How Nebraska football players put on weight before season

The month-long fall camp can go quick, so the Nebraska coaching staff came in with a plan. Portions of Nebraska’s practices over the last three weeks have included drills or periods that were tailored to NU’s first four opponents.

The big-picture work of fall camp has just about concluded as Nebraska prepares to begin installing its game plan for UTEP on Wednesday or Thursday of this week. Let’s drop into coverage:

It’s also the stage of fall camp where the physical changes or weight players gained over the offseason is now being tested. The brand-new training table within the Osborne Legacy Complex, combined with the work of Nebraska football’s strength and nutrition staff, has led to many players touting the weight and muscles they’d added in recent months.

Junior wide receiver Alex Bullock said on Friday that he’d gained 10 pounds since last season, which has helped him set several new personal records in the weight room and be more physical in his route-running and blocking.

Sophomore Jaylen Lloyd, who weighed less than 160 pounds when he first arrived at Nebraska, continues to add weight while maintaining his electric breakaway speed. After running track at 170 pounds last spring, Lloyd said he’s up to 179 pounds with a goal of getting to 180-185.

“Adding size in the Big Ten is going to be important,” Lloyd said. “Along with my speed, it gives me a lot more I can do, I can go on the perimeter and block which is going to be key this year and beating second-level defenders.”

However, the time for adding weight has just about passed. Through the rigors of fall camp and into the weekly grind of the season, many players have to work hard just to keep the weight on.

Sophomore defensive lineman James Williams is one of them. In his first season of FBS football a year ago, Williams said he began the year weighing 235 pounds but was down to nearly 228 pounds during his final game of the season against Maryland.

“I have a really high metabolism, and I just feel like keeping food down for me is hard and even eating is hard,” Williams said.

Some of us have the opposite problem, James.

Jokes aside, for offensive and defensive linemen in particular, it’s a challenge to keep their weights up after high-intensity practices day after day and week after week. Luckily for Williams, his teammates are there to make sure that the promising lineman bulks up at every possible opportunity.

“Guys like Sua (Lefotu), Vincent (Jackson) and Willis McGahee IV, they’re all yelling at me constantly about making sure I eat and making sure I have something to eat with me at all times,” Williams said. “It’s really hard sometimes, especially when I feel like I’m about to puke and they’re throwing another sandwich in front of me and they’re like, ‘You have to eat this.’ It’s hard, but I know it’s for the best.”

The battle for playing time at running back has not yet been decided.

The key contenders at the position — Gabe Ervin Jr., Rahmir Johnson, Emmett Johnson and Dante Dowdell — continue to put reps on film which they hope will vault them into a starting or contributing role in the Nebraska offense.

But has anyone truly separated themselves yet? Head coach Matt Rhule doesn’t believe so, even if all the running backs are able to execute their offensive assignments at a high level.

“Year 1 you’re playing the guys who can just execute, who just know what to do,” Rhule said. “Now that everyone knows what to do, it’s, ‘Okay, who can execute? Who plays with great effort, speed and physicality? And finally, who makes plays?’ If we’re all just checking all the boxes of execution, then who takes the ball 80 (yards), who makes that guy miss and score a touchdown?”

In a perfect world, Rhule said, Nebraska would have one running back handle around 20 carries per game, another with 12 carries a game and a third back in a rotational role. There’s only so many practices left for the Husker running backs to separate themselves, with depth chart decisions to follow in the coming week.

“At the end of the day, you either separate yourself or you leave it up to us,” Rhule said.

There’s plenty of buzz about the talent in Nebraska’s wide receiver room this season. From the veteran transfers of Jahmal Banks and Isaiah Neyor to the rising young talents of Jaylen Lloyd, Malachi Coleman and Jacory Barney Jr., Nebraska has no shortage of playmakers at the position.

Let’s not forget about NU’s most-utilized wideout from the 2023 season either. Alex Bullock is in a unique position as a returning eight-game starter who played at least double the number of snaps of any Husker wideout other than Coleman or Billy Kemp a year ago.

So, how should Nebraska utilize Bullock given the influx of talent at his position? He seems a natural fit to come in for the likes of Banks, Neyor or Coleman whenever Nebraska rotates personnel during its offensive series. Given the injuries NU suffered at the position last year, Bullock’s staying presence could help keep himself and his teammates healthy.

“Once you get to the end of the season, Week 8 through 12, your body starts to feel it when you’re playing that many reps,” Bullock said. “With a receiving corps as deep as we have, it’s going to be huge because you’re gonna be able to be 100% every snap. And every week your body’s not going to be as beat down because we’ve got other guys on the team that can take the load off you reps-wise.”

The news that senior linebacker Javin Wright will be sidelined indefinitely with a health issue represents a major blow to the Nebraska defense.

On a personal level, you have to feel bad for Wright, whose upbeat and positive attitude has never wavered in the face of several medical setbacks during his six-year Nebraska career. And when Wright was fully healthy and capable of playing all 12 games a year ago, he made a large impact as one of NU’s best tacklers and most consistent defenders.

For the time being, Nebraska will have to move forward without him. The Huskers have enough depth at linebacker to absorb this injury blow — but it’s not necessarily depth that comes with considerable collegiate experience.

Alongside expected starters John Bullock and Mikai Gbayor, an expanded role could be in the cards for junior Stefon Thompson. True freshman Vincent Shavers, whose physicality and aggressiveness stand out in the interior of the Nebraska defense, is also likely to be considered for playing time.

Don’t rule out sophomore Gage Stenger either. A former all-state athlete at Millard South, Stenger’s physical gifts have always been evident as he’s worked to develop them and his understanding of the linebacker position over the last two seasons. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker could burst onto the scene this year in a matter similar to Gbayor last season.

Nebraska’s 2025 recruiting class remained unchanged on Saturday, perhaps a disappointment considering five-star offensive lineman David Sanders Jr. was heavily considering the Huskers. Instead, Sanders is off to Tennessee, which is far closer to his roots in North Carolina than what Nebraska can offer.

Just as impactful as the distance was the time Sanders had spent building relationships with coaches at Tennessee. Head coach Josh Heupel and offensive line coach Glen Elarbee are entering their fourth season with the Volunteers, a level of stability that matters to certain players.

During his commitment ceremony, Sanders said that Tennessee had recruited him from “Day 1” — a three-year relationship that may have outweighed the connections Sanders had formed over a sixth-month period with the Huskers.

Let’s not forget that Nebraska hasn’t had a winning season since 2016; to even have five-star recruits considering the program is a testament to the vision of Rhule and his coaching staff. If NU’s only recent five-star commit, quarterback Dylan Raiola, shows the process is working on the field, then more five-star interest will follow.

Sanders may not be the next five-star recruit to call Nebraska home, but it’s only a matter of time before the Huskers hit a home run with another of the nation’s best prospects.