Marcus Satterfield, Tony White meet the media

For the first time since being hired, Nebraska‘s coordinators — Marcus Satterfield on the offensive side and Tony White on the defense — met with media members Friday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.

Satterfield, a longtime Matt Rhule assistant, comes to Lincoln after spending the past two seasons as South Carolina’s offensive coordinator. He was also Rhule’s OC at Temple from 2013-15.

While White will be working with Rhule for the first time, they’ve known each other since the early 2000s. White was a senior linebacker at UCLA in 2001 when Rhule entered the program as the Bruins’ defensive line coach. They’ve stayed in touch since, and Rhule liked what he saw from White’s 3-3-5 defense at Syracuse, where he’s coached since 2020.

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Here are the quick hits from Satterfield and White’s time behind the podium.

>> How much did Sattefield know about Nebraska before taking this job? If you grew up when he did, everyone knew Nebraska.

>> Satterfield and Rhule go way back, and first worked together in 2005 at Western Carolina. Satterfield had a hunch he might be calling plays for Matt Rhule at Nebraska after South Carolina’s game against Clemson. His phone light up with a text from Rhule saying, “Call me.”

>> Receiver is an area of the team that needs to improve, Satterfield said. Nebraska’s receivers room loses three of its top four pass catchers from last season, including the school record-breaking Trey Palmer, Travis Vokolek and Oliver Martin. That trio combined to catch 102 passes for 1,478 yards and 12 touchdowns.

>> “We’re going to be a pro-style offense. We’re going to huddle,” Satterfield said. The coordinator also said the offense will have a fullback.

>> “I’m on a crusade about the huddle,” Satterfield said. The coach is passionate about using a huddle. Quarterbacks become better leaders in huddles. They speak up and are more vocal. He’s an old-school offensive coach and isn’t a fan of a quarterback clapping to signal the snap.

>> “I love him,” Satterfield said of O-line coach Donovan Raiola. Satterfield met Raiola with every intention of not liking him, but after around 30-35 minutes, Satterfield changed his mind. He went to Rhule about it, asking the head coach to keep Raiola.

>> Energy and passion were two words that Satterfield used to describe new tight ends coach Bob Wager, a longtime Texas high school coach who is now entering college coaching for the first time.

>> “I think it’s perfect,” Satterfield said of his offense and how it fits in the Big Ten. He said his offense needs to be tough, blue collar and old school. The offense needs to focus on the line of scrimmage and owning it first and foremost.

“We will run the football,” he said.

>> What does Satterfield like about White’s 3-3-5? He said the diversity, and all the different fronts it can show at the line of scrimmage.

>> Depth in the running back room? Satterfield has watched their film, but hasn’t “felt” them on a practice field yet. Until he can do that, it’s hard for him to make a judgement.

>> QB run game “is crucial” according to Satterfield. He loves having the ability to recruit to that skillset, and it only helps an offense by having that in the arsenal.

>> What are White’s impressions of the Big Ten? Syracuse played Purdue in 2022, more of a throwing Big Ten team, sure, but the physical attitude was still there, White said. So he has a sense of what he’s going to see.

>> White doesn’t want to get “stuck” in recruiting. The goal for him is to recruit football players, and not to a position name like defensive end or nose tackle. He wants to recruit football players, and teach them what they need to know after they land them.

>> It’s too early to tell about the Rover position, and who might play it at Nebraska, White said. He hasn’t had a chance to get a feel for his players on a football field yet.

>> Rhule is in the defensive meeting rooms, and that helps White improve his defense by the comments he makes and views he has.

>> Terrance Knighton is “funny” and “gets after it.” White said Knighton is a good communicator, and the fact that he played at the highest level possible only helps.

>> White said the linebacker room will be key in how the defense plays.

>> White called DBs coach Evan Cooper a “walking Red Bull advertisement.” His energy changes rooms.

>> White called 2023 commit Eric Fields a “chess piece” who could potentially line up all over the field. Is he a middle linebacker? Could he play in the middle of the field at Rover? Maybe he’ll come off the edge. It’s too early to tell, but Fields has the attention of the staff.

>> What about the Blackshirts? White needs to educate himself on the tradition first and talk to former players before announcing how he’ll handle it. Once he really understands what it means to this program, then he’ll make a decision.