4 breakout candidates for Nebraska football defense this fall

Nebraska football had a staff shakeup this week, which was unexpected. However, Matt Rhule handled it like the CEO that he is and the Huskers have replaced Evan Cooper with John Butler.

It hasn’t been officially announced but appears to be a done deal and is a great move. Butler is an experienced NFL coach and a former defensive coordinator for Penn State. Cooper was defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator, so that was a key move.

Butler should be able to fill in just fine. Long-term, he might even be an upgrade, as long as he can be on par with Cooper on the recruiting trail. As far as the defense is concerned though, the Huskers could have done much worse.

Butler will have his work cut out for him in the secondary due to the short amount of time he’ll get before the season, but there are some experienced pieces back. The Huskers also just landed Ceyair Wright, a guy with double-digit starts under his belt at USC.

Cornerback is still a question mark. But what about the rest of the defense? Nebraska football is expected to have one of the best defenses in the Big Ten and with that in mind, here are four breakout candidates you need to know going into fall camp.

Cameron Lenhardt, D-Line

Lenhardt earned honorable mention Freshman All-American honors last season after five tackles for loss and three sacks. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive end played in 10 games with four starts. Those numbers might be similar this season because Jimari Butler will be hard to unseat.

However, Lenhardt should have a much bigger impact. He’ll be counted on as one of Nebraska’s best pass rushers this season and I think doubling his sack production is certainly doable.

Lenhardt got off to a hot start last season but wasn’t as productive during Big Ten play. That should change this season and Lenhardt should also be on the field a lot more, even if he doesn’t start.

Princewill Umanmielen, JACK

Umanmielen was second-team freshman All-American last season according to The Athletic, but he made just one start. Yet, he had 22 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

Unlike Lenhardt, Umanmielen should be the starting JACK linebacker for Nebraska football after making the switch last season. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder might turn out to be one of Matt Rhule’s best recruiting wins early in his tenure at Nebraska.

This season, like Lenahrdt, I see Umanmielen making a big leap in production. As long as he’s healthy, he’ll be a 12-game starter and I’m thinking a 5-7 sack season is also in order for Princewill.

Riley Van Poppell, D-Line

Van Poppell, a 6-foot-5, 275-pound defensive lineman out of Texas is another guy who will start becoming a household name for Nebraksa football fans this fall.

Van Poppell probably won’t start any games this season outside of injury, but he’ll make Husker fans feel much better about losing Ty Robinson in the future.

Van Poppell played in 10 games last season with five tackles, one tackle for loss, and a quarterback hurry. But he’s one of the top-five defensive linemen on this team and I see him being one of the first guys off the bench.

Like Lenhardt, there might not be many starts on the resume if everyone stays healthy, but I predict you’ll hear the name Riley Van Poppell quite a bit in 2024.

Javin Wright, LB

Wright, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound linebacker from Arizona sort of had a breakout season last season, notching 51 tackles, two interceptions, two pass breakups, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. He also had 0.5 sacks.

This season, I expect Wright to be the full-time starter at inside linebacker alongside John Bullock. Stefon Thompson will be in the mix as well, along with Vincent Shavers.

You need 3-4 linebackers, even just for two positions, but Wright can do it all. He can blitz, he can cover, and he proved last season he can hold his own against the run.

A breakout season for Wright would be around 100 tackles, a few turnover plays, and some plays in the backfield (sacks and TFL) but it wouldn’t shock me at all to see him earn All-Big Ten honors.

Wright took a big step last season but he could take an even bigger one in 2024 and that would be a great thing for a Nebraska football defense that should be downright nasty.

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