It was talking day on the sixth floor of Memorial Stadium in Lincoln on Wednesday.
Three members of Matt Rhule‘s first staff in Lincoln — strength and conditioning coach Corey Campbell, as well as linebackers coach Rob Dvoracek and offensive line coach Donovan Raiola — met with the local media for the first time of 2023.
Both Campbell and Dvoracek are new to the program as they followed Rhule from the Carolina Panthers. Campbell was the Panthers’ assistant strength and conditioning coach from 2021-22 and was with Rhule at Baylor, too. Dvoracek served as a coaching assistant in 2021 and a defensive assistant in 2022 at Carolina.
Raiola isn’t a new face. He was the only assistant Rhule retained from the Scott Frost staff.
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Here are the quick hits from their time at the podium:
>> The players have responded well to Campbell’s new ways of doing things. He said the players have been “willing to be coached.”
>> Campbell is wanting his players to be “one percent better every day.” Attention to detail and effort are huge pillars Campbell is looking for in his weight room.
>> Campbell is a former walk-on football player at Georgia, and he remembers his work in the weight room as a tool that helped him do what many didn’t think he could — be a contributor on the team. That’s why he’s passionate about being a strength and conditioning coach.
>> Campbell said if he doesn’t have the buy-in from players, they won’t follow or believe in the difficult things he’s asking them to do. That’s why it’s crucial to make relationships with the players.
>> How has the strength and conditioning field changed since he was a player? A ton, Campbell said. The advances that have been made in the field have been great. When he played, he didn’t have devices like the Catapult, which tracks how much work the body is putting in.
>> Campbell isn’t going to take credit for the idea to have the team work out in the snow, which happened recently. But he was all for the move to do it.
>> Campbell said Matt Hobbs, the Assistant Director of Football Strength & Conditioning, has a great eye for improving player movement and helping injured athletes rehab and get back on the field as soon as they can.
>> Football is a violent game and requires heavy demands, Campbell said. Because of that, Rhule is very interested in athlete recovery and the different ways it’s achieved. Campbell said Rhule is always bringing new ideas he sees and hears and asks if it would work for Campbell and his program.
>> Is it easy to find leaders when watching the players go through his workouts? “Leadership is a process,” Campbell said. He won’t be able to identify who the team’s true leaders are until later.
>> What were his initial conversations like with Rhule? Raiola said he’s thankful for the opportunity and he liked the discussions he had with Rhule about O-line philosophy.
>> A couple years ago with the Chicago Bears, the O-line coach was let go. Raiola was an assistant at the line, and that period of his life helped him go through the process of being retained.
>> Ben Scott is a potential starter at center. The transfer from Arizona State “has a lot of experience playing at a high level.” Ethan Piper and Turner Corcoran were others who could chip in at center if needed.
>> As the year went on, the O-line improved with every game, Raiola said. “As you watched the season go on, they got better and better and better.”
>> Raiola believes the fact that it’s his second season at Nebraska will continue to help “They’re hearing the same voice.”
>> What’s a common trait of the four in-state O-line commits? “Toughness,” Raiola said. “You watch the film, see how hard they play.”
>> Nouredin Nouili is coming off a suspension from the 2022 season due to a failed drug test. Nouili is back now, and Raiola is “excited to watch the improvement.”
>> With Teddy Prochazka out for the spring while he rehabs last year’s season-ending injury, who is Raiola looking at for left tackle? “We’re working through that right now,” the coach said.
>> Prochazka has been in every meeting and is engaged while he’s been injured. “Teddy is one of the best teammates I’ve seen,” Raiola said.
>> What has Raiola learned from transfer portal recruiting? Raiola kept his answer short and sweet: “Do a lot of research.”
>> What made Dvoracek want to come to Nebraska? First of all, he has a great relationship with Rhule. He also loves Nebraska’s tradition.
>> Dvoracek suffered a career-ending injury in his final game of his sophomore year at Temple. Rhule suggested coaching while at Temple, and that’s how his career started.
>> Dvoracek has had great conversations with Luke Reimer and Nick Henrich. Right now, the goal is to create relationships with the players. The football talk will come later.
>> How would Dvoracek describe Tony White‘s defense? “Chaos,” he said. There are a lot of different looks the defense can have, he said.
>> What did Dvoracek take from his time in the NFL? Everyone was willing to listen and learn, he said. It’s not always like it appears, with everyone being a highly-paid prima-donna.
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