Nebraska Football: Evan Cooper pleased with Hartzog’s growth

Nebraska Football got a big boost in the secondary last season when freshman defensive back Malcolm Hartzog emerged on the scene. He played well, with his most notable play last season being a blocked front against Indiana. He returned the punt for a touchdown.

All in all, he recorded three interceptions and 22 tackles, appearing in every game as a freshman. He rose up the ranks for Nebraska football quickly, playing on special teams in his first three games. He started against Indiana, where the blocked punt occurred. Now, he is getting praise from coaches, as he looks to have a strong sophomore year.

He should be able to carry that production over from last season, and a defense that has been described as positionless. Defensive backs coach Evan Cooper appeared on sports nightly Monday, and discussed the growth that the corner has been able to undergo off the field as well, as transcribed by Husker247’s Brian Christopherson.

“Malcolm is really one of a kind,” Cooper said. “His parents should be proud of him. That guy competes every day in the classroom, in the community, on the field. Does not say too much. Just kind of works. He’s in the top 10 percent as far as the workouts and all that kind of stuff. He’s been a Blackshirt in our offseason program. He works. If I have Malcolms, my job would be way easier … I can’t think about one guy in the building that doesn’t love Malcolm. He’s that kind of guy.”

We saw that work ethic shine a bit last year, when he was able to make so many impact plays as a freshman. There were instances when he struggled a bit, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort. He was thrown into the fire rather quickly last season. This is exactly what you want to hear, as he figures to play a big role in the defensive secondary next season.

This also indicates that he is continuing to develop a high level. Development was a problem with the last coaching staff.  So far, it seems as though development won’t be an issue with this staff. It seems as though he is already carrying himself like a leader defensively. This would be massive as Nebraska looks for strong play out of the secondary that will not be running an improved 3-3-5 defense.

Hartzog was one of the players I was really looking forward to watching this season. It sounds like he will be worth the watch.