Veteran OL Trent Hixson’s ‘giant leap’ this spring leaves Frost, Huskers feeling good about center spot | Football

Injuries to a couple of key young players in tackles Teddy Prochazka and Turner Corcoran took away new offensive line coach Donovan Raiola’s ability to see all of the different combinations he’ll potentially have at his disposal this fall.

The Huskers may have answered one key question about the group, though, over the past five weeks. An important summer and, possibly, a new candidate or two, are still ahead, but coach Scott Frost on Saturday sounded like a guy who felt good about the post-Cam Jurgens era at center.

And it’s an old, familiar face that staked his claim on the job.

Sixth-year veteran Trent Hixson by all accounts impressed in his audition for the role after spending the 2021 season as the No. 2 center behind Jurgens and eventually starting three games at left guard.

In fact, Frost spoke very highly of him after the Red-White Spring Game over the weekend and thinks Raiola’s teaching methods have helped spur him forward.

“Trent’s had a really good spring,” Frost said. “(Ethan) Piper behind him had a really good spring, too. A lot of what those guys are doing up front has helped them. I think it’s just kind of taken the handcuffs off of them and let them go. Trent’s one of the guys I would highlight that has really taken a giant leap forward.

“I feel good about that position with those two guys.”

Several others on the roster have at least taken reps there, including junior Nouredin Nouili. With Piper out due to an apparent left hand injury on Saturday, walk-on Ian Boerkircher centered the No. 2 offensive line.

For Hixson, a return to the starting lineup would be a long time coming. He got part-time work in 2021 after not playing much in 2020. A former walk-on from Omaha Skutt, Hixson was put on scholarship before the 2019 season and he started all 12 games that fall at left guard.

The 6-foot-4, 320-pounder is regarded as one of the smartest players on the team and now he’s among the oldest, too. He earned his undergraduate degree in accounting almost a year ago. Not only that, but during the spring game he was joined on the top group by fellow sixth-year senior Broc Bando at right guard.

“I think center fits my body type and I can lead the guys, too, so it’s kind of a double-whammy there,” Hixson said last week.

Of a burgeoning leadership role, Hixson said, “You’ve just got to do some of the uncomfortable stuff that you haven’t been doing in the past to make sure everybody’s on the same page.”

If Raiola, Frost and the Huskers do ultimately think they can win Big Ten games with Hixson manning the middle, it would have a potential impact on one or both tackle spots, too, because of Corcoran.

The talented sophomore is a player Frost said at the outset of spring ball the staff believes can play any of the five positions. He suffered an injury during preseason camp last year and struggled mightily at left tackle before shifting over to the right side, steadying out a bit and kicking back to left tackle after Prochazka’s season-ending injury on Oct. 9. Corcoran will need to make a big jump this year, but he’s got plenty of talent.

“Those two kids are going to work their tails off,” Frost said of the pair’s potential return this summer. “They’re not that far away, so they’ll be back in the mix real soon.”

Even if their health becomes a nonissue by the time the regular season starts, the Huskers will likely be looking for a tackle in the transfer portal this spring and summer, but if Hixson locks up the center job, Corcoran could be a contender for the right tackle job. Or, if Prochazka isn’t fully healthy and ready to roll when camp opens, Corcoran could man the left side and provide insurance there.

Neither of those options would have been available if the Husker staff thought they needed Corcoran to step in at center over the summer and start there come hell or high water, the way they did with Jurgens in 2019.

Perhaps they’ll try Corcoran in the middle anyway, to see how he takes to the spot, if nothing else. But one of the questions answered this spring apparently is if the Huskers’ middle man for 2022 is already on the roster, and the answer appears to be a welcome “Yes.”