Nebraska Football: 5 Huskers with rising stock this spring

Nebraska football took part in its first spring scrimmage on Saturday and here are five Huskers whose stock is on the rise.

We are still about three weeks away from the Nebraska football spring game, but that didn’t stop the Huskers from holding their first scrimmage of the spring on Saturday.

It was closed but Nebraska football released a few highlights on Twitter and Matt Rhule met with the media afterward to discuss it. The head coach said the Huskers ran about 85-90 players and that there was live tackling of the quarterbacks.

Based on what we saw yesterday, what we have been hearing, and what Rhule and other assistants have said, here are five Nebraska football players whose stock is on the rise this spring.

// Scrimmage Day // pic.twitter.com/z1nQylabvs

— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFBNation) April 2, 2023

Heinrich Haarberg

We have seen Haarberg on the highlights a couple of times and in the spring scrimmage Saturday, it was clear he was making an impact with his legs.

Nebraska football fans were waiting for a young quarterback to step forward and this spring, it’s been Haarberg, a redshirt sophomore listed at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds out of Kearney, Nebraska.

Obviously, we’ll have to see how he does throwing the ball during the spring game, but he’s someone I’m excited to watch this spring. QB development was an issue under Scott Frost and so was QB depth.

So it’s good to see some positive signs with Haarberg and hopefully, it’s a sign that he’s ready to make an impact for the Huskers.

Billy Kemp

The new Nebraska football transfer from Virginia turned some heads with a really nice catch-and-run during the scrimmage on Saturday. There has also been chatter about him this spring and Kemp seems to be emerging as one of the top targets in the passing game.

It’s early and we don’t even know who the starting quarterback is going to be, but slot guys with reliable hands have a lot of value in today’s game, and Kemp is more than just that too.

When Nebraska football landed him in the transfer portal, I thought there was a strong chance he could lead the Huskers in receptions next season and so far, I haven’t seen anything to change my mind.

Gabe Ervin

One of the biggest risers this spring for Nebraska football has been running back Gabe Ervin. During his first two seasons in Lincoln, he averaged 3.8 yards per carry and had 218 rushing yards. Last season, Ervin picked up more than four years per carry but got limited opportunities.

It looks like that could change this season and it was easy to see him standing out in the highlights released by Nebraska football. Ervin is 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, has gotten lots of praise from Matt Rhule and he’s moved himself up the depth chart this spring.

Nebraska has needed some of their holdovers to take a big leap and if the spring is any sign, Ervin has done just that and will be a factor in the running game this fall.

Nash Hutmacher

Nash Hutcmacher put together a solid finish last season and played in every game with two starts. He only had 15 tackles and one tackle for loss but he’s generated some buzz this spring.

Nebraska football is adjusting to a 3-3-5 defense and in order to make it work, the defensive lineman are going to have to play well. Hutcmacher is someone who could play all three defensive line spots and he could see lots of snaps in a nose tackle-type role this season.

We have talked about how important it is for some holdovers to take steps forward and that’s especially true on the defensive line after Elijah Jeudy was the only transfer. Ty Robinson will need to play well up front for the Huskers too, but if Hutcmacher has really improved, as it seems, that would be huge for Nebraska football.

Malcolm Hartzog

Hartzog was one of Nebraska football’s top freshmen last season, making eight starts and intercepting three passes as a cornerback. The former three-star recruit is listed at 5-foot-9, 170 pounds and he’s impressed Rhule this spring.

There has been talk about him playing at safety and cornerback. I worry about losing his coverage ability on the outside if he moved from cornerback, but there’s no doubt he’s going to be on the field almost every single play this season for Nebraska football as long as he’s healthy.

Hartzog isn’t the biggest guy but he has a knack for finding the ball and just making things happen. That’s hard to teach and even if he is a safety, he will see plenty of coverage opportunities.

We don’t know exactly how Tony White is going to use Hartzog, but you can bet he’s going to be one of the Huskers’ best defenders in 2023 and so far, his progress has been really good to see.

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