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3 areas of need left for Nebraska Football in transfer portal

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Nebraska Football
Nov 28, 2022; Omaha, Nebraska, US; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule speaks at the introductory press conference at the Hawks Championship Center on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska football has added some key pieces in the transfer portal but here are three needs that still need to be addressed.

The Huskers have been active in the transfer portal and that’s a good thing. They have made some huge additions already such as quarterback Jeff Sims from Georgia Tech. However, Nebraska football has more work to do.

So far it’s a seven-player haul in the transfer portal for Nebraska football and as of right now, the only player rated as a four-star transfer is Sims. Elijah Jeudy, Corey Collier, Chief Borders, and Josh Fleeks were all four-star recruits coming out of high school but rated as three-star transfers.

Ben Scott was a three-star recruit and is still rated as a three-star. The long snapper Marco Ortiz isn’t ranked but he can play a valuable role as every team needs a snapper it can count on.

That being said, Nebraska football could still use some reinforcements from the transfer portal, and whether it happens this winter or in the spring, here are three positions the Huskers need to target.

Offensive line

Getting Ben Scott was a huge addition. I don’t care what the star ranking is. Nebraska football beat out UCLA, Auburn, and others for his commitment and he’s going to be a two-year starting center.

I am buying the offensive line being improved. Teddy Prochazka coming back healthy would be huge. Nouredin Nouili, the 6-foot-4, 315-pounder started the last seven games at guard in 2021 and missed the entire 2022 season, so those two, along with Scott, are basically like adding three starters. Ethan Piper is expected back too.

If the coaching staff can then get the most out of Turner Corcoran and Bryce Benhart, then the offensive line will be in decent shape. That task will be made much easier too if one can settle in at guard.

What would be even better though is adding another tackle to the mix — even someone with the ability to play both tackle spots. You aren’t going to get through a season with your first five O-linemen. It’s not going to happen.

So I’d like to see one or two guys added. Remember, this transfer window is open until January 18, but there is another open from May 1 to May 15 and that could be another chance to add some key depth after spring ball.

Tight end

The Huskers lost Travis Vokolek which wasn’t unexpected and even if Thomas Fidone winds up being healthy next year (the spring will tell us a lot) Nebraska could use a proven player at the position.

Nate Boerkircher played well and caught a touchdown pass last season. I’ve had high hopes for A.J. Rollings too, as well as Fidone, a former top-100 recruit and a player that just about everyone in the Big Ten wanted.

I’d love to see another addition though and one that has started games somewhere else plus is a killer blocker. I know there are some talented options at the position, but Nebraska football needs at least one veteran in the room.

EDGE

I might be as worried about the pass rush as I am about the offensive line. Nebraska football is basically going into 2023 without its top three pass rushers (from the edge at least) in Garrett Nelson, Ochaun Mathis, and Caleb Tannor who isn’t brought up enough.

Elijah Jeudy isn’t really an edge rusher. He could help with the interior pass rush which is important and Ty Robinson showed signs of improvement last year too. I also like Jimari Butler and Blaise Gunnerson. I’m also interested in seeing what Jake Appleget can do, but those players are going to have to make big leaps based on last season’s production.

Edge rushers tend to be a little easier to find than really good offensive linemen, but if the Huskers could add someone like Mathis in the portal again, it would be huge going into the 2023 season.

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FB RECRUITING

More crystal ball projections for Nebraska Football ahead of big weekend

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Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska football has landed two more crystal ball projections ahead of a huge recruiting weekend for the Huskers.

There are going to be 26 recruits on campus this weekend visiting the Nebraska football program. Five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola is the headliner, along with a number of other top-100 recruits and the top-ranked player in the state of Nebraska Carter Nelson.

It’s one of the most impressive visit weekends for Nebraska football recruiting in a long time, maybe ever, but how many commitments are going to come this weekend if any?

I certainly wouldn’t expect a pledge from Raiola. As much as Nebraska football fans might want that, the top-ranked QB in the 2024 class just scheduled an official visit in June with Georgia, the defending national champs. This is on the heels of another visit to UGA, so the Huskers need to recapture some momentum.

The key objective with many recruits will be getting them back for an official visit. Gatlin Bair is a name that comes to mind since the kid is ranked 40th overall in the 2024 class via 247 sports. He’s visiting this weekend and if the Huskers got him back for an official visit in June, they’d have to feel good about their chances.

However, Nebraska football could land a couple of commitments this weekend. One candidate is three-star tight end Ian Flynt. He visited back in January, has family ties to Nebraska football, and just received another crystal ball projection for the Huskers. That’s four total for the No. 456 overall recruit in the 2024 class (247 composite).

A commitment might not happen this weekend, but I’d look for a commitment date coming soon out of this weekend. Flynt is out of Texas and so is three-star offensive lineman Gibson Pyle, who also received a crystal ball projection on Friday (Flynt did too).

Pyle is 735th overall and he teased an announcement a couple of weeks ago but it didn’t come. He’s got six crystal ball predictions for the Huskers and that’s another potential commitment to watch out for this weekend.

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FOOTBALL

Nebraska Football welcoming Nebraska high school coaches

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Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska football was busy on Thursday, as the first week of spring ball begins to wrap up. There was a ton of anticipation throughout the week, as players and fans got a first look at what this team could be like. Thursday, Several Nebraska high school coaches got their chance too, with many in attendance.

Omaha North’s Larry Martin, York coach Glenn Snodgrass, and Papillion -La Vista South coaching legend Walt Olsen were there Thursday. In addition to the coaches, Lincoln Football Coaches Association president Mark Waller was also in attendance, per a report from Sam McKewon of the Omaha World-Herald.

It’s easy to gloss over why this is important information. Nevertheless, the attendance of those particular people fits with the vision that Matt Rhule is trying to bring to the program.

This Nebraska football coaching staff wants to make the state of Nebraska a focal point in recruiting. Honestly, they should. There is a ton of talent in the state, and that should be able to continue with future classes.

Nebraska high school coaching staffs indicated they felt ignored by previous coaching staffs. The Scott Frost staff was just beginning to make inroads into the Nebraska high school circuit in 2022. Coaches such as Mickey Joseph were beginning to really build a fence around the state. Now, this current coaching staff looks to finish the job.

What better way to do so than to have Nebraska high school coaches at a practice? It’s clear that Rhule and this coaching staff wants to make the state a priority. Having high school coaches at practices helps establish the pipeline early.

It’s good to see this group of Nebraska coaches building connections with those in the state. It’s something that should be able to serve them well. Establishing good rapport early is nothing but a positive. It’s encouraging to see the state itself being addressed, and a focal point at that.

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FOOTBALL

Nebraska Football: Tommi Hill returns to practice Thursday

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There was a lot of information to take in during Thursday’s Nebraska Football practice, including the appearance of a player who was not practicing at the beginning of the week. Defensive back Tommi Hill returned on Thursday, adding more depth to the field, per a report from the Omaha World-Herald.

Hill played on both sides of the football for Nebraska last season. He started at defensive back, before moving over to wide receiver. It was a rough year for Hill, as it was for most of the defense. All told, he tallied 17 pass breakups and four deflections. He did not record any statistics as a wide receiver, though his speed made it an intriguing position move.

Whatever happened during the beginning of the week appears to be settled, as Hill was back at practice. He could very well be a major part of the defensive backfield, especially with Malcolm Hartzog potentially moving to safety. It would be more of a natural fit for Hill at the corner spot, as he has played the majority of his career in the defensive backfield.

At the very least, this gives another body for the huskers coaching staff to work with. Hill is one of the many players who are looking to bounce back after a difficult year last year. It will be interesting to what kind of role he will play, as Nebraska football has several options for personnel in Tony White’s defense.

Hill’s athleticism could land him a potentially big role in White’s 3-3-5 defense.  As for now, Hill is just working to get back into the fold, as the defense begins to take shape.

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