Spring Game Preview: A guide to the Nebraska defense and special teams, including 4 intriguing players | Football

Nebraska took a big stride forward on defense last season but must replace several contributors from that Blackshirts group.

But Erik Chinander’s unit isn’t short on intrigue, which we could see Saturday.

And don’t forget special teams, where Nebraska is ushering in a new placekicker and punter in efforts to steady that phase of the game.

Defensive linemen/outside linebackers

Known commodities: Casey Rogers, jr.; Ty Robinson, so.; Garrett Nelson, jr.; Caleb Tannor, sr. 

Fresh faces: Nash Hutmacher, so.; Mosai Newsom, so; Blaise Gunnerson, rfr.; Jimari Butler, rfr.

Don’t forget about: Young guys like redshirt freshmen Ru’Quan Buckley and Jailen Weaver who might still be a year away.

What to watch for: The outside linebackers and defensive linemen are now all coached by Mike Dawson and the Huskers could end up playing even more 4-3 than they did in 2021. The biggest question is depth on the interior behind Rogers (out this spring) and Robinson. Keep an eye on Hutmacher and Newsom, in particular, on Saturday. They’re likely next up. NU could try to add two defensive linemen from the portal after spring ball, but it won’t be easy.

Known commodities: Luke Reimer, jr.; Nick Henrich, so. 

Fresh faces: Garrett Snodgrass, so.; Eteva Mauga-Clements, sr.; Grant Tagge, so.;  Randolph Kpai, rfr.

Don’t forget about: Ernest Hausmann, an exciting freshman.

What to watch for: NU’s been short this spring because Reimer and Snodgrass have been out, so expect to see a lot of young/inexperienced players on Saturday. Tagge’s a walk-on who has made some noise, and the Huskers are already high on the long-term potential of Hausmann, a midyear enrollee from Columbus.

Fresh faces: Chris Kolarevic, sr.; Isaac Gifford, so.; Javin Wright, so. 

Don’t forget about: Sophomore walk-on John Bullock, a likely special teams contributor.

What to watch for: It may not be possible to replace JoJo Domann on a one-to-one basis, but Kolarevic and company will try to show defensive coaches how much they can do. Last year, Erik Chinander built NU’s defense around Domann’s skill set. What does that look like in 2022? Are they more like 4-3 linebackers? More rotating — Kolarevic in run/mixed downs and Gifford on passing downs?

Known commodities: Quinton Newsome, jr.; Braxton Clark, jr. 

Fresh faces: Tommi Hill, so.; Omar Brown, jr.; Jaeden Gould, fr.; Javier Morton, so.; Tamon Lynum, rfr.

Don’t forget about: Walk-on junior Phalen Sanford, another likely core special teams player.

What to watch for: Clark gets the “known commodities” nod because he’s going into his fifth year in the program and has started in the past, but he’s got quite a fight on his hands to keep a starting job. Hill is the likely front-runner, and if Brown can get and stay healthy, the former FCS All-American and Northern Iowa transfer could make a run at it, too. Gould, a four-star freshman, has a lot of veterans in his room, which might delay his quest for early playing time but undoubtedly is also a positive thing. On Saturday, watch the length this group has collectively, especially Hill. It’s a physically impressive set of players.

Known commodities: Myles Farmer, so. 

Fresh faces: Marques Buford, so.; Noa Pola-Gates, so.; DeShon Singleton, so. 

Don’t forget about: Koby Bretz, a really athletic in-state redshirt freshman who missed most of 2021 with a knee injury.

What to watch for: If there are players who have seen their stock rise more this spring than Buford, the list is awfully short. The sophomore is a leading candidate to start at safety and has quickly established himself as a potential leader on defense. Singleton and Morton are transfers who arrived in January and possess outstanding length. Can Pola-Gates hold them off and find rotational work for himself in the secondary?

Known commodities: Kickoff specialist Brendan Franke, so.; placekicker Chase Contreraz, jr.

Fresh faces: Punter Brian Buschini, so.; long-snapper Brady Weas, sr. 

Don’t forget about: Sophomore placekicker Timmy Bleekrode, who arrives from Furman in May.

What to watch for: Buschini was the FCS punter of the year at Montana in 2021 and is expected to improve NU’s results in that department immediately. Bleekrode will be the heavy favorite to handle placekicking duties once he arrives on campus. Saturday may not provide any live reps, but Trey Palmer and Tommi Hill should add some zip to the Huskers’ return game this fall.

Four most intriguing players

Marques Buford: As noted above, Buford is an ascending player in the program and he’s been playing almost exclusively safety this spring.

Tommi Hill: The Arizona State transfer possesses outstanding length and he has the confidence of a corner who doesn’t mind being left alone, too.

Blaise Gunnerson: Gunnerson is built like a 4-3 defensive end at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, and he might be next up after Garrett Nelson in the Huskers’ quest to build some front-line depth. He’s struggled to stay healthy so far, but could turn heads if he does.

Javin Wright: It might not be Saturday — Wright is still on a cautious return-to-play plan after dealing with blood clots most of last season — but he has a tantalizing skill set at 6-4 and 210 if he gets back to full speed.

Question that could be answered Saturday

What does the depth chart at inside linebacker look like? Reimer and Snodgrass have been out this spring and Henrich likely isn’t in for a big workload, so it will be mostly or all guys looking to move up the depth chart who are on the field Saturday. Who’s put together the best spring so far?

Question that won’t be answered until fall

How close is the interior defensive line to being deep enough? The Huskers will certainly try to fortify their depth via the transfer portal — TCU transfer Ochaun Mathis is the top priority and he’ll be on campus for the spring game as part of his official visit, but part of the conversation here regardless of the portal will be how much progress Hutmacher and Newsom can make in the next five months.