The Florida freshmen primed to impact Nebraska’s season

Across the Atlantic Ocean, Florida State and Georgia Tech began the year with a thrilling matchup played in Dublin, Ireland. Just two years ago, it was Nebraska that drew the national spotlight during a game that included an infamous failed onside kick and late-game collapse.

There will be fewer eyeballs on NU’s season opener this time around, but there’s still plenty of pressure for a Nebraska football team with high expectations for itself. Let’s drop into coverage:

Head coach Matt Rhule likes the class of freshmen who’ve gone through their first fall camp with the Huskers. From wide receiver Carter Nelson to defensive lineman Keona Davis and kicker Nico Ottomanelli, several of NU’s freshmen have drawn praise from their coaches throughout camp — but none more so than the freshmen from the Sunshine state.

Those players include linebackers Vincent Shavers and Willis McGahee IV, defensive back Amare Sanders and wide receiver Jacory Barney Jr.

While all the freshmen newcomers will face an uphill battle to earning playing time, the 6-foot, 170-pound Barney brings a different skillset to the wide receiver room than perhaps any other Husker.

“I literally have to yell at Jacory every day in walkthrough to slow it down; he has one speed and one speed only,” Rhule said last week.

Sanders, a promising cornerback prospect, was among the true freshmen Rhule said he expects will play this season. So is Shavers, a player who could be a future difference-maker at Nebraska’s inside linebacker position. With Javin Wright out for the time being, Shavers’ path to playing time has also become clearer.

Defensive back Larry Tarver Jr. has been limited during portions of fall camp while McGahee is one of NU’s top backups at the Jack linebacker position. Dwight Bootle II, a Miami native who redshirted last season, is another young Floridian whose potential stands out at cornerback.

“I love players from the state of Florida and I love players from the 305,” Rhule said. “They play football like they’re out playing Pop Warner football, they just love it.”

More than any other opponent on Nebraska’s schedule this season, it will be a challenge for the Huskers to craft a game plan for the UTEP Miners.

A lack of game film to prepare from is what the Nebraska coaching staff will be dealing with. Of course, the Huskers can watch any of UTEP’s 2023 games — but how valuable is that when a new coaching staff turned over half the roster and returns only a handful of starters?

Instead, much of the game preparation has required watching film for an opponent the Huskers will never face: FCS program Austin Peay. First-year UTEP head coach Scotty Walden brought over much of his coaching staff from Austin Peay along with 10 players who’d developed under his leadership.

Combined with other incoming transfers from around the country, that mixture of talent poses a challenge for Nebraska’s knowledge of what to expect in its season opener.

“As you watch UTEP’s personnel, you might be watching an Eastern Kentucky player, then you’re watching an UTEP player, an Austin Peay player and a player from Florida state as you prepare personnel-wise,” Rhule said. “And then you’re watching Austin Peay film and you’re trying to extrapolate it back to the players they have, so there’s a lot of work to be done.”

UTEP expects to debut a new-look offense after averaging just 19.9 points per game last year — a mark that did exceed NU’s yearly average of 18 points scored per game. A more up-tempo offense is what the Miners are hoping to build, but with an entirely new offensive line and new players at the skill positions, their ability to execute the offense remains to be seen.

The advantage of a veteran-heavy, compact offensive line unit cannot be understated. There’s a reason why offensive linemen work hard to build off-the-field chemistry by hanging out together, studying film and eating as a unit: because togetherness has to be built over time.

With only one newcomer to Nebraska’s projected starting offensive line, guard Micah Mazzccua, the team’s 2024 offensive line should be one of the most experienced groups in the Big Ten.

It helps that Nebraska is anchored at its tackles by a 41-game starter on the right in Bryce Benhart while Turner Corcoran has made 31 career starts. Senior center Ben Scott also has 39 starts to his name during his time at Arizona State and Nebraska.

“We’ve got a lot of old guys in our room which pays off in the long run, because we’ve seen a lot of looks and we’ve played a lot of football,” Corcoran said. “We’re always bouncing ideas off each other’s heads, just talking to coach Donny (Raiola) because he’s a smart coach, and at the end of the day we’re all collectively trying to get better.”

The conversations within Nebraska’s offensive line room often revolve around how to block a certain look or react to defensive changes.

And while the veterans are the ones leading the conversation, that knowledge is being passed down too. Corcoran said that young tackles such as Gunnar Gottula and Grant Seagren sit behind him and Teddy Prochazka during film sessions, often asking questions which the veterans are happy to answer from their own experience.

During the most recent episode of the “Chasing 3” documentary series chronicling Nebraska football’s fall preparation, Rhule stood in front of the Husker roster and delivered a key message about how players should approach fall camp.

“If you’re in this room you’re a good player; you just might not be as experienced or you might not be putting as much work in or you might need a little more time,” Rhule told the team. “Trust yourself to embrace the adversity and make sure you guys are freaking attacking these weeks.”

Rhule’s words may have resonated with certain players — but equally as illuminating was what he didn’t say. Projected onto a screen behind Rhule were three key goals the Huskers have laid out:

* Win the turnover battle

* Most physical team in football

None of these are new concepts — the NU coaching staff has stressed them for months — but it’s about time to see if those goals are reflected on the field.

After Nebraska football handed out its single-digit jersey numbers last week, several other Huskers have changed their number in advance of the season opener. Players with new jersey numbers include:

* Punter Brian Buschini will now wear No. 13 after previously playing in the No. 18 jersey.

* Defensive back Derek Branch has taken the No. 24 jersey previously worn by Marques Buford.

* Defensive back Taveon Thompson has shifted to No. 39, dropping his former No. 19 jersey.

* Wide receiver Malachi Coleman has allowed quarterback Dylan Raiola to retain the No. 15 jersey and is now listed as No. 80 instead. Senior Jahmal Banks had worn No. 80 prior to receiving a single-digit jersey.

* Tight end Eric Ingwerson has taken the No. 82 jersey, a previously open number on the NU roster, while wide receiver Quinn Clark has done the same and will now wear No. 89.

* Defensive lineman Dylan Parrott has moved into the No. 99 jersey. The number was last worn by Ty Robinson during the 2022 season.