Blackshirts already off and running

Here are some quick notes to pass along from Nebraska’s fall camp practice on Monday morning…

***Defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said the defense had been able to do a lot of mixing and matching and be very multiple with their personnel through the first four fall camp practices.

***Chinander said the defense was far ahead compared to previous years, just with its overall experience and maturity. He said guys were having “real football conversations now.”

***Chinander said Jailen Weaver and Ru’Quan Buckley didn’t look like 18-year-old freshmen with how big and strong they were already. Chinander said Weaver had been repping both at nose and end this fall.

***Chinander said Tyreke Johnson has looked every bit the part of a former five-star recruit so far, saying Johnson had “elite” movement in coverage.

***Chinander said he expected Nebraska would hold its first full-pads practice on Wednesday.

***Inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud said the overall knowledge in his room was as good as it’s been since he returned to Nebraska.

***Ruud said the No. 1 goal for Nick Henrich going forward was to stay healthy. After suffering setbacks with shoulder and knee injuries, Ruud said he’d been working a lot with Henrich on developing proper “pre-hab” routines to make sure he was keeping his body healthy every day before and after practice.

If Henrich can stay on the field, Ruud said he had NFL potential.***Ruud said he wasn’t sure how deep the rotation would be at ILB but stressed there would be a rotation.

After Luke Reimer, Chris Kolarevic, and Henrich, Ruud said guys like Garrett Snodgrass, Eteva Mauga-Clements, and Jackson Hannah had a chance to join that rotation this season.

***Ruud said Reimer didn’t have a “big-time weakness” in his game, but he had to continue to improve on everything.

Ruud said Reimer’s biggest weakness was probably his pass-rushing, but his best strength was his “instinctiveness” in getting to the football.

Ruud said Reimer was so good at taking the right angles and knowing when to take his shot. He said Lavonte David was the same way.

***Ruud said Will Honas was still around the program every day despite likely being out for the season with an injury. Ruud said Honas was the “signaler” for the ILBs in practice and was helping in as many ways as possible.

***Reimer said one notable improvement he’d made over the years was learning how to “properly” watch and study film. He said it wasn’t just a matter of watching more film but knowing what to watch and how to watch.

Reimer said he learned a lot in that regard from guys like Honas, Collin Miller, and Mohamed Barry, and it’s translated to his improved play on the field.