Elijah Jeudy growing as a leader on Nebraska’s defense

The junior defensive lineman was a key part of Nebraska’s defensive rotation in 2023, but not everything was perfect behind the scenes. As his coaches pushed him for more effort and consistency, Jeudy struggled to adapt to the standards of the Husker program and fully find his footing.

Those days are now in the past, though, for a player whose growth has propelled him into Nebraska’s fall camp.

“My first year I was still adapting to the culture and getting used to everybody, but this year I’m fully bought in,” Jeudy said. “Last year I don’t think I was really bought in; I was a little iffy, sticking one foot in the water and testing it out a little bit. Right now I’m buying into the process and I’m ready to be a leader.”

As for what motivated Jeudy to change? Conversations with defensive line coach Terrance Knighton, who continually reiterated his belief in the player while demanding more from him, played their part.

But far more impactful was the birth of Jeudy’s son, Kodah, who recently celebrated his first birthday last month.

“That’s my motivation every day,” Jeudy said of his son. “My process going into practice every day is, ‘If I don’t grind today, my son doesn’t eat.’”

Balancing the time commitments of being a student, football player and father all at once poses its own challenge for Jeudy. In addition to being there for his teammates and working toward his on-field goals, Jeudy also wants to be there for his family.

“I try my hardest to balance it as much as possible (with) the things that we have to do for football,” Jeudy said. “If there’s meetings and stuff, I’ll go to that and then if I have a little bit of spare time where I can split it in half, I’ll try to go watch a little bit of extra film and then make it home to be able to spend time with the family.”

There’s no option of fully cutting back the hours Jeudy dedicates to football considering the opportunity in front of him. While a trio of returning players — Nash Hutmacher, Ty Robinson and Jimari Butler — remain Nebraska’s expected starters along the defensive line, Jeudy is also set to see the field in a major way.

Despite being a fourth-year junior, Jeudy had previously appeared in just four games across his two-year stint at Texas A&M. The eight tackles Jeudy recorded and the 163 snaps he played last season were both career highs, and he said it “felt great” to be on the field for the most extensive playing time of his collegiate career.

Offseason improvements to his physical conditioning are what Jeudy hopes will power on-field improvements. Jeudy said when he arrived at Nebraska he was “a little chubby” prior to dropping to the 285-pound mark and adding muscle.

Knighton said last week that Nebraska’s physically demanding practices were previously “a battle” for Jeudy before the player embraced the grind.

“I was in my head too much,” Jeudy said. “I was thinking, ‘This is too hard, I can’t do it,” but now it’s like, ‘Man, you gotta grind through this, you gotta push.’ Now I know I can do it.”

A deep, veteran defensive line room will limit Jeudy’s ceiling for the 2024 season, but he doesn’t mind. The junior said Nebraska’s goal is to have nine or 10 players who “play like starters,” and he’s grateful to be part of that rotation.

There’s more for Jeudy to achieve in the coming weeks before Nebraska’s Aug. 31 season opener, but there’s no going back to his old habits — and there’s no denying how far he’s come already.

“I knew my ability before (but) I wasn’t too confident in myself,” Jeudy said. “Now I’m confident enough to know I can do certain things and I can do everything I put my mind to.”