Spring Look Back: Cornerback

We continue our spring positional recaps today by giving our final take on Nebraska’s outside linebackers.

Related: QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | OLB | ILB

Cam Taylor-Britt put his name on the Big Ten map with a strong junior campaign in 2020.

He finished with 28 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, a team-high six passes defended, and tied for the team lead with two interceptions in seven games.

The 6-foot, 205-pound native of Montgomery, Ala., was named second-team All-Big Ten (coaches) for his efforts, and there was talk of him having a chance to make an early jump to the NFL.

But Taylor-Britt gave that idea about five seconds of thought before turning his attention solely to another year with the Huskers. Now NU has arguably one of the best cornerbacks in the conference, if not the country.

Taylor-Britt still needs to refine his game, but some within Nebraska’s program think he can be a first-round NFL draft pick if he plays up to his potential in 2021.

Taylor-Britt is arguably the Huskers’ best all-around player, and the former high school quarterback said this spring that he wants to return punts, kickoffs, and maybe even play some offense this season.

“Well, I plan to not come off the field,” Taylor-Britt said. “Honestly. I plan to play all special teams. Some offensive packages, we can throw that in there. But I don’t plan to come off the field. I plan to give everything I have – everything, my all – to Nebraska this year. Everything.”

On one side of the field, Nebraska has arguably its best overall player in Taylor-Britt.

However, on the other side is maybe the only starting spot on the defense still yet to be determined.

The Huskers went into spring practices with what looked to be a three-man battle for that job Quinton Newsome, Braxton Clark, and Nadab Joseph.

Secondary coach Travis Fisher hinted that Newsome had a leg up in that competition going into the summer, but nothing is locked in whatsoever.

Though he’s just a third-year sophomore, Newsome has a clear edge in experience among that group. He’s played in 18 games over the past two seasons, including making his first start at corner last year at Northwestern.

Clark suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in October before even playing a game. Joseph had to wait until November before being granted eligibility from the NCAA, and he played in just two games before his season ended with a knee injury at Purdue.

Joseph was a former four-star recruit coming out of Independence (Kan.) C.C. last year but had to wait until November before being granted eligibility by the NCAA. He played in just two games before his season ended with a knee injury at Purdue.

Joseph practiced most of the spring but missed the Red-White game with an undisclosed injury.

While Nebraska likes its options at that position, there’s a sense that cornerback could be the most likely area the Huskers might try to address this summer via the transfer portal.

So while the competition was already tight, it could get even more crowded by the time fall camp rolls around.

Before Nebraska’s Spring Game, there probably weren’t many people outside of Benkelman, Neb., (pop. 978) that had any idea who Phalen Sanford was.

But the third-year sophomore walk-on cornerback made everyone take notice with his work during winter conditioning and spring ball.

The 6-foot, 200-pound Sanford had four tackles, a pass breakup, and intercepted Adrian Martinez on the final play of the first half in the Red-White game. With Joseph out with injury, Sanford and Clark were the starting corners for the White team.

But his stock took off when NU started unveiling its top winter testing numbers. Sanford, who was a heptathlete at Hastings (Neb.) College before transferring to NU, posted the team’s best time in the 10-yard split at 1.51 seconds.

He also tied for the team’s fifth-highest vertical jump (35 inches) and the fourth-fastest time in the pro agility (3.92 seconds).

Sanford’s speed and athleticism shouldn’t come as a total surprise, as he was a six-time state track and field champion in five events at Dundy County-Straton (Neb.) High School.

At Hastings College, he won three event titles as a freshman and qualified for the NAIA Indoor Championships in the high jump, placing 24th.

Where he’ll end up on Nebraska’s cornerback depth chart this season remains to be seen, but it’s almost a certainty that Sanford will have a significant role on special teams at the very least.

As mentioned, cornerback might be as likely of a spot as any Nebraska will look to supplement through the transfer portal this offseason.

If that happens, the conversations about the depth chart – or the starting job opposite Taylor-Britt, for that matter – could change significantly by the time the Huskers get back to work in fall camp.

For now, though, NU has several talented-but-inexperienced players that will continue working to make their mark this summer.

It’s not just Newsome, Clark, and Joseph, either. Second-year freshman Tamon Lynum has shown plenty of potential. Marques Buford was set to join the mix as an early-enrollee freshman but underwent surgery before spring ball.

Incoming freshman Malik Williams will arrive this summer as well. The Buford (Ga.) standout just won the Georgia 6A state championship in the 4×100 relay with a time of 41.23 seconds.

Time will tell if anyone else gets added to that group before next season, but either way, there will be no shortage of competition at cornerback.