5 things we learned from Nebraska football spring press conference

It’s never dull when Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule meets with the media. He’s always got interesting things to say and information to share.

Tuesday was no different. Rhule offered some injury updates and talked about recent hires, other things like scheduling, and even some recent additions from the transfer portal.

Here’s a link for the full press conference, but here’s what we learned from the Nebraska football pre-spring press conference.

O-line injuries

It wasn’t surprising that Turner Corcoran or Teddy Prochazka will be out/limited, but starting left tackle Gunnar Gottula is also out this spring.

Starting guard Henry Lutovsky will also be limited. There are other injuries of note. Carter Nelson will also miss the spring after his offseason surgery, but the O-line injuries could provide opportunities to shine for players like Grant Brix and Gibson Pyle.

Unless there is another transfer portal addition, the O-line seems fairly set, although Sam Sledge and Jason Maciejczak are each working at center. Justin Evans is getting reps at left guard and center.

If Sledge or Maciejczak could work out at center, they could be the fifth starter. However, my preference has always been for Justin Evans to grab the center job. We’ll see how it works out, but offensive line development will be critical this spring.

Matt Rhule is high on the defensive line, for good reason

Nebraska football lost some key pieces on the defensive line from last season, and Rhule acknowledged that. He also said, “I think the defensive line will play at a really high level.”

Losing Nash Hutmacher and Ty Robinson was tough, but every other departure is replaceable. Williams Nwaneri already looks the part. Dasan McCullough, the transfer from Oklahoma who will play the Jack linebacker position, said the former five-star looks like a first-round pick.

Nwaneri isn’t the only guy to be excited about, though. McCullough will be a huge help to the pass rush in his own right and might be Nebraska’s sack leader in 2025. Cameron Lenhardt is also back and gets overlooked, plus you have returners such as Riley Van Poppel, Elijah Jeudy, and Keona Davis ready to take huge leaps.

Jaylen George, who will also be out this spring, was another quality addition who will fill the role of Jimari Butler just fine. I’d take McCullough over James Williams in a heartbeat. Van Poppel looks massive in recent pictures, and while I’d still like a 330-pounder with some experience, Nebraska football fans should be excited about this D-line. The head coach certainly is.

Dylan Raiola is focused on getting in better shape

Rhule addressed the quarterback room, and the biggest takeaway for me was that starting quarterback Dylan Raiola is working to reshape his body. Rhule said something to the effect of, “You can’t be a great quarterback at 240 pounds.”

Raiola did get a little heavy last season, and his movement skills weren’t great. Being more mobile in the pocket and being able to do more as a runner would be huge.

People have a lot of opinions about Raiola, but the kid is a hard worker and in year two, I expect him to not only be more fit, but to be night-and-day better than he was in 2024, which was pretty damn good for a true freshman.

If Nebraska football is going to reach the 12-team playoff, Raiola will have to be special, and it’s good to hear that he’s attacking this offseason with a vengeance.

Nebraska’s mat drills are no joke

We have heard great things about Matt Rhule’s mat drills, but Notre Dame transfer Rocco Spindler walked away impressed.

“It was no joke,” Spindler said on Tuesday. “I even told my parents that I did not know they took mat drills this seriously.”

The 13-game starter for Notre Dame on its run to the national championship said the Nebraska football mat drills were unlike anything he’d ever done with the Fighting Irish.

Spindler praised Dylan Raiola, Donovan Raiola, and just the culture. It might not seem that important, but Spindler was at an elite program, so for him to be that impressed with Nebraska is a positive sign in my book.

Matt Rhule has the right staff in place

The Nebraska football head coach gushed about his new special teams hire. Rhule said he was reluctant to hire Mike Ekeler because of all the media attention saying he should, but after the interview, it was clear he was the right man for the job.

Rhule also talked about the role of Pat Stewart, the new general manager for the Huskers. That move was critical to keeping up with the Joneses of college football.

Rhule said Nebraska football’s personnel staff essentially mirrors that of an NFL team, which is what you need to compete in this transfer portal era.

Corey Campbell was nearly hired away by a couple of NFL teams, according to Rhule, so you have to feel good about the strength and conditioning of the football program.

Nebraska feels like an NFL operation. That’s not by accident, and in the coming years, it should pave the way to lots of success on the field.

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