Everything Terrance Knighton Said About Elijah Jeudy, Cam Lenhardt And Other Members Of Huskers DL

Nebraska football defensive line coach Terrance Knighton has conjured up a new nickname for the Huskers’ defensive line, a position expected to be one of the team’s strongest personnel groups in 2024.

It’s one that you have already seen blasted on social media, message boards and the like – and will continue to see a lot of throughout preseason training camp and the rest of the fall.

“Death Row”

You can read up on the reasons behind the nickname, plus all the details on four players who Knighton named as guys who he expects to have big-time, breakout seasons in 2024, RIGHT HERE.

That wasn’t all Knighton talked about, however, throughout a lengthy near-30-minute interview on Huskers Radio Network last week.

The Huskers’ second-year DL coach answered questions about nearly every scholarship D-lineman on the roster, plus questions about the Jack linebackers at the top of the depth chart.

Here is everything Knighton said about second-year Texas A&M transfer Elijah Jeudy, standout sophomore Cam Lenhardt, two core leaders of the unit in Nash Hutmacher and Ty Robinson, his initial impressions of freshman summer enrollees Keona Davis and Ashton Murphy, an update on Brodie Tagaloa and more thoughts on other members of the Huskers’ D-line:

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Knighton’s overall feelings on watching Hutmacher get back into wrestling:

“Well, for one, it was nerve racking, because I wanted him to be successful, I wanted him to win. I’ve never been to a wrestling match before and just knowing the time that he took off and then jumping right into it. And the Big Ten being the best wrestling conference, I was kind of nervous. But I was just happy for him to go out there, and it’s something that he loves to do. He’s changed his body tremendously, and I’m just excited for him. I was excited that he was able to go out there, be successful, shake the rust off a little bit and compete on the national level. And it’s something I’m pretty sure that he’s been itching to do, and he finally got to do it.”

Nervousness watching him wrestle:

“I’m not nervous coaching, but sitting up there, it felt like being a parent and just watching your son out there compete and hoping the best for him. He did a tremendous job, and I’m so happy for him. Hats off to the wrestling coaches, they did a great job with him. We were in constant communication about his progress, his weight, his strength, his flexibility, all those things, and they did an excellent job.”

Changes to Hutmacher’s body and the benefits of him dropping the weight:

“I would say he’s a unicorn because he was a 335-pound guy, can sack the quarterback, can stop the run, those type of things. But losing the 20-25 pounds allowed him to be more dynamic, line up in different spots, not just be a stationary guy at nose. It’s gonna add to his versatility to be playing on Sundays, so it’s building his profile as an athlete and as a future professional. I’m just excited with all the progress that he’s made, and he’s a true professional on and off the field. He’s taking care of his body, he’s doing the right things, he has his life together. Never a guy you have to worry about – first guy in, last guy out type of guy – and I’m just looking forward to him having a big year.”

Robinson’s return:

“I was very excited. I didn’t know what he was gonna do. He’s the old man of the group now – and they call him that – and he’s played a lot of football. Me and him have built a great relationship, and he sees the game a different way now. He’s just working on the things he needs to work on, obviously, for the next level, but he wants to win. He wants to win, he wants to leave his mark here. Last year didn’t go the way we wanted to go win-loss wise. That was the main thing for him. So it’s more about the program than it was for Ty Robinson because he could have easily left and been drafted. But it was more about doing it the right way, and he wanted to make his mark on this program. That’s what’s motivating him this year.”

Importance of guys, including Robinson, coming back who could’ve left for the NFL:

“This is a special place, and kids that come here are special kids. The community that we have, the program history that we have, the winning that happened in the past. These kids come here with the hopes of being a part of that and creating their own mark. The Isaac Giffords and the Ty Robinsons, those guys coming back definitely made an impression on the young guys. There’s a certain type of kid who’s going to be successful here, and those guys are gonna lead the way. They’re definitely setting a great example.”

Leadership of Hutmacher, Robinson and Jimari Butler trio:

“Those three guys – Nash, Ty and Jimari – are all different, and they all have different forms of leadership. Jimari is more the vocal guy on a day in, day out basis, Ty is more the vocal guy on the field, and Nash is just, ‘follow me, just do what I do.’ It’s a dynamic combination.”

“It’s like now when something happens, like someone is late or I have to (discipline players), now I just say, ‘Nah. Nash, Ty, Jimari, that’s on you guys.’ I’m not dealing with that anymore, I’m focusing on football. But those guys have taken it by the horns, and they’re ready to go.”

More on Butler, who Knighton talked more about at length HERE

“Jimari is just one of those guys that has a huge impact on the team, he has a huge impact on other position groups, like, I see him hanging with wide receivers and running backs. So he’s just a great all-around leader, he’s well-liked off the field, and it carries onto the field. He’s a guy that, during the (summer) break, didn’t leave. He worked out every day, stayed here, was with Kristin (assistant AD for performance nutrition Kristin Coggin)and her staff, made sure he’s doing the right thing so his mind is right. The guys like to follow him, and it’s definitely going to help our group.”

RELATED: Four Huskers expected to break out on Nebraska’s Death Row DL

“It was great for Cam because he got to play a lot of ball last year. Obviously, got hurt and then had to come back. But during that adversity, he was still trying to push through, still practicing, trying to get out there, and he’s a really tough kid. We mentioned those three seniors, but Cam is a starter on this defense, too. He’s a starter on this defense, too, and we expect him to play well this year. The athleticism that he has, his play temperament, how physical he is, those type of things. It’s easy to coach a guy like that. He’s a guy, right now, who’s just figuring out college life, academics, social (life) and football. He’s doing a great job, and you can see the maturation that he’s had this spring.

“He competes with Jimari every day, they compete in the weight room. They yap back and forth, but it’s all love. Cam is definitely a guy. He’s a starter. He’s playing at a starter level. If I could play six guys, I would love to, but that’s the great thing about our room. But Cam is definitely a guy who’s showing these young guys like, hey, if you come in, do it the right way, your mind is right and you follow the program the right way, you can come in and play right away. And I’m just happy with the strides that he’s taken.”

“I am so proud of Elijah Jeudy because when he got here, he was going through some things personally that was holding him back on the field, and his life is finally together. He has a beautiful son, beautiful family. They’re always here, they’re at practice. And seeing him come to work every day with a smile is way different than where he was last year. He’s a guy that just brightens up the room, his personality is coming out, and he’s playing the best football he’s ever played right now.

“In the spring, he was going out there, he was a Blackshirt during mat drills. He’s a guy who took a lot of steps forward, and I expect him to be one of the guys that’s pushing to be a starter this year as well. I’ve said in the past we need eight or nine guys to play like starters. Elijah is one of those guys, so I’m looking forward to seeing him take those steps this year.”

“Ty Robinson’s leaving (after this season), and we won’t miss a step because Riley’s right there. He does everything Ty does, he pushes Ty, he wants to outwork Ty. We kind of give them a hard time because we always say, ‘Well, if Ty is gonna do it, then Riley will do it.’ But he’s been doing a great job, he’s starting to take leadership with that next wave of guys, he’s doing a great job in the weight room.

“He’s always taken his nutrition, his football and his approach to every day very seriously. He has a great family. His dad as a baseball player, he’s a pretty serious dude, so Riley definitely has the perfect upbringing for a guy who’s going to come into a blue-collar program and do it the right way. I’m just excited to see where he goes this year. Last year, he was more of a situational guy, and he’s gonna have a a bigger load this year of things that he has to go out there and do. So I’m excited to see what he does.”

“Like Riley, he’s another guy that has taken that leadership role with the next wave of guys on the team, and this offseason has been great for him. He’s a powerful guy but want him to work on his flexibility. The D-line, as a group, we do yoga every Friday, and he’s a guy who’s doing the extra things – going into the weight room, doing the extra yoga – so that he can be the best player that he can be. He’s doing all the right things right now. Struggled academically in high school, and now he’s a 3.0 student. He’s a guy that’s figured it out, very mature. I’m expecting him to come in and be one of those guys that’s pushing the starters. When Nash comes out of the game, right away, he’s the guy that goes in and can have the same impact.

“As a group, all those guys are developing, and I’m very proud of Vincent just because of where he comes from, the things and the adversity that he had to go through. He took a shot on us coming all the way from Pennsylvania to Nebraska and putting his trust into me. He’s probably the guy I have the closest relationship with in the group just because we had a similar upbringing, being the oldest sibling of many and having a lot of things that we have to overcome. I’m just very proud of that, as a man before being a football player, and that has carried over onto the football field.”

“I love AJ. He’s getting stronger, starting to be more comfortable in his role as a D-end because he played tight end, played D-end, went back to tight end, came back to D-end. So he’s found a home in our room. He’s a guy that you can play anywhere, kind of like Jimari. He’s following Jimari, watching the things that he’s doing, and he’s starting to get comfortable with being a full-time defensive lineman.

“He’s fast, he’s strong, he’s athletic, played basketball in high school so he’s light on his feet. So there’s a lot of depth in our room, and a lot of guys are going to be playing this year. I’m looking forward to seeing AJ get on the field more this year and definitely make an impact.”

“Kai is a dynamic player as well. He’s naturally a good pass rusher, working with him right now on being a good run stopper and playing the run. Naturally, he’s an edge guy so the challenges with him is being versatile enough to play inside. He’s 252 pounds now, he’s accepted it, and his mind is right, and he’s challenging himself everything. He’s a guy I gotta push, and a lot of young guys are the same way. They want feedback, they wanna know how they’re doing.

“He’s a guy that every single day is trying to figure out what he can do to get better. He probably texts me the most and calls me the most, like, ‘Hey, Coach, how’d I do on this rep? Coach, how can I be better on this rep?’ Kai is a professional, and he has dreams of being one of the best pass rushers and best football players in the country. He’s taking that approach.”

“Brodie is progressing. He’s progressing. Before he had the accident, he was a guy that flashed in the spring and was making plays. Just something about those Poly guys, man, they just go out there and play with a different attitude, a different violent mindset. He fit our room, and he brings the edge to our room of a guy who don’t take nothing from nobody when he’s out there on that field.

“So he’s doing everything he has to do, taking care of his body, rehabbing, trying to get extra rehab and make sure he’s staying in the playbook so that, when he does return, that he doesn’t miss a step and could just hop on the bus and keep it going. I’m happy for him, and I just want him to have a fully healthy season and and come back stronger.”

“MJ is the oldest guy in that room. After him is a bunch of young guys. So he’s showing those guys how to work and, obviously, coming from a winning program, he knows what it looks like. And him being the older guy, we expect him to go out there and dominate this year. He’s been tremendous. He’s leading those younger guys, he’s leading by example, he’s vocal, he pushed the D-line.

“Him and Ty have a really close relationship, so him and Ty push each other. It’s always good when the seniors push each other. They have a standard that they have and that they want to go out with. MJ’s doing a great job, and he’s a mature man, his life is together, he goes about it the right way as a true professional. I’m excited to see what he does.”

“He’s a tough, tough kid. He pushed his rehab, was doing the extra. Obviously, his dad playing in the NFL, he has that support at home about how to handle his business, how to take care of his body. I was surprised by how quick he came back, how strong he came back. He’s not wearing a knee brace, he’s doing everything. He’s not timid, he’s playing really hard, he’s working out really hard, and he’s a guy that just comes in and works. Every time I see him, he just smiles. He doesn’t say anything, he just comes in and works every single day.

“The depth they have with that group, you got those three guys that we just talked about (Sherman, Noonan and Princewill Umanmielen), where they all bring something different to the group. So I’m excited to see Maverick get on the field this year. Obviously, with his dad’s name being on the stadium, he has his own chip on his shoulder and wants to create his own path. Looking forward to see what he does.”

“Keona Davis (formerly Keona Wilhite) coming in, Ashton Murphy, those young guys they’re doing a great job right now. They’re the quiet guys. They’re just watching, seeing how to work, but they’re tough kids. They come from great families.

“Ashton Murphy, being a local kid, has a different pride about himself, about the program and wearing that N.

“Keona, another Poly kid, just coming in and bringing an attitude and toughness to the room. I’m excited about those young guys, and they’re pushing those older guys. As an older guy, you always watch to see, like, ‘OK, how good is this freshman?’ But those guys are gonna be really good players, and they’re pushing the room. I have a good problem this year where I got so many guys that can play, but I’m looking forward to those guys coming into fall camp and being ready to go.”