3 reasons to be skeptical about Nebraska football in 2025

The start of the Nebraska football season is just a few days away, and most fans have been consuming the Rhule-Aid at an alarming rate, myself included.

It’s hard not to believe in Matt Rhule. Despite his struggles in the NFL, he is a proven winner. He won a conference championship at Temple, even guided Baylor to a Sugar Bowl appearance, and the Big 12 title game just years after the program was rocked by scandal.

Rhule has done things people didn’t really think were possible, which is what made him a perfect fit for Nebraska. Others didn’t see Nebraska as a sleeping giant. He did.

Now, it’s time to awaken it. Entering his third season, the table is set for another third-year leap. I’ve predicted the Huskers to win 10 games in 2025.

But what could hold back the Huskers this season? Here are three things that still have me skeptical going into the 2025 season about Nebraska football.

 The offensive tackles

Matt Rhule said the issue with Elijah Pritchett was more off the field. It feels like Rhule is challenging him by listing him third on the depth chart, without naming a starter for the Cincinnati game.

Gunnar Gottula feels like the guy right now. Pritchett is probably the preferred option for Nebraska, considering his talent and the NIL investment needed to land him out of the portal.

Teddy Prochazka is expected to start at right tackle. Turner Corcoran and Tyler Knaak are other depth pieces, but you have to ask yourself, are the offensive tackles really better than last season?

Gottula was fine a year ago. Surely, he’s improved, but there’s a reason Nebraska was looking for offensive tackles in the portal. Prochazka has NFL talent, but can he make it through a season? He never has before.

Pritchett really needs to get his head on straight, or that essential upgrade at offensive tackle will have to come from players who were already on the roster.

The interior offensive line is damn good. The group as a whole will be improved, but I worry about the offensive tackles getting exposed, especially against teams like Michigan.

Can Nebraska football stop the run?

The Cincinnati game will be a great indicator of how well this defense stops the run. The Bearcats have two talented backs — Tawnee Walker, a Wisconsin transfer, and Evan Pryor, who averaged 7.1 yards per attempt last season.

Not only that, but Brendan Sorsby rushed for over 400 yards and eight touchdowns last season. He’s a legit dual-threat who threw for over 2,800 yards and had 18 touchdown passes.

The secondary, linebackers, and even the pass rush should be improved; however, with the graduation of Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher, you have to wonder how the D-line will hold up. Riley Van Poppel and Elijah Jeudy will see most of the snaps at nose — Van Poppel can move around, too — but can they eat up enough blocks to keep Nebraska football among the elite run defenses in college football?

Nebraska football allowed 3.0 yards per attempt in 2023. The average rose to 3.3 in 2024, and whether it can stay in that range or close in 2025 is still a big question.

Is there enough elite talent?

When the Big Ten released its list of preseason honors, which featured the top 15 players or so in the league, not based on position, Nebraska was absent from the list.

Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana each had two players on the list. Even Minnesota had one. Michigan didn’t have one, to be fair. Ohio State had four. Penn State was right behind them with three.

It just reinforces my main concern about this team, which is a lack of elite talent. There isn’t a sure-fire First-Team All-Big Ten selection on this roster.

You need to have multiple to be a playoff team. Some will need to emerge this season, and they can. It’s just something to keep in mind as the 2025 season starts.

Nebraska football players can prove the prognosticators wrong. Ceyair Wright and Dane Key can be All-Big Ten players. Maybe Dylan Raiola can be in that conversation, or Dasan McCullough. Rocco Spindler was a consistent mention among other preseason honors teams, but some players need to have breakthrough seasons if the Huskers are going to get where they want to go.

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