Spring preview: Huskers must find one new starter in the secondary

The Nebraska football team is scheduled to officially start spring practice on Tuesday, Mar. 30, as the Big Red will go five straight weeks before wrapping things up with the May 1 Red-White spring game.

As we get closer to the start of spring practice, it’s time to take an in-depth look at each position group.

Today we breakdown the secondary heading into spring practice.

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

Starters Cam Taylor-Britt, Deontai Williams and Marquel Dismuke all return for Nebraska this spring.

The only real question now is finding a replacement for Dicaprio Bootle at corner.

Right now it appears four different players are in the mix for this position, as Nadab Joseph, Quinton Newsome, Braxton Clark and incoming prep school recruit Marques Buford should all get a look this spring.

After that, Myles Farmer, Noa Pola Gates and Isaac Gifford all figure to factor in at safety behind Williams and Dismuke, who chose to come back for a sixth season in 2021.

Getting Dismuke and Williams back should go a long way in establishing the depth at the safety position for years to come.

Joseph was a late arrival to Nebraska in 2020. He didn’t get a spring or a traditional off-season to learn the system.

Luckily 2020 was a free year, and he was able to get some minimal playing time on special teams after being ruled eligible a couple of games into the season.

The former Alabama and Georgia commit from high school is one of the most intriguing players to watch this spring at corner.

I think we will have a pretty good idea by May 1 what type of player Joseph is going to be at Nebraska.

One of the real surprises for Nebraska in their 2020 recruiting class was freshman Isaac Gifford, who initially had to come to Nebraska as a walk-on for one semester.

Gifford ended up being a core special teams player, as he led the Big Red in snaps played at 112 according to PFF. He was also second in overall tackles made on special teams, only behind Williams.

Looks for Gifford to make a push this spring for more playing time and put himself in a position to be a starter in the future after 2021.

As for Buford, he was the nation’s No. 1 ranked prep school player according to Rivals. At 6-foot, 190 pounds, he’s going to get a good look to earn playing time at cornerback this spring.