Nebraska’s biggest strength entering fall camp might surprise Husker fans

With Big Ten Media Days wrapped up, it’s full speed ahead for Nebraska football, as fall camp opens this week.

Matt Rhule faces plenty of pressure as he enters the fourth season as Huskers head coach. Despite what some fans might want, Rhule isn’t in danger of being fired this season, unless he happens to go winless or something. It would have to be really terrible for Troy Dannen to pay Rhule over $70 million not to coach Nebraska in 2027.

That’s not something I foresee happening. Fans need to wrap their mind around the fact that Rhule will be here for a long time. The Huskers don’t have enough money to buy the talent they need, and certainly can’t afford to spend over $70 million to fire a coach who has made tangible progress in his first three seasons.

More progress is on the way. Rhule has upgraded at defensive coordinator. He found a dude in Rob Aurich. Also, Geep Wade has transformed the offensive line room since his arrival in December.

Wade might be the best assistant coach Rhule has hired. The Nebraska football head coach said his program was going to win in the trenches, but in the first three years, it didn’t happen. Donovan Raiola was a major issue. Keeping him was the biggest mistake Rhule made as the head coach.

He’s corrected that now, so when we talk about the strongest position group on the team, we are talking about the offensive line. There are plenty of positions to like on this team. The secondary is stout. So is the linebacker room, and the wide receivers.

However, Nebraska’s biggest strength heading into fall camp is the offensive line.

Why the Nebraska football offensive line is the biggest strength for the Huskers

You can almost see the collective eye roll from certain fans. It’s understandable. However, it’s Ok to drink the Kool-Aid, at least when it comes to Geep Wade’s offensive line.

To start, the Huskers should have two players drafted in the 2027 NFL draft from the starting five. Left tackle Elijah Pritchett has started 20 games over the past two seasons. He struggled to start with Nebraska, but found his footing, and should have a solid chance at earning some sort of Big Ten postseason honor, even third team or honorable mention.

Justin Evans, the Huskers’ starting center, with 30 career starts, is another future draft pick. He could go as early as day two, and if Pritchett follows his current path of development, it’s not far-fetched to think he could be a top-100 pick, too.

When was the last time Nebraska had two offensive linemen drafted in the same class? Let alone if they both end up going on the second day.

That’s a big what-if? However, when you add Brendan Black, another 30-game starter, along with Tree Babalade, the expected starter at right tackle (15 career starts), and Paul Mubenga (11 starts), the expected starter at left guard, you come up with an offensive line with nearly 100 career starts under its belt, with over 1/3 of those coming in the SEC.

Babalade and Mubenga bring a combined 26 SEC starts to the Nebraska offensive line. Others could push for playing time, such as Gunnar Gottula, another guy with nearly 20 career starts, Tyler Knaak, Grant Brix, Gibson Pyle, Sam Sledge, and Preston Taumua are other names to know.

Some of the younger guys, like Brix, have taken longer than expected to develop. They’ve got another chance with Wade, who will finally deliver on Matt Rhule’s promise to be solid in the trenches, at least on the offensive side of the ball.

Rhule said you have to protect and affect the quarterback to win. The first part of that equation will be locked down this season, and all the O-line naysayers can finally enjoy some quality play from the front five.

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