Huskers grooming their next ‘JoJo’ at hybrid OLB role

Nebraska’s defense got a significant boost this offseason when JoJo Domann announced he would return to the Huskers for an additional season of eligibility in 2021.

It wasn’t just that the senior outside linebacker led NU with a career-high 58 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in eight games last year.

As much as anything, it gave Nebraska’s staff another year to try and find an eventual replacement for arguably the most unique weapon on its defense.

The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Domann is listed as an outside linebacker on the roster. But his hybrid role as part-linebacker, part-safety gives the Huskers an interchangeable piece to use in coverage and against the run.

When Domann finally does move on, though, the question becomes who fills his place on the defense? Even further, is there a player on the roster that can do what Domann does?

That search for those answers is now fully underway, as Nebraska is in the process of grooming the next hybrid athletes at that position.

Redshirt freshman safety Javin Wright, freshman safety Isaac Gifford, sophomore outside linebacker Simon Otte, and redshirt freshman outside linebacker John Bullock have made up the main group behind Domann this spring.

Outside linebackers coach Mike Dawson said each of those players had their own impressive skill sets, but it would still be a long process to get them near the level of Domann’s unique versatility.

“Depending on what you’re seeing and what you’re doing, that position is probably the most unique on our defense,” Dawson said. “You’re truly a safety on one play, and then you’re down playing what I would equate to a 4-3 Sam outside linebacker spot. Then there’s times you can go back and see Jojo playing some six-technique last year.

“You got to be able to be a d-end at times, a safety at times, and live in that outside linebacker world. It’s a hard position to play… That’s why JoJo’s brings a unique set of tools and a unique set of talents.”

Another issue that defensive coordinator Erik Chinander brought up was that because Domann was the only player in his role, he played nearly every defensive snap for the Huskers last season.

In fact, Domann’s 575 snaps over eight games were 37 more than any other NU defender in 2020.

That’s why Chinander said that, ready or not, that next group would have to contribute this season, with Wright and Gifford being the next men up.

“(Wright) is going to get in there, take some reps from JoJo at that spot…” Chinander said. “Isaac Gifford’s going to do the same thing… I think you guys had it well-documented that JoJo played a lot of reps last year for us. I don’t know, in a 12-game season, how many guys can play every single rep of every single game.”

While Domann has his own personal and team goals in mind for his additional season in Lincoln, he also wants to do his part to help Nebraska find his future replacement.

When Domann first took over at his new linebacker/safety position, he did not have a clear backup on the depth chart. Now he’s embracing the task of getting Wright, Gifford, and the others ready to take the reigns as the Blackshirts’ next Swiss Army knife.

“Starting off as the only guy that really played that position, I had no accountability partners, besides just Coach Chinander coaching me up,” Domann said.

“So having young guys underneath me that are going to learn from my mistakes and my successes really just empower me to be the best version of myself, and that I’m not only performing for myself but for the guys that are looking up to me and that are trying to learn from me.”