhule spoke Saturday about how players should take a blank slate into new situations with the goal of learning, it brought him back to the days when he was starting his first NFL coaching job with the New York Giants. Rhule said he decided to stay quiet for six months, not interjecting himself into the conversations of veteran coaches. Rhule then moved on to answering questions, eventually working to a point where he felt comfortable speaking up whenever.
“I think the best thing you can do when you come in somewhere new is just learn,” Rhule said. The Husker head coach credited incoming transfer Rocco Spindler and Dane Key for following that process and adapting to NU’s program standards despite their status as high-level athletes who’d found success at their previous schools. “When a new player comes in, the first thing is just kind of learning the culture,” Rhule said.
“We talk about our process, we say that first you have to learn it, then you start to live it and then eventually you defend it.” Nebraska's Jalyn Gramstad speaks during a news conference on Thursday at Hawks Championship Center. 3.
Quarterback film study What’s it like to watch film with Dylan Raiola? Jalyn Gramstad has put in the hours doing just that with his fellow quarterback, and he appreciates the thoroughness he’s seen from Raiola. “We go through and watch the 7-on-7 periods and the team periods and his reps what he was seeing,” Gramstad said. “We’ll just talk through our read, what the defense was on this play and just (go) back and forth chopping it up.
” This back-and-forth process involves bouncing ideas off each other about what they could’ve done better, Gramstad said — and it’s a big reason why Raiola wanted the veteran quarterback back. Transitioning from being a starter to a backup, Gramstad spent the 2024 season engrossed in the film room, learning the ins and outs of the Husker offense. Now, Gramstad says he’s in a “great spot” with his understanding of the offense.
That preparation has been noticed by Rhule, who likes what he sees from his quarterbacks’ film study. “Dylan’s one of those guys who, whenever a play comes in wrong, he can fix it,” Rhule said in March. “.
.. Gramstad’s a lot like Dylan; they vibe off each other.
” 4. Rhule gauges spring progress Nearly midway through this year’s spring camp, Rhule is happy with the level of growth he’s seen from his roster. “There’s not a player right now that’s really lagging behind,” Rhule said while praising the work of the scout team in practice.
Nebraska has continued to follow coordinator Dana Holgorsen’s guidelines for the offense while implementing new defensive packages and working toward a “position-less mindset” in the way they line up defensively. Special teams hasn’t been the overriding focus of this spring, with bits and portions of practice dedicated to them — but Mike Ekeler is quickly making an impact. Rhule jokingly said that any Nebraska football staffer could talk about special teams techniques because Ekeler teaches them to players “in a really systemized way.
” “I can’t say it’s all put together yet, but I see us really growing and developing in the system,” Rhule said about NU's special teams growth. “I see our guys are bought into it.” 5.
Huskers in the UFL A handful of former Huskers are taking part in the United Football League’s (UFL) spring season in the second year of the league’s existence. Six of the league’s eight teams have at least one former Nebraska player on their roster, though last year’s league MVP — quarterback Adrian Martinez — isn’t represented. Martinez remains a member of the New York Jets as one of four quarterbacks on the NFL team’s roster.
As for the UFL, offensive lineman Matt Farniok has landed with the Arlington Renegades after bouncing around NFL practice squads since 2021. It’s a similar story for defensive lineman Carlos Davis, who’ll play for the Birmingham Stallions this year after failing to make a roster or practice squad during the 2024 NFL season. Outside linebacker Garrett Nelson, now a member of the San Antonio Brahmas, will look to play his way into an NFL roster spot for the first time.
Two former Husker long snappers, Jordan Ober (Michigan Panthers) and Marco Ortiz (Houston Roughnecks) are also set for UFL action, while the St. Louis Battlehawks are the league’s only team with multiple ex-Nebraska players. Defensive lineman Freedom Akinmoladun and defensive back Chris Payton-Jones, who’ve both spent time on NFL practice squads as recently as 2022, will also take part in the spring football league.
Photos: Inside Nebraska football's spring practice on Thursday, March 27 Nebraska's Heinrich Haarberg (left) is defended by Vincent Shavers during a team practice on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska outside linebackers Phil Simpson (from left), linebackers coach Rob Dvoracek and head coach Matt Rhule speak during a team practice last Thursday at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska's Andrew Marshall (left) and Jeremiah Charles compete for the ball during a team practice on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska defensive backs coach Addison Williams talks to players during a team practice on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska defensive coordinator John Butler demonstrates a drill during a team practice last Thursday at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen looks on during a team practice on Thursday at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska's Kwinten Ives picks up a pass during a team practice on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska's Cortez Mills (left) and Preston Okafor (center) run drills in front of special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler during a team practice on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska's Rocco Spindler (left) and Tyler Knaak in action during practice last week at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska's Teddy Prochazka (65) talks with Elijah Pritchett (57) during a team practice last week at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler talks in front of Malcolm Hartzog during a team practice on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska's Jason Maciejczak (left) and Sam Sledge do drills during a team practice on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at Memorial Stadium.
iNebraska's Dylan Raiola makes a throw during a team practice on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska quarterbacks coach Glenn Thomas looks on during a team practice on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska's Tyler Knaak (left) and Brock Knutson run drills during a team practice last week at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska practices at Memorial Stadium on Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Lincoln. Nebraska's Dylan Raiola celebrates during practice on Thursday at Memorial Stadium. 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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