5 Nebraska football position battles to watch this spring

Nebraska football will be back on the practice field this week. Numerous players will be sitting out with injuries but it’s still an important time, especially in terms of position battles.

The Huskers don’t have as many position battles this year, at least at some of the premium positions, but there is plenty of competition to play, even among the backups.

I know it will be hard to monitor some of these position battles during the spring but Matt Rhule and Nebraska football are as much an open book as any powerhouse program in college football. So we’ll get information, even if there isn’t a spring game.

The fact is, spring practice was always more important than the game. With all that in mind, here are five positon battles to watch this spring for Nebraska football fans.

RB2

Emmett Johnson will be the starter. But you need more than one running back to make it through a Big Ten season. The Huskers are either going to need one of their holdovers to emerge or a newcomer such as Jamarion Parker.

Parker has enrolled early. The four-star running back has a chance to be something special and could emerge early. Kwinten Ives and Mekhi Nelson are the other names to know.

If they have taken a leap this spring, maybe Nebraska won’t look for a running back in the spring transfer portal window, but that’s always a possibility.

Wide receiver

Dane Key should be the No. 1. Nyziah Hunter will likely be the other starter on the outside but after that, it’s anyone’s guess. Hardley Gilmore has turned heads since arriving on campus. Cortez Mills has too. Jacory Barney will be in the mix and it will be interesting to see how it shakes out with those five.

You have others like Isaiah Mozee or Quinn Clark who could push for playing time too, but Nebraska football has one of the best wide receiver depth charts it has had in a while. With Barney, Hunter, and Key, it has three players who caught over 40 passes each last season.

The competition will be fascinating though, but multiple guys in that room feel like they have the potential to be a No. 1 wide receiver.

Offensive line

It feels like there are multiple spots up for grabs on the offensive line. Part of that is due to health. Gunnar Gottula will be out this spring, which won’t help his chances of starting at tackle once again.

However, Henry Lutovsky, who could bump out to tackle, will also be limited. Grant Brix could be a factor as could Brock Knutson.

Elijah Pritchett will start at one of the tackle spots, but why not see if he can handle the left side? Teddy Prochazka could also be a factor if he can get healthy. The same goes for Turner Corcoran, however, it’s hard to count on them.

Rocco Spindler and Justin Evans join Pritchett as guaranteed starters. The other spot could come down to Sam Sledge if he can impress at center, or maybe Gibson Pyle who will have a shot at guard.

Defensive line

Much like wide receiver, there won’t just be 3-4 players getting snaps on the defensive line. However, there is a hierarchy.

With Jimari Butler, Nash Hutmacher, and Ty Robinson all gone, along with some others, Nebraska football will have an entirely new starting defensive front.

Keona Davis should be in the mix, along with Riley Van Poppel and Elijah Jeudy. I also expect Williams Nwaneri, Cameron Lenhardt and Jaylen George to factor in prominently on the defensive line.

Dasan McCullough will be a Jack and an EDGE rusher, but if the Huskers stick to an odd front (3-3-5 or 3-4) those six names above should play the most.

Cornerback

This is another position, sort of like running back, where 3-4 guys are going to play frequently. However, the starting job opposite Ceyair Wright is up for grabs.

Wright should handle the top pass catcher on every opposing offense. Andrew Marshall, the Idaho transfer, was First-Team All-Big Sky last season. That’s in addition to being a dynamic return guy. Donovan Jones held up well in the bowl game, plus Aamir Hall is back for another season.

There are some younger options available too but for my money, Marshall or Jones will be CB2.

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