Spring Look Back: Outside Linebacker

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

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

A year ago, outside linebacker was arguably the most significant question mark on Nebraska’s defense.

The Huskers had just brought in a (kind of) new position coach with the return of Mike Dawson, and outside of JoJo Domann, no one knew much of anything about what NU had to work with at OLB.

As it turned out, that unit surpassed expectations as much as any position group on the roster.

Nebraska brings back everyone from last season, and the conversation this spring was about which players would emerge from a deep pool of now mostly proven options.

Domann is the marquee name on the list after leading the team in tackles (58), tackles for loss (6.5), forced fumbles (2), and pass breakups (5) last year and posting some ridiculous numbers during winter strength and conditioning.

But guys like Garrett Nelson (4.0 TFL), Caleb Tannor (2.0 sacks), and Pheldarius Payne (2.0 TFL, 1.0 sack) also return to NU a solid two-deep. There’s also Damian Jackson, who earned a scholarship last season and is one of the top leaders on the team.

There’s also excitement over the potential of younger players like Isaac Gifford, Javin Wright, Blaise Gunnerson, and Jimari Butler.

The numbers and production are there for the Huskers’ outside linebackers to take another big step forward in 2021.

It seems like a decade ago that Randy Gregory was wreaking havoc in opponents’ backfields off the edge for Nebraska.

Since Gregory moved on in 2015, the Huskers have desperately searched for someone else to step up and provide that same consistent pass rush. But, unfortunately, they haven’t come close to finding one.

Only Khalil Davis (eight in 2019) has posted more than 5.5 sacks in a season since Gregory left. Gregory had 17.5 sacks in his two seasons as a Husker alone, including 10.5 in 2013.

Is there a player capable of breaking that trend this season?

Domann and Tannor would seem to be the top candidates, but neither has done much to back that up. Domann didn’t record a single sack last season, while Tannor has 5.5 sacks over the past three years.

But what NU might lack in individual star power at edge rusher, it could make up for with a collective effort at the position. Tannor, Nelson, and Payne combined for 4.5 sacks in 2020, and Domann did have 2.5 sacks and 9.0 TFL in 2019.

All that matters is that Nebraska finds a way to get to the quarterback and disrupt opposing passing games with steady pressure. Can the Huskers accomplish that by committee? Or will someone finally step up and come close to Gregory’s impact?

Yes, the fact that Domann is a great athlete is hardly a surprise. And he barely even participated during spring practices while recovering from a minor injury.

But when the Huskers finally released some of their winter testing numbers after the Spring Game, it proved Domann was a legitimate athletic freak.

At 6-foot-1, 237.5 pounds, the sixth-year senior ranked in the team’s top-10 in the 10-yard dash (1.60 seconds), pro agility (3.97), and vertical jump (36.5 inches).

What makes Domann’s numbers even more impressive is that he achieved them while weighing the most since he’s been at Nebraska. After coming in as a 206-pound freshman in 2016, Domann has put on more than 30 pounds of muscle.

He’s now even seven pounds heavier than the 230 he was listed at on NU’s initial 2021 roster.

For a guy that size to be running and jumping the way Domann did this winter furthers emphasizes the type of weapon the Blackshirts have at their disposal this season.

As good as Nebraska feels about its most known commodity at outside linebacker in Domann, it’s also counting on several younger players to develop in a big way this offseason.

Nelson, Payne, and Tannor have all shown flashes, but the Huskers are going to need all three to take their games to the next level.

Even more intriguing are some of the younger guys coming up the ranks. Gifford has earned plenty of praise as potentially the next in line after Domann moves on, while Wright is another versatile piece at that hybrid spot.

Gunnerson also garnered some attention this spring after redshirting his first year in 2020. The former three-star had three tackles and a sack for the White squad against the top offense on the Red in the Spring Game.

Butler is another second-year freshman who has NU excited. He, too, had a sack in the Spring Game on the White team.