The Athletic’s Mitch Sherman recently joined the Common Fan Podcast for a wide ranging discussion focused on the Nebraska football team’s spring practices, as well as the upcoming season. Part of the conversation centered around two major questions for the Huskers that won’t really be answered until the season begins in August: if Nebraska’s defense can avoid a dropoff under new defensive coordinator John Butler, and whether fans can expect special teams to improve enough to stop costing the Huskers games.
If you haven’t had a chance to listen to the episode yet, we’d encourage you to do so. But if you’re not a podcast person, fear not! Earlier this week, we shared Mitch’s insights into what Dana Holgorsen’s offense might look like during the coming season. Today, we’ll share his observations about the two questions above.
NOTE: Some answers have been edited for purposes of clarity and brevity.
On What to Expect From the Defensive Line
There are some things that raise a flag…I’m not sure about the defensive line depth. I’m okay with the guys that they have at the top. They’re not returning regular starters, but I think Riley Van Poppel has been a big stock-up guy this spring. Elijah Jeudy, probably not far off from the same category. They both look a lot different than what we saw when those two came into the program. Cam Lenhardt…okay, show us. You’ve been (at Nebraska) two years. There have been flashes, (he) looked like a freshman All-American type at times, and then other times on the field it was, you know, was he in the game that series? And that’s a young player going against Big Ten caliber offensive tackles, sometimes you get neutralized and it’s not necessarily the fault of the defensive lineman, it’s just the give-and-take of winning battles. And as a starter now, he’s gonna have to win more battles than he’s won the first couple of years at the line of scrimmage. And then they have a very promising, big, really high ceiling pass rusher in Keona Davis. They’re good there, I think in the front five (Van Poppel, Jeudy, Lenhardt, Davis, and transfer Jaylen George), the top five (of the defensive line). But there’s a drop-off. They’ve got to find a way to get more depth there. So I think that’s a reason to be concerned.
On the Coaching Staff’s Confidence in the Defense Avoiding a Dropoff
Well, I don’t think they’re going to say otherwise if they were concerned. They’re not going to come out in the spring and sound the alarm bells. But I think they’re confident. Overall, the playmakers on the defensive side, the potential versatility with players like Dasan McCullough and now Willis McGahee coming into his own and Vincent Shavers, and they’ve got what looks like a lot of depth and talent in the defensive backfield. Don’t underestimate the reality that I think they should be a much better team in coverage, like having players who can go one-on-one in man coverage. Last year, you were relying, after Tommi Hill got hurt, on a couple of converted safeties, in Marques Buford and Malcolm Hartzog, who were better suited to play the safety spot, you were relying on them to be in your top three at corner. And it hurt Nebraska. It’s a big part of the reason that Nebraska struggled to get off the field on third down. So this year, right now, the signs are positive. In addition to Ceyair Wright, who was in that group last year, you have Donovan Jones, who made a big jump in the bowl season last year. You have a newcomer in Andrew Marshall from Idaho, who should be that kind of a player. Mario Buford is a year older now and showed flashes last year also as a true freshman. Rhule said he thought they had six starting caliber corners when he talked midway through the spring. So, if that’s the case, then that’s a reason to feel good, not just about the defense in 2025 maintaining the level of play from 2024, but in some ways improving on it.
On the Situation at Punter After Jack McCallister Entered the Transfer Portal
Schematically, probably the biggest change that (new special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler) he’s made is what they’re going to do with the punter. And they are going to go rugby, unless something falls apart in the summer. They’re not going to suggest to their new transfer punter that the system won’t work for him unless they’re very convinced that somebody is going to be able to come in and fill the spot that (punter) Jack McAllister is vacating by going in the portal. Nebraska does still have Kamdyn Koch, and you need to have more than one punter on your roster, but unless something’s changed with Koch, that’s not his specialty either, rugby-style punting. He’s a traditional punter in the mold of his dad, Sam Koch. But Rhule’s said, they’ve got a plan A and a plan B. I don’t know if that means Ekeler is going to be making a trip to Australia here in the spring. His punter at Tennessee, Jackson Ross, is an Aussie, still there at Tennessee. I don’t think that he’s (Ekeler) going to raid Josh Heupel’s roster and go get his old punter, unless there’s a really deep connection between the two of those guys…(there are) no indications yet of anything like that. So I don’t know where they’re going to go, but they’re going to find a rugby-style punter.
On Mike Ekeler’s Impact on Special Teams
The biggest thing, like overarching, that I think Mike Ekeler is working to do with the special teams is just to make that group a priority. You know, all special teams coaches will try that and say that, but it takes a certain level of energy and just daily commitment at practice, and in the meeting room and in everything that you do and just your vibe, to allow that to seep into the roster. And that’s what Mike Ekeler has made a career out of. That’s what he did at Tennessee. That’s what he’s done at some of his other stops. That’s why he’s coached at some of the best schools in the country and has continued to be able to move around and get the kind of jobs that he has. That’s what made him so coveted when this position opened up for Nebraska after last season. Schematically, it’s about shifting the style of punter, and the way that you cover punts because (of) what rugby allows you to do. And then, from an overall perspective, it’s about the attitude and the vibe that you have on special teams.