Nebraska Spring Preview: Offensive Line

The Nebraska football team officially starts spring practice on Feb. 28, as they practice for two weeks, take a week off for spring break and then are back for three more weeks before the spring game set for April 9.

As spring practice approaches, it’s time to take an in-depth look at each of Nebraska’s position groups. Next up, we take an in-depth look at Nebraska’s offensive line, which will take on a much different look this spring.

Series: QB | RB | WR | TE |

Just like every other position on the offense besides tight end, Nebraska’s offensive line has a new leader in coach Donovan Raiola. Raiola brings with him NFL experience, a fresh perspective and has a lot of work ahead of him to revamp one of the Huskers’ worst position groups in 2021.

The offensive line will also have a new leader on the field as three-year starting center Cam Jurgens declared for the 2022 NFL draft. Matt Sichterman, who held down the right guard job, has graduated as well.

Head Coach Scott Frost announced tackles Teddy Prochazka and Turner Corcoran will miss spring camp. Corcoran started at left tackle for 10 games and started at right tackle against Northwestern and Michigan. Prochazka played left tackle with Corcoran on the right side and the line seemed to play its best with that setup.

Bryce Benhart, who started the majority of the games at right tackle, will lead the tackles with experience. However, Prochazka started over him against Northwestern and Michigan until the true freshman injured his knee and Nebraska went back to Benhart.

Along with Benhart, players like Ezra Miller and Brant Banks will get plenty of top unit reps this spring. With a new coach and a poor showing in 2021, no starting job is safe.

Frost brought in Raiola to transform this offensive line and put a much better unit on the field. The Huskers added transfers Hunter Anthony and Kevin Williams Jr. along with freshman Justin Evans-Jenkins to help bolster the group.

The bottom line is the offensive line will look different with Raiola this spring, and there are plenty of questions surrounding this group heading into 2022.

Nebraska lost the most on the interior line. Jurgens and Sitcherman were the two most consistent players on the line as they both started each game at their respective positions.

Nouri Nouili emerged as the left guard starter after the Huskers started Ethan Piper for the first three games and Trent Hixson for the two games after. Nouili allowed five pressures in 473 snaps, according to PFF. The Colorado State transfer will definitely be at the top of the list for a starting guard position.

Senior Broc Bando, who has played all the positions except for center at Nebraska, played 24 snaps at right guard and 30 snaps at right tackle in 2021. As a very versatile player, the Huskers could be looking at Bando in the right guard race with their most returning experience at tackle.

Nebraska brought in Oklahoma State transfer Anthony and Northern Colorado transfer Williams Jr. to compete for starting positions. Anthony, standing at 6-foot-6, 320-pounds, played at both guard and tackle positions for the Cowboys, but mostly on the right side. With Prochazka and Corcoran out for spring, Anthony could play at left tackle this spring.

Williams Jr., an Omaha native, played a total of 572 snaps at left guard for UNC in 2018 and 2019. The Bears didn’t play in 2020 due to the pandemic. As of now, it seems Williams Jr. will back up Nouili at left guard.

At center, Trent Hixson has the most experience on Nebraska’s roster. Hixson took 61 snaps at center in 2021. The only other lineman with a snap at center was Riley Moses, who had one at the end of the Fordham blowout.

Ethan Piper is also in the conversation for center but doesn’t have collegiate experience at the position. In 2021, his playing time diminished dramatically at left guard as he didn’t play in a game from week five to the last game against Iowa. As a redshirt freshman in 2020, Piper started in seven of Nebraska’s eight games.

Henry Lutovsky became the 17th lineman at Nebraska to play in a game as a true freshman in 2021. Nebraska coaches are high on Lutovsky and he has a chance to be in the two-deep at right guard this fall.

The 6-foot-6, 330-pound lineman saw action against Fordham and Northwestern at left guard. Lutovsky played seven snaps during the season, both in garbage time, and didn’t allow a quarterback pressure.

Lutovsky played six snaps against the Wildcats and scored well according to PFF’s grades. He had a 74.4 offense grade, a 73.8 on run block and a 67.3 pass block grade. In his limited time, Lutovsky had the second-highest run block grade on the team.

This could be a big spring for the lineman as he has a new coach and an opportunity to make a jump on the depth chart.