4 biggest concerns for Nebraska football in 2024

The 2024 Nebraska football season will be here soon enough. On Saturday, we found out that Matt Rhule will name a starting quarterback in the next few days.

I’m certain that it will be Dylan Raiola, although Rhule said Nebraska football has three quarterbacks it can win with. Rhule also mentioned that freshman Daniel Kaelin, another highly-touted quarterback, has “it.”

The quarterback room is certainly viewed as a strength compared to where it was a season ago. Nebraska football had more turnovers from quarterbacks than any team in the FBS.

One would think that has to change this season. Not only is Raiola a huge upgrade, but also just based on the law of averages. However, turnovers have plagued this program for years.

Is that a huge concern going forward in 2024? We break it down and look at the four biggest issues facing the Huskers going into the 2024 season which starts August 31 against UTEP.

Offensive tackle

Bryce Benhart played well last season at right tackle, well enough that he could be on an NFL roster right now if he didn’t choose to come back.

So Nebraska football can feel good about the right side. The left tackle spot is more of a concern. Turner Corcoran is projected to start after the season-ending injury suffered by Teddy Prochazka.

Not only is Prochazka a better pass protector, but his injury removed any sort of depth for the Huskers at offensive tackle. Corcoran could have been the swing tackle and even bumped inside at guard. But there always would have been the option to play him outside if needed.

Now, if Corcoran goes down or is ineffective, Nebraska football will have to rely on someone unproven. That could be Gunnar Gottula or Grant Brix. I have confidence in both, but hopefully, Corcoran is solid and stays healthy, alleviating what is a huge concern for the Huskers — protecting their five-star quarterback.

Lack of cornerback depth

The cornerback depth chart doesn’t give me the warm and fuzzies right now. There are some high-powered pass offenses on the schedule and outside of Tommi Hill, there are more questions than answers at cornerback.

Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule talked about how he “sleeps well” when Marques Buford is out there with Hill, Malcolm Hartzog, Isaac Gifford, and DeShon Singleton.

That feels like the starting five right now. Ceyair Wright is also pushing for snaps along with true freshman Amare Sanders. Jeremiah Charles, a redshirt freshman, is also in the mix but he’s injured right now.

Buford missed most of last season but the 5-foot-11, 190-pound defensive back has started games at cornerback and safety for the Huskers. Wright was a top-100 recruit and Blye Hill is getting healthier.

Still, there’s not a lot of proven production at the cornerback spot and if there’s another injury or two, it could become a real problem.

And it’s not just about having two corners. Nebraska football is going to need 4-5 good ones to get through the season, especially with the way teams spread the ball around and I’m interested to see how they hold up.

It’s one of the biggest unknowns.

Can Nebraska football take care of the ball?

Turnovers have been a problem throughout the bowl game drought for Nebraska football. In fact, the Huskers haven’t had fewer than 1.5 turnovers per game since the 2016 season when they averaged 1.1.

Last season, Nebraska turned the ball over 2.6 times per game. They forced 1.2 takeaways per game, which put them at minus 1.4 per game.

No wonder they went 5-7.

Flipping that turnover margin is the easiest way to flip the win-loss record. If Nebraska can turn the ball over around one time per game, while forcing 1.5 turnovers per game, this team can easily win nine games.

But if Nebraska has the same issues with turnovers, a bowl game probably isn’t going to happen. However, Dylan Raiola should solve a lot of those problems, but I’ll believe this team can protect the ball when I see it.

The kicking game

Special teams are often overlooked but they shouldn’t by Nebraska football fans. We have seen missed field goals, poor punts, bad coverage, and all of that cost the Huskers numerous times during the past seven years.

If you’re going to win close games, you have to be good in the kicking game. That means making kicks consistently inside the 30-yard line, having a strong net punting average (flipping the field), and just winning the battle of extra yards.

The return game was terrible last season. It was non-existent and that needs to change. Jacory Barney and some others have too much talent to fair catch it every time.

Tristan Alvano, the starting kicker from last season, is getting pushed by Western Iowa transfer John Hohl. On Saturday, Rhule indicated that Hohl has the edge right now.

Brian Buschini, the starting punter, didn’t have his best night at the Big Red Preview and if the Huskers are going to deliver on their promise this season, the kicking game has to improve.

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