Nebraska Football: Notes from Matt Rhule’s meeting with media

Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule touched on a variety of topics as he met with the media following spring practice on Thursday. He gave injury updates as well as progress updates on players from last year. Many of the questions were centered around quarterback play, as the future is very much here for Nebraska footfall at the position.

Here’s a little bit of what he said on Thursday, as well as some of the biggest takeaways from his press conference.

The future is here  for Nebraska Football at quarterback

Any thoughts that the young Nebraska football quarterbacks would ease into things during spring practice have quickly been put to rest. Rhule indicated that both Dylan Raiola and Daniel Kaelin will be in a position where they could start for the team at the end of spring.

The buzz about both quarterbacks has been high ever since they arrived on campus. Now it appears that they will be in positions to where they can really make an impact, both out of necessity and because of their talent. One has to wonder how the arrival of Glenn Thomas helps those expectations. Thomas has a strong track record of quarterback development, and he is certainly going to have a lot to work with here.

This is certainly an optimistic statement from Rhule. Nevertheless, it shows how much this team believes in the young talent they have. It also shows that they have clearly defined roles for the future. Again, it all comes back to development. That part will be key. The future is very much here.

An extra year of eligibility on the way?

DeShon Singleton has not returned for practice. Rhule has appealed for Singleton to get another year of eligibility in the process.

Singleton was out for the final three months of the 2023 season, and his absence was certainly felt at the safety spot. He suffered his injury against Michigan last year and several players had to step up in order to fill the safety spot.

His health will be important to the safety position. Phelan Sanford is no longer with the program. Omar Brown is gone as well. Marques Buford Jr. played well when he had the opportunity in 2023 after missing the first eight games of the season. Having Singleton back and healthy is going to be important for the unit. A potential extra year of eligibility may be important as well, as some of the younger safety options continue to develop.

Johnson continues to impress

Rhule praised the progress of Emmett Johnson, who came onto the scene strong at the running back position following a bunch of injuries at the position last season.

Johnson ended up recording 90 carries for 411 yards and two touchdowns last season. His highest output came against Maryland on November 11. He recorded 17 carries for 84 yards in that contest.

Nebraska football dealt with injuries at the running back position early in the year. As a result, Johnson had to step up. He did so with flying colors, and now it appears that he is really impressing the coaching staff. Rhule noted that Johnson was one of the players that has improved in terms of metrics this spring, as transcribed by Luke Mullen of the Lincoln Journal-Star.

Nebraska HC Matt Rhule says that RB Emmett Johnson is one of the most athletic players on the team across all the metrics the #Huskers track.

Rhule on Johnson: “He proved last year that he’s a man that when given the opportunity, he can get yards and make plays.”

— Luke Mullin (@LjsLuke) March 28, 2024

It’s certainly encouraging that Johnson continues to improve. He figures to be the second running back on the depth chart behind Dante Dowdell. The key here will be if Johnson wants to stay as the second running back after getting a taste as the starter last year. The offensive scheme will be undoubtedly different than last year, but there still should be plenty of carries to go around.

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