Frost and Adrian on BTN..SSO updates
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https://forum.huskermax.com/index.php?threads/spring-game-week.110440/ Facilities: For those of you wondering, our facilities do need to get upgraded. Our stadium is about as impressive as it gets, but for any of you that have seen how small our weight room is, take a look at Michigan's:
We are tight and cramped in there, but they are coming.
S&C:
Guys making unbelievable gains in the weight room. As i've said before, a head coach, the administration, and the strength coach all being on the same page is so huge. As i've stated before on here, the previous regime had to deal with a lawyer AD that shut things down, then a couple coaches that would shut things down, and at that point things got soft. While it's frustrating to me that we have recruits coming in and enrolling early then getting their development taken away due to getting injured, i'll still take an administration and coach on board with the weight room any day of the week. I disagree with how we go about things, but it does appear that we are learning a bit as we are now acknowledging publicly we need to change some things due to the injuries (50% of the defenders in 2018 class season ending injuries, Henrich/HIckman already injured this year). I think we can prevent it, but I also think we have a staff that does some unbelievable things in other areas that can more than make up for it.
We are tight and cramped in there, but they are coming.
S&C:
Guys making unbelievable gains in the weight room. As i've said before, a head coach, the administration, and the strength coach all being on the same page is so huge. As i've stated before on here, the previous regime had to deal with a lawyer AD that shut things down, then a couple coaches that would shut things down, and at that point things got soft. While it's frustrating to me that we have recruits coming in and enrolling early then getting their development taken away due to getting injured, i'll still take an administration and coach on board with the weight room any day of the week. I disagree with how we go about things, but it does appear that we are learning a bit as we are now acknowledging publicly we need to change some things due to the injuries (50% of the defenders in 2018 class season ending injuries, Henrich/HIckman already injured this year). I think we can prevent it, but I also think we have a staff that does some unbelievable things in other areas that can more than make up for it.
Quarterback Surprise, Martinez is really good. What is pretty interesting, is we have been holding him out a bit. Not sure if it's a "we know what we have in him" or if it's a "there's no one even practicing he will be working with in the fall." RB and WR will look insanely different than it has thru the spring. It's one of the reasons it's tough to tell really what's going on at all this spring. Vedral and Bunch are slugging it out for the 2nd string spot. I would say last year, it was clearly Vedral's. Would probably still say that, but Bunch is making a very good case to be that guy. No idea who will win out, but that is going to be what to watch from this group on Saturday. LM will be good in time, he's just not ready yet. Athletically he will break off a nice run and then everyone will say "why don't we get him to play some WR" and i'm not sure that's a great idea. You want to develop his QB skills, and further, you would be playing him in the slot. So who are you taking out to get LM on the field at the Duck R spot? Spielman, Robinson? Doesn't make sense to me.
Runningback
Another spot you just won't be able to tell anything. Washington barely around. Mazour banged up and can barely run. Moses Bryant still being told where to line up after just switching to offense. Couple guys that are fullback/h-backs trying to run the ball. Bradley is actually getting there a little bit, but competition changes so drastically in the summer you again have no clue what you are getting. Miles Jones is playing some RB but is that where they want him in the grand scheme of things? There's really only two guys I could see being that "every down Ozigbo" back for us. Mills, who I haven't even seen live. Or Bradley, who i'm not sure is that kind of talent (neither was Oz as a second year guy fwiw). If Mills can't be your every down guy, you have to piece it together with Washington, Jones, Johnson, Mazour, Spielman, Bradley, etc. We have a bunch of parts, maybe not the bell cow tho this spring.
Wide Receiver
Let's continue the trend of "I don't even know". Are some of these guys standing out because they are that good? Or are they standing out because eventually this offense gets you in a favorable spot with the playcalling like we see at RB? In January, I stated on here we wouldn't start a single senior offensively unless Jaron Woodyard comes around, and he is making a serious case to be that guy (Gaylord pushing as well). But again, it's about consistency. You can't catch every ball thrown your way Wednesday then drop simple RPO passes the next practice. Andre Hunt is still struggling with that a bit, but getting better. Kade Warner is about as consistent as you can get, I see him for sure starting somewhere. I also liked what I saw from Nance, as he had springs when he would take each step, but you can tell the game moves a bit fast for him. Will being here in the spring help him to get more acclimated in the summer and push for time? Possibly. Mike Williams is another name to obviously keep an eye on. McQuitty has some tools, but i've never been impressed with his explosiveness. The game is much slower to McQuitty than it is for a guy like Nance right now, but you can tell the ceiling is much different with the two when you watch them move. The saving grace is Duck R with Spielman, Robinson, and Jones. But if a defense can stay in nickel the whole time when you are in 3 wide, you negate the mismatch of them on a LB many times.
Tightend
Finally, a position I feel good about! Our coaches are feeling pretty great here. Tons of depth and talent, young guys where you won't have to worry about graduation and 2020 looming. I still see Stoll as the leader here, with Austin Allen as the 2nd string guy. I expect LeGrone to start taking some snaps away from someone and that may be Rafdal in the end. A thing to remember is that I don't see all of the practices, see these kids grades, etc. Rafdal for all I know could be killing it everyday i'm not there. While we get our WRs ready and break in Mills, I expect a heavy dose of TE stuff early in the season.
Offensive Line
While the RB and WR have made it tough to know exactly what's going on offensively and how good anyone is (including the defense), there have been some great battles on the lines. There are two cemented positions, Jaimes at LT and Wilson at RG. The next thing this staff has to figure out is where they are playing Matt Farniok. Christian Gaylord graded out the best of our linemen last year at pass blocking, and Matt Farnioks weakness is defending the edge whether that be from slower feet or something else. I was of the opinion we would put Farniok wherever got our best 5 guys out there, so was Trent Hixson at LG better than Christian Gaylord at RT? I think it has morphed a bit into where is MF the least liability? I don't mean that negative as that sentence may sound like it, but Farniok is starting this year, so where do we put him so he has the most success? Farniok destroys people on run plays, but then gets his lunch eaten on pass plays at times, and I promise you the guys eating his lunch aren't as good as they are looking. So is putting Farniok at LG with Gaylord at RT to handle the pass protection better the best option with a completely run dominant left side? Or do we put Farniok back where he was last year and let Trent Hixson smash on the inside? And while I went in depth there, I listened (or read on twitter) from a media person something that actually shifts with what i'm thinking... all of the Farniok stuff doesn't matter as our center position is the bigger issue. Cam Jurgens gets destroyed in one on ones, then comes out and crushes in team. Will Farniok could be said the opposite for at times, literally depends how the day is going. You have AJ Forbes working at center, Hunter Miller, Boe Wilson even getting snaps in. If you can't establish the point of attack, you are screwed, and I think it's another piece of the puzzle why the offense is struggling a bit this spring on top of not having playmakers out wide or at RB. I still say Cam Jurgens if he ends up starting after being hurt 2 or 3 straight years, playing TE for most his life, then first year moving to center he has to gain 50 pounds, learn the position, and be good at it, if he does that it will be an absolute shock to me despite multiple staff members thinking he's out guy. They are giving him every opportunity with the 1s to win it. I'll just call my upset now, and say that while Jurgens will get the opportunities with the 1s, Farniok will be our starter game 1. With the 2s you had Bando at LT which was nice to see and Raridon a bit. They are giving Virka a shot at the backup RT spot along with Sichterman. I think we feel pretty good about Jaimes, Farniok, Jurgens, Farniok, WIlson, Hixson, and Gaylord. That's 7 guys to find a good starting 5, i'll take that.
Defensive Line
I'm having a little trouble with this one... everyone got so mad at me last year with the "50 things" comment and how I stated we weren't that bad. In a 3-4 you are a lot of times not going to look great at DE, NG, and DE because many times every guy is getting double teamed. All that said and as i mentioned a bit before, I think we are getting great defensive results early, because the point of attack is being dominated by our defense. Damion Daniels runs with the 1s a lot, and it's tough for Farniok or Jurgens to control him first play. And then when your second string guy is a grown Darrion Daniels, it continues from there. I have been told by more than one person on staff, and Damon Benning echoed it, that we need to "pump the brakes" on Darrion Daniels and "he will provide good depth". Well, if he doesn't start, he will be in on play 4 because it would be his brother starting. He most likely will play the most snaps of all our NGs just due to who is there right now. I can't tell how good he is (he's dominant in spring practice) as I don't know how good our G-C-G combo on offense is. Staying with NG, VV and Fyn Anderson may have a chance to help some depth, but that is worrisome to me as well. With Dawson leaving, i'm hoping maybe some of the things Tuioti is teaching might resonate well with VV or Anderson and give them the ability to help us with our depth at NG without sliding Carlos Davis down (who has been practicing there VERY sparingly). It reminds me of at Baylor when a WR was struggling to catch slants over the middle and their coach tailored things to him next year where he only ran seam routes and he all of a sudden gets himself drafted. Maybe Tuitoi will believe in something that VV or Anderson are really good at? At DE we are more than fine... Stille, Thomas, Davis and Davis give us a two-deep that doesn't get much better in our conference. From here it's all about development for guys like Wildeman and Rogers. Robinson is the prized four star recruit that may get a shot to play, but needs to make sure he hits the weight room hard and reshape his body a bit. I'm hoping they keep Piper on defense for NG and don't move him to offense. I love our DL class from 2019.
Inside Linebacker
There's a certainty at captain and starter for Nebraska, and that's Mo Barry. From there, you will see Colin Miller starting alongside him since Honas still isn't a full participant yet. Those 3 should be our guys we lean on heading into 2019. Joey Johnson gives us a great 4th guy while we bring our tremendous freshmen class along and get them acclimated to things. While we were trying to figure out if Henrich could put on enough weight to be a factor this fall for depth, the 6 month injury pretty much assures the redshirt as he was needing serious weight. As i've said from when the class was signed, Jackson Hannah may actually have the best chance to start due to him having the size already. Ruud tends to stick with guys (not sure if that's what he likes or the hand he was dealt last year) so a two-deep should be good. But don't forget about Snodgrass and Reimers, as those are two more solid guys in a 4 person ILB class.
Outside Linebacker
This is where things get tricky. Alex Davis having a tremendous camp, but I have film from last year that states he just isn't a "football player". I'm hoping the "light went on for him" but i'm hesitant as we've all heard the spring stuff before. Tyrin Ferguson WILL be an all conference linebacker this year if he plays every conference game, that guy is really really good. Ferguson and Gifford are who I always point to for the people that tell me "OLB is just too hard to recruit to". Gifford grew up in Lincoln and Ferguson flipped to us from Oregon State. There's guys that can do it everywhere. You then have Domann and Dixon as your second stringers, and they are more situational. I really like the Ferguson/Domann OLB as starters but I think they are too similar and will struggle on the LOS to be able to start them both. Dixon is the last guy who rounds out the two deep, and if he keeps his head on straight (off the field as i've said the last 12 months) then he should be fine. Garrett Nelson will be interesting to watch, I don't think he's quite ready from a mental standpoint and could use a redshirt year, but physically he is ready now to take care of the run on the LOS. He still struggles a bit with pass coverage, but again, he may be forced into action earlier than we would like. Could be a great candidate for the 4 game redshirt rule if certain guys to keep on the right path or others aren't pulling their weight. I wish Tannor was able to stay healthy and put on weight, as there's been a couple stalls in his development due to those things. We will see how he progresses.
Cornerback
It's obviously the Bootle and Jackson show, but Cam Taylor will play and also return some punts for us. Butler and Clark are jockeying for the other spot by Taylor on the two-deep right now. I couldn't tell a lot here because there's a lot already settled, and quite frankly, our WR core is so banged up it's tough to tell if Clark and Butler and Taylor were that good or if it what they were up against. Sorry, just not much to say here.
Safety
"We have one of the best safety classes in the nation" was what Frost said a year ago after the 2018 class signed and I think he was right. But for a variety of reasons it's just not showing up yet and I believe that's a bit of a disappointment for Fisher. Deontai Williams will start at one spot and I believe Dismuke has the other spot locked up as well. But with Smith still injured and Jones siitting out, the staff had to move Eric Lee to safety. Lee actually didn't look too bad to me here, but it always worries me when a kid is getting moved around to count on them much. Pola-Gates and Farmer better come in ready to go. If Jones, Smith, Dismuke, Williams were all solid then we had the safety class we did, it would be pretty exciting. But there's a ton of unknown here.
Overall
I'm not sure anything can be concluded from anything going on this spring. Lots of spots still up in the air and i'll be curious how much they actually play Martinez. I did see a ton of things this spring that gave me a lot to look forward to. Last year, footballs were on the ground everywhere, the coaches were spending time teaching drills rather than teaching the kids, etc. This year, our coaches were able to work moreon tackling and the funadmentals, teaching/coaching, and other things to get our kids better at playing football. Year 2 is going to be better from that standpoint alone. SSO
Runningback
Another spot you just won't be able to tell anything. Washington barely around. Mazour banged up and can barely run. Moses Bryant still being told where to line up after just switching to offense. Couple guys that are fullback/h-backs trying to run the ball. Bradley is actually getting there a little bit, but competition changes so drastically in the summer you again have no clue what you are getting. Miles Jones is playing some RB but is that where they want him in the grand scheme of things? There's really only two guys I could see being that "every down Ozigbo" back for us. Mills, who I haven't even seen live. Or Bradley, who i'm not sure is that kind of talent (neither was Oz as a second year guy fwiw). If Mills can't be your every down guy, you have to piece it together with Washington, Jones, Johnson, Mazour, Spielman, Bradley, etc. We have a bunch of parts, maybe not the bell cow tho this spring.
Wide Receiver
Let's continue the trend of "I don't even know". Are some of these guys standing out because they are that good? Or are they standing out because eventually this offense gets you in a favorable spot with the playcalling like we see at RB? In January, I stated on here we wouldn't start a single senior offensively unless Jaron Woodyard comes around, and he is making a serious case to be that guy (Gaylord pushing as well). But again, it's about consistency. You can't catch every ball thrown your way Wednesday then drop simple RPO passes the next practice. Andre Hunt is still struggling with that a bit, but getting better. Kade Warner is about as consistent as you can get, I see him for sure starting somewhere. I also liked what I saw from Nance, as he had springs when he would take each step, but you can tell the game moves a bit fast for him. Will being here in the spring help him to get more acclimated in the summer and push for time? Possibly. Mike Williams is another name to obviously keep an eye on. McQuitty has some tools, but i've never been impressed with his explosiveness. The game is much slower to McQuitty than it is for a guy like Nance right now, but you can tell the ceiling is much different with the two when you watch them move. The saving grace is Duck R with Spielman, Robinson, and Jones. But if a defense can stay in nickel the whole time when you are in 3 wide, you negate the mismatch of them on a LB many times.
Tightend
Finally, a position I feel good about! Our coaches are feeling pretty great here. Tons of depth and talent, young guys where you won't have to worry about graduation and 2020 looming. I still see Stoll as the leader here, with Austin Allen as the 2nd string guy. I expect LeGrone to start taking some snaps away from someone and that may be Rafdal in the end. A thing to remember is that I don't see all of the practices, see these kids grades, etc. Rafdal for all I know could be killing it everyday i'm not there. While we get our WRs ready and break in Mills, I expect a heavy dose of TE stuff early in the season.
Offensive Line
While the RB and WR have made it tough to know exactly what's going on offensively and how good anyone is (including the defense), there have been some great battles on the lines. There are two cemented positions, Jaimes at LT and Wilson at RG. The next thing this staff has to figure out is where they are playing Matt Farniok. Christian Gaylord graded out the best of our linemen last year at pass blocking, and Matt Farnioks weakness is defending the edge whether that be from slower feet or something else. I was of the opinion we would put Farniok wherever got our best 5 guys out there, so was Trent Hixson at LG better than Christian Gaylord at RT? I think it has morphed a bit into where is MF the least liability? I don't mean that negative as that sentence may sound like it, but Farniok is starting this year, so where do we put him so he has the most success? Farniok destroys people on run plays, but then gets his lunch eaten on pass plays at times, and I promise you the guys eating his lunch aren't as good as they are looking. So is putting Farniok at LG with Gaylord at RT to handle the pass protection better the best option with a completely run dominant left side? Or do we put Farniok back where he was last year and let Trent Hixson smash on the inside? And while I went in depth there, I listened (or read on twitter) from a media person something that actually shifts with what i'm thinking... all of the Farniok stuff doesn't matter as our center position is the bigger issue. Cam Jurgens gets destroyed in one on ones, then comes out and crushes in team. Will Farniok could be said the opposite for at times, literally depends how the day is going. You have AJ Forbes working at center, Hunter Miller, Boe Wilson even getting snaps in. If you can't establish the point of attack, you are screwed, and I think it's another piece of the puzzle why the offense is struggling a bit this spring on top of not having playmakers out wide or at RB. I still say Cam Jurgens if he ends up starting after being hurt 2 or 3 straight years, playing TE for most his life, then first year moving to center he has to gain 50 pounds, learn the position, and be good at it, if he does that it will be an absolute shock to me despite multiple staff members thinking he's out guy. They are giving him every opportunity with the 1s to win it. I'll just call my upset now, and say that while Jurgens will get the opportunities with the 1s, Farniok will be our starter game 1. With the 2s you had Bando at LT which was nice to see and Raridon a bit. They are giving Virka a shot at the backup RT spot along with Sichterman. I think we feel pretty good about Jaimes, Farniok, Jurgens, Farniok, WIlson, Hixson, and Gaylord. That's 7 guys to find a good starting 5, i'll take that.
Defensive Line
I'm having a little trouble with this one... everyone got so mad at me last year with the "50 things" comment and how I stated we weren't that bad. In a 3-4 you are a lot of times not going to look great at DE, NG, and DE because many times every guy is getting double teamed. All that said and as i mentioned a bit before, I think we are getting great defensive results early, because the point of attack is being dominated by our defense. Damion Daniels runs with the 1s a lot, and it's tough for Farniok or Jurgens to control him first play. And then when your second string guy is a grown Darrion Daniels, it continues from there. I have been told by more than one person on staff, and Damon Benning echoed it, that we need to "pump the brakes" on Darrion Daniels and "he will provide good depth". Well, if he doesn't start, he will be in on play 4 because it would be his brother starting. He most likely will play the most snaps of all our NGs just due to who is there right now. I can't tell how good he is (he's dominant in spring practice) as I don't know how good our G-C-G combo on offense is. Staying with NG, VV and Fyn Anderson may have a chance to help some depth, but that is worrisome to me as well. With Dawson leaving, i'm hoping maybe some of the things Tuioti is teaching might resonate well with VV or Anderson and give them the ability to help us with our depth at NG without sliding Carlos Davis down (who has been practicing there VERY sparingly). It reminds me of at Baylor when a WR was struggling to catch slants over the middle and their coach tailored things to him next year where he only ran seam routes and he all of a sudden gets himself drafted. Maybe Tuitoi will believe in something that VV or Anderson are really good at? At DE we are more than fine... Stille, Thomas, Davis and Davis give us a two-deep that doesn't get much better in our conference. From here it's all about development for guys like Wildeman and Rogers. Robinson is the prized four star recruit that may get a shot to play, but needs to make sure he hits the weight room hard and reshape his body a bit. I'm hoping they keep Piper on defense for NG and don't move him to offense. I love our DL class from 2019.
Inside Linebacker
There's a certainty at captain and starter for Nebraska, and that's Mo Barry. From there, you will see Colin Miller starting alongside him since Honas still isn't a full participant yet. Those 3 should be our guys we lean on heading into 2019. Joey Johnson gives us a great 4th guy while we bring our tremendous freshmen class along and get them acclimated to things. While we were trying to figure out if Henrich could put on enough weight to be a factor this fall for depth, the 6 month injury pretty much assures the redshirt as he was needing serious weight. As i've said from when the class was signed, Jackson Hannah may actually have the best chance to start due to him having the size already. Ruud tends to stick with guys (not sure if that's what he likes or the hand he was dealt last year) so a two-deep should be good. But don't forget about Snodgrass and Reimers, as those are two more solid guys in a 4 person ILB class.
Outside Linebacker
This is where things get tricky. Alex Davis having a tremendous camp, but I have film from last year that states he just isn't a "football player". I'm hoping the "light went on for him" but i'm hesitant as we've all heard the spring stuff before. Tyrin Ferguson WILL be an all conference linebacker this year if he plays every conference game, that guy is really really good. Ferguson and Gifford are who I always point to for the people that tell me "OLB is just too hard to recruit to". Gifford grew up in Lincoln and Ferguson flipped to us from Oregon State. There's guys that can do it everywhere. You then have Domann and Dixon as your second stringers, and they are more situational. I really like the Ferguson/Domann OLB as starters but I think they are too similar and will struggle on the LOS to be able to start them both. Dixon is the last guy who rounds out the two deep, and if he keeps his head on straight (off the field as i've said the last 12 months) then he should be fine. Garrett Nelson will be interesting to watch, I don't think he's quite ready from a mental standpoint and could use a redshirt year, but physically he is ready now to take care of the run on the LOS. He still struggles a bit with pass coverage, but again, he may be forced into action earlier than we would like. Could be a great candidate for the 4 game redshirt rule if certain guys to keep on the right path or others aren't pulling their weight. I wish Tannor was able to stay healthy and put on weight, as there's been a couple stalls in his development due to those things. We will see how he progresses.
Cornerback
It's obviously the Bootle and Jackson show, but Cam Taylor will play and also return some punts for us. Butler and Clark are jockeying for the other spot by Taylor on the two-deep right now. I couldn't tell a lot here because there's a lot already settled, and quite frankly, our WR core is so banged up it's tough to tell if Clark and Butler and Taylor were that good or if it what they were up against. Sorry, just not much to say here.
Safety
"We have one of the best safety classes in the nation" was what Frost said a year ago after the 2018 class signed and I think he was right. But for a variety of reasons it's just not showing up yet and I believe that's a bit of a disappointment for Fisher. Deontai Williams will start at one spot and I believe Dismuke has the other spot locked up as well. But with Smith still injured and Jones siitting out, the staff had to move Eric Lee to safety. Lee actually didn't look too bad to me here, but it always worries me when a kid is getting moved around to count on them much. Pola-Gates and Farmer better come in ready to go. If Jones, Smith, Dismuke, Williams were all solid then we had the safety class we did, it would be pretty exciting. But there's a ton of unknown here.
Overall
I'm not sure anything can be concluded from anything going on this spring. Lots of spots still up in the air and i'll be curious how much they actually play Martinez. I did see a ton of things this spring that gave me a lot to look forward to. Last year, footballs were on the ground everywhere, the coaches were spending time teaching drills rather than teaching the kids, etc. This year, our coaches were able to work moreon tackling and the funadmentals, teaching/coaching, and other things to get our kids better at playing football. Year 2 is going to be better from that standpoint alone. SSO
Hadn't heard the Foreman theory. Hard to imagine a defensive guy with the name Short Side Option.
Does Benning have SoCal ties?
Turner Corcoran just got a CB pick for NU from an Oklahoma guy. Hope he pulls the trigger at the spring game. GBR
Adrian is such an amazing piece to the puzzle we’re putting together. We couldn’t ask for a better kid to lead the Frost era.
He mentioned Benning in the write up. Seems weird he would reference himself
Think he does that to throw people off. Maybe? Hell, maybe its Jason Peter. He's a RIC Flair fan
Sounds like he's making reference to S&C-related injuries? Was Henrich's shoulder a weight room injury or a practice injury?
That's what Midwestern people do. Not those left coast sky is falling Henny Penny global warming fools that drive Prius types do.
He's confident in his own skin.