Husker Big Red Daily: Nebraska O-line battle heats up, young DL emerging, elite DB to visit

Welcome to Husker Big Red Daily, your daily stop for the latest Nebraska football news, recruiting buzz, transfer portal updates, and Huskers headlines. Here’s a quick look at the latest storylines surrounding Nebraska athletics.

Nebraska football had its second open practice of fall camp on Tuesday. There was some intense work on the field before assistant coaches and players met with the media.

Offensive line coach Geep Wade was one of the coaches who spoke to the media, and he sang the praises of offensive lineman Gunnar Gottula.

“I love Gunnar Gottula,” Wade said. “He is going to get it done because he loves Nebraska. Tough, gritty, plays through the whistle. Those are the guys we will win with.”

While fans might be focused on the starting five, Wade said there haven’t been any decisions made yet.

“I look at it as I’m trying to get eight guys going to win the Big Ten — and playing them anywhere,” Wade said.

Gottula seems to be making things interesting at right tackle. He does have 16 career starts between right and left tackle. He’s also 100 percent. Brendan Black said there was a noticeable difference when he returned.

Gottula isn’t the only holdover emerging. Former three-star recruit Gibson Pyle is having a “strong camp.” Wade said it’s a good thing when your name isn’t mentioned in the film room, because you aren’t making mistakes, and that’s been Pyle.

Like Gottula, Pyle dealt with some injury issues last season. He’s 100 percent and could be one of the eight Wade was talking about on Tuesday. The starting five still feels like it will be: Elijah Pritchett, Paul Mubenga, Justin Evans, Brendan Black, and Tree Babalade.

But the offensive line position battle has gotten more interesting, especially after Gottula has made a strong push at right tackle, although I’ve always thought he would be a great guard.

Young DL emerging for Nebraska, too

The Huskers added two transfers on the D-line this past winter, too. Owen Stoudmire and Jashear Whittingon are each expected to play key roles up front, along with Riley Van Poppel.

Corey Brown was talking about Van Poppel reaching that next level. There is still room to grow. He also talked about wanting a six-man rotation, which could mean guys like Tyson Terry, Dylan Berymon, and Malcolm Simpson are due to be a bigger part of the rotation.

Brown said Terry’s approach was “second to none.” The sophomore, who missed last season due to injury, seems poised to crack the two-deep. He’s listed at over 300 pounds, and of the three young defensive linemen, he seems the farthest ahead.

Berymon could have a role this season, though. It can be rare for a freshman DL to get on the field, but Kade Pietrzak did, and Berymon is a top-200 recruit who is around 350 pounds. Maybe shedding a little weight in fall camp would help him be more conditioned, but when Big Ten play rolls around, those 340-350 pounds could come in handy plugging up the middle of the defense.

Regardless, Nebraska football fans have reasons to feel good about the progress in the trenches on both sides of the ball.

Elite defensive back to visit Nebraska football this fall

The Huskers have been active in the 2028 class, setting up fall visits. Another recruit who will visit for the Maryland game, according to Rivals, is four-star safety Jordan Hicks.

Out of Santa Margarita, California, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound safety is ranked No. 194 overall in the 2028 class via the Rivals Industry Rankings. The offer list is impressive, and several Big Ten teams such as Oregon, USC, UCLA, and Ohio State are in the mix.

USC has had him on campus four times. Oregon twice. Nebraska will get him on campus for the first time for the Maryland game. Oregon hosted him for a visit this summer. Hicks is scheduled to go to Eugene in November.

The Ducks have a crystal ball projection to land Hicks from 247 Sports. However, the Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine favors USC slightly, seeing a more wide-open race. The crystal ball was from June.

Hicks is among the top targets for secondary coach Addison Williams, and one of the top recruits on the board overall in the 2028 class.

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