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Nebraska football spring practices have been going on for two weeks. We have our early takeaways, talk recruiting, and also look at the latest roster movement for Nebraska basketball. #huksers #gbr
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Hey Husker fans, welcome to another episode of the Husker Big Red podcast with Chris Peterson
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and Danny Gillette. As always, Go Big Red! Good morning Husker fans and welcome back to the Husker Big Red YouTube channel
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I'm Chris Peterson and joining me is Danny Gillette and we're back here on a Monday morning
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to talk some Nebraska Cornhuskers. We have a lot of spring ball action going on, a lot of stuff going on in the world of
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basketball, whether it's the transfer portal or coaching moves or the NCAA tournament
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so we're going to touch on all that stuff. Before we do, make sure that you guys like this video, get into the comments section
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and please do us a favor and hit subscribe to the channel
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Make sure that you don't miss any of our content going forward. We are the channel for hardcore Husker fans
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So Danny, how are you doing this morning, man? Good, it's been a little bit since we've had a show, but a lot of news and it's the first
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week of April so time is flying and I'm excited to get back into it
0:58
Yeah, there's been a lot of nuggets released with spring football, a little more stuff
1:03
coming out. There's been a lot of, actually the Huskers have put out a lot of videos and stuff, they've
1:10
had the spring league, so they've put out a lot of things compared to other programs
1:15
which really don't put out much of anything. So Nebraska fans really should count themselves lucky and the footage and the highlights and
1:22
the access that they're given by the team. Yeah, for sure, and Coach Rule mentioned something that he wants to have at least 100 visitors
1:33
on sideline for each game. So that just shows that he's willing to invite the alumni back and we saw some alumni at
1:42
practice last week, Coach Osborne, Jay Foreman, there were a couple other names as well
1:50
It's good to see former players coming back and former coaches coming back and checking
1:55
out this year's iteration of the program. Yeah, and they had the coaches clinic, Bill Belichick was in town, Tom Osborne, sounds
2:04
like the coaching staff, spent a lot of time with Bill Belichick and that was kind of interesting
2:09
and a good chance to pick his brain. I feel like spending four or five hours with Coach Belichick can't hurt
2:18
Even though things didn't work out at the end in New England, he's still, in my opinion
2:22
the greatest football coach of all time. So I don't think that's going to hurt the Huskers going forward at all
2:27
As long as they didn't ask him for any general manager advice, they're fine
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That's ultimately what did him in in New England, but as a coach, he's still, in my opinion
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one of the best. So yeah, there was a star-studded week on campus this week and it just adds to the excitement
2:47
of spring ball. We've heard a lot of nuggets coming out of spring ball, a lot of recruiting news too
2:55
So even in the offseason, things are always moving. Yeah, there was some, Chase Loftin was on campus this weekend, Jackson Carpenter
3:04
Of course, Chase Loftin's visited a bunch of different schools, was at Texas A&M, he's
3:08
going to Florida State and Miami this weekend. So Christian Jones, I think, was at USC this weekend, he was just at Texas A&M
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He's one that I'm watching to see if he'll make a visit at some point this spring
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If not, like I've said before, that probably would worry me. But overall, I think Nebraska's in a pretty good place with most of their top targets
3:31
They've really been trending up with Jack Lang, the four-star offensive tackle from Missouri
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So I think it's probably them and Michigan. Missouri's in there too, but it seems like Notre Dame, who was the favorite, has kind
3:44
of fallen off there. They haven't gotten an official visit. And I think Brian Munson from Husker Online said he didn't expect Notre Dame to get an
3:52
official visit. So if that's the case, then that bolts Nebraska right near the top of the Jack Lang leaderboard
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in my opinion. And Carpenter's taking an official visit. Jackson Carpenter is on June 21st
4:05
And in addition to Christian Jones, John Mills was also having dinner with the Husker coaches
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last night. A three-star offensive tackle, 6'6", 330 pounds, from San Francisco, California
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A member of the class of 2025, ranked 88 numerically per the 24-7 sports rankings
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39th overall player in California. So they're staying busy. And I'm happy to see all these official visits coming to fruition
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And I'm kind of curious about Carpenter, because he's a guy that I think three stars
4:41
might be a little bit low for him. I think he's going to get a fourth one in short order. He's extremely talented
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And I'm happy Nebraska's going to get him in for an official visit as well
4:51
Yeah, it'll be tough with where he's at. I think he's like 8 in the 800s
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So I mean, I could see maybe getting into the 500s or 600s. They just seem to disrespect kids
5:01
So he's probably going to be in that three-star range. I think he just ran like a 10-4-5 in the 100
5:06
I think he just set a school record. So I know Kansas has been really on him too
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I mean, this is a Nebraska-Kansas recruiting battle right now, which sounds kind of weird
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But with Lance Leipold, I mean, Kansas is much more formidable. So I mean, Nebraska's done a good job, I think, in this one
5:22
They're getting him back for another visit. And I mean, all the crystal balls and stuff right now are in Nebraska's favor
5:29
So I mean, I would give them the edge. I just think it's going to be tough to beat that rule out for in-state recruits
5:34
I know they've lost a few over the past few years. But you can even see he's adjusted his strategy a little bit
5:39
I mean, he's offering these guys from Omaha Central in the 2027 class
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Like, he's really making sure that Nebraska is the first offer for
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kids that they're trying to prioritize in the state. And I just think it's going to be very tough, like with Chase Lofton
5:52
And even with Jones, I just think Nebraska, with how they were able to pull it out with Nellie Coleman and
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Carter Nelson, they've been able to win these national recruitments for in-state guys
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And we'll see if that continues, but it's not going to be easy to get guys out of the state of Nebraska, I believe that
6:10
It's not, and like you said, Roll's done a good job of trying to get players from Omaha Central
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They just offered a 2027 running back the other day. And so I think, like you said, they have a strategy, they're trying to execute it
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And they're kind of figuring out where their bread is buttered. And I think sometimes that's more important than just putting out
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offers that you don't know if it will stick or not. And so yeah, it is good to see them come up with a solid recruiting strategy
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And also recognize and continue to recognize, I should say, that there's a lot of talent in the state and they're not missing out on
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at least offering these kids because there is a lot of talent coming up
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And there has been a lot of talent over the last two or three years
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Yeah, I think they're doing a nice job there. I feel like they're in a good spot with a lot of guys across their board
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So now that we've talked a little bit of recruiting, I just wanted to, we're a couple weeks through of spring practice here
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We got about three weeks left. There's gonna be scrimmages this Saturday, the April 20th
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And then of course, the next three Saturdays, there's gonna be scrimmages with
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the spring game that we'll actually get to watch on April 27th. So what are some of your takeaways from spring ball so
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far through these first two weeks? Jalen Lloyd is gonna be a stud
7:39
And we already kind of saw it last year, but he keeps getting recognition from the coaching staff
7:45
That speed and his playmaking ability, I don't think he's gonna suffer a sophomore slump
7:50
I think he's gonna be a really good wide receiver. And I know we talked about Jamal Banks and Isaiah Nayor as the kind of veteran
7:57
transfer wide receivers, kind of stepping in and adding a spark to that room
8:02
Well, I think some of the spark is gonna come from guys in the program and Lloyd is one of them
8:07
I mean, he caught two touchdown passes from Daniel Kaelin at the scrimmage that the team had on Saturday
8:15
So I'm really excited to see what he can do in his second act as a member of
8:20
the Nebraska program. And I just remember that 73 yard touchdown against Purdue where he absolutely
8:27
toasted the defense and hoping we see more of that. And actually there was just a video put out yesterday by the program with
8:36
Briola finding Lloyd for a touchdown in the back of the end zone during practice
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So I'm hoping that's a connection we see quite a bit in the future
8:48
Yeah, it seems like those guys are on the same, I think they're on the same spring league team
8:52
I mean, they can change teams and stuff so it can be fluid. But they had a highlight from the other day where he threw a pass to Jalen Lloyd
8:58
in the back of the end zone as well. And I mean, people forget this, but yet he was the only player in the Big Ten
9:03
outside of Marvin Harrison Jr. had three 50 yard touchdown receptions or longer
9:07
And that was with the worst quarterback situation in college football. I mean, that's not being mean
9:13
Nebraska had the worst quarterback situation in college football last year, at least in the Power Five
9:18
So he was a playmaker. And yeah, I think that this wide receiver group, honestly
9:23
I mean, there's been a lot of talk about quarterbacks. But this might be the most talent Nebraska's had a wide receiver in a very
9:28
long time. And you look at, Nayor and Banks are gonna be right there
9:31
But yeah, you mentioned Jalen Lloyd. Demetrius Bell is by stock on him right now
9:37
Because look, the reason Nebraska took him is academically, he had to redshirt last year
9:42
And that kind of kept him in play for the Huskers. Not as many teams were willing to wait on him to take that redshirt year
9:48
But man, it's worth it and he's gonna play this year. He's gonna play a lot
9:52
And then you throw Malachi Coleman in that mix, like man, that's five really good wide receivers
9:57
And then you've got Garcia Castaneda, the freshman, Dave Van Hall, McMorris, some of those guys, Jadon Doss
10:05
Like there's a ton of depth, but that top five, I think is gonna be as good as
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Nebraska's maybe had ever in terms of just talent, game breaker. I mean, cuz you've got size, you've got guys who can do it in the slot
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you've got electrifying speed. And I mean, I just think that that deserves more conversation than it's
10:21
getting is just how good and how deep this receiver room is right now
10:25
Well, I think when you have a quarterback that can throw incredible passes
10:30
that helps as well. But this receiver group is very deep, like you said
10:34
And I think it speaks to how quickly this program was able to build depth back up
10:44
And I think it also speaks to the type of recruiter Garrett McGuire is
10:51
as well as Matt Rule, obviously. But people were kind of questioning McGuire's coaching at times last season
10:58
But there's no doubt he's a good recruiter. And I'm confident that once we get the quarterback in place
11:06
everything else will look good on offense, in my opinion. And so I think, like you said, Lloyd, Bell, Coleman
11:15
And you talk about depth, Coleman's struggling with injuries right now, unfortunately
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And you don't necessarily have to rush him back when you have depth like we have
11:27
right now at the wide receiver position. And that's not always a luxury that we've had
11:31
So that's good as well. You can kind of let players get into the game at their own pace
11:38
and when they're ready, and when they're healthy. And you don't have to rely on this one guy to get the job done
11:44
whether he's hurt or not. And that's something that was an issue in past coaching regimes
11:50
And I don't think that's gonna be an issue here. So what are your thoughts on the quarterback situation
11:58
the quarterback play so far this spring? I'd still make Raiola my starter
12:03
I mean, but Danny Kaelin, there is a drop off from Raiola to Kaelin
12:09
but I don't think it's a bad drop off. I mean, Raiola is one of the best quarterbacks in the country
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I mean, and I don't think Danny Kaelin is kind of getting talked about enough
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I mean, I still think, you know, Damon Benning talked about this on his podcast last week
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You know, he was impressed with Kaelin's movement in the pocket, quick feet, you know, quick arm
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And I think the quarterback position is in a good place right now
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I really do. And, you know, that's not to say that there won't be, you know, highs and lows
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But, you know, I think Matt Rules talked about having the two freshmen
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ready to go by the time the season starts. You know, they've worked with Glenn Thomas, you know
12:51
throughout the course of spring and throughout the, you know, these last couple of weeks
12:57
And so I think the quarterback position, both in terms of, you know
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starting potential right now, as well as future development, is as good as it's been in, I don't know, five or six years
13:11
Yeah, I think, yeah. I mean, I've said, you know, many times I think Raiola coming in here
13:15
as the most talented quarterback Nebraska's ever had throwing the ball. And I don't think there's been anything to dissuade me from that takeaway
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you know, in the first couple of weeks of spring ball. I mean, there's been reports of him, you know, throwing the ball without
13:29
you know, any trouble in 30 mile an hour winds, which I think is a great sign for
13:34
you know, the cold weather games that we've seen, you know, that we tend to see in Lincoln, you know, October, November
13:40
You know, it's going to help to have somebody who can whip the ball through that wind
13:43
You know, just the accuracy, the ease with which he throws the football
13:47
I mean, if people had a chance to watch the video they put out with Glenn Thomas last night, though, I would, you know
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if you haven't had a chance to watch it, you definitely should. It's on huskyabigred.com if you haven't had a chance
13:58
You know, I have the little post up about it. But I thought it gave a good look inside to the quarterback competition a little
14:03
bit more than you would see from any other program. Like, trust me, you're not, like Michigan's having a quarterback
14:07
competition and I haven't seen, you've seen, I've seen one throw, like two throws from a quarterback all year, all spring
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So Nebraska is giving a lot of access that a lot of other programs wouldn't
14:17
And I think that was really cool. And the thing that stood out to me about Daniel Kalin is, man, that dude is big
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He is a big dude and he can throw the football like he's ready
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I mean, him and Dylan Rayola look ready to play college football right now
14:30
And I mean, Heiner Carberg's there too. And like I've said, I feel like he can have a role running the football and just
14:35
kind of being that mentor type. But I mean, it's going to be fun to watch these two guys develop
14:40
And I just, I thought it was interesting that, Matt Rule, when he was talking about the quarterbacks and how I try not to put out the depth
14:49
chart, but if they really want to know, he kind of made it out like he's kind of
14:53
been more transparent with them. And, but I just thought it was interesting. He said, we've never not played a great player ever
15:01
So I mean, to me, that's kind of saying like if you've got
15:05
if Nebraska's got two really good quarterbacks, they're going to find a way to play them. And I think that that might be the case here over the next couple of years
15:11
And it was interesting to read about, you know, Harburg having an improved throwing emotion over the course of this offseason
15:18
which I think is, you know, pretty interesting. Maybe that's from working with Glenn Thomas
15:22
Maybe, you know, that's just from working on it, but at the same time
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it shows that he's, you know, working to improve as well. He's not, oh man, I'm not going to start
15:31
There's two guys ahead of me, blah, blah, blah. He's still trying to, you know, make a name for himself in the room and
15:36
work hard. And, you know, it's really interesting to hear, to not hear anything from him
15:42
He's been a tremendous sport as it goes with this quarterback room
15:47
And he seems like a really good teammate and a guy that I want to have on my
15:50
roster in the quarterback room. So even if, you know, the odds may be stacked against him at the position
15:57
the way he's handled it and the way he continues to work hard is certainly commendable
16:02
And like, I mean, last year, Nebraska was really good, you know, with the quarterback running the football
16:06
And I think Harvard could do that again. And there's lots of, you know, he showed he can complete that belly option pass. I mean
16:12
the teams are going to put like nine, 10 guys up to the line of scrimmage to stop the run. Like, okay
16:17
we'll play action and throw a ball deep. Like I think Nebraska should have that, you know, kid or that play in its playbook, you know
16:23
because I really do think that, you know, especially with the running backs
16:28
I mean, they're, you know, I still, there's, there's still a little bit of a lack of depth there. And I just think, you know
16:33
they're going to need Heinrich Harvard, you know, to help run the football. I mean, and I think he could be a weapon in short yardage situations
16:39
especially if he's fresh. I mean, last year we saw him get worn down, but that's because they literally were running him 20 times a game. I mean
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if you, if you narrow that down to five or six times a game, you know
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I think he could be really effective in that role. And if teams do overplay the run, like he used, he's
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he started in one five games as the quarterback last year. And I know it didn't look pretty all the time, but if they overplay it
17:00
like he can beat you with play action. He's done it before. And the only reason why I laughed was just because I can remember some plays
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where, you know, the defender went absolutely unblocked and Harburg would get
17:11
absolutely smacked before he even got out of the backfield. So he's tough as nails too. He's tough as nails
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And that goes a long way too. And, you know, I think, I think, you know
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the way he handled everything last year, just being asked to run a ton, you know
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he did a solid job and, you know, I think it's going to be important
17:31
Like you said, with the depth of running back, you know, Harburg's emergence, maybe not so much as a passing quarterback
17:39
but as a continued, you know, gifted athlete and solid runner is going to be important as well
17:46
Yeah. It'll be interesting to see in how Nebraska uses all those guys, how they use all their weapons at receiver. But, you know
17:51
there has been a lot of positives on the defensive side of things too. I mean
17:55
we've seen, you know, Ethan Nation come up with some big plays. Malcolm Hartsog, you know, made a big interception the other day
18:01
Riley Van Poppel had a pick six, was dropping back into coverage. So, I mean, guys are making plays on that side of the ball
18:07
I think the secondary is in a great spot, you know, with some of the young guys that are coming up there and, you know
18:13
I feel like they're really settled with some of their starters, linebacker
18:17
I mean, I just feel like that there's tangible depth at all three, you know
18:20
levels of this defense, whether it's edge defensive tackle. And if you're talking about Jack linebacker, I mean, yeah
18:26
maybe you could see, you know, like a Dylan Rogers or some other guys step up at linebacker
18:30
but Vincent Shavers has been off the charts. So, you know, Dylan Rogers might've got passed up because it seems like, I mean, heck
18:37
I think, you know, Vincent Shavers right now could be pushing past maybe Stephon Thompson on the
18:42
linebacker depth chart. I don't want to get ahead of myself too much, but. Well, I don't think that's a stretch because Thompson
18:47
I heard didn't really show up too well in terms of just conditioning and stuff
18:51
like that. So I think we're at the point too, just kind of circling it back to depth where if you're not ready
18:56
you're going to get passed up. Yeah. Cause I mean, Shavers, you know, Rogers
19:00
I mean, there's lots of guys there. And I mean, that's just another thing that I was thinking about too
19:05
is we have all these spring ball takeaways and stuff and stuff like that, but we do need to remember it's just spring ball and a lot can change in, you know
19:13
five, six months, because what were, what were our takeaways from last year after spring, right
19:17
We thought that Jeff Sims was pretty good quarterback after watching him play spring ball. And that was the worst, worst takeaway anybody's ever had ever
19:24
Cause he was not good. So I know we were so excited. I remember that we were so excited and yeah
19:29
we're going to go to the national championship and that fizzled out rather quickly, but I think, I don't think I said national championship
19:36
I said maybe a bowl game, but you know, I probably said like seven, eight wins though
19:43
I didn't think it was going to be like, I thought they would have a winning season. I thought Jeff Sims was actually going to be like that really that surprised me
19:51
And that's like what, you know, like he physically has the abilities. It just shows you like the mental side and the confidence when you lose that
19:57
like how, how bad it can go. Yeah. Well, you know, I mean
20:01
I'm kind of looking forward to this season, unlike somebody who posted a highlight and proceeded to say, well
20:07
we lost all the games after this one and we didn't make a bowl game. So that ruined my Sunday. Thanks Chris
20:12
Well, I was just surprised still looking back at that. It was the run back against Purdue. And I just, I said
20:18
at that moment in my size was like, I was like, Holy crap, we're going to a bowl game. Like the curse is over
20:23
Like personally that's probably what jinxed it, but I just, I don't know
20:26
I had that feeling. So, I mean, I just going back to that game, like in that
20:30
I was just thinking in that moment, there's no way from my fandom perspective that we were going to miss a bowl game
20:36
at that point. So I'm just, I still can't believe that we did, but I mean, that's what happens there. They're going to come back and make it this year
20:42
So, you know, it'll be all worth it at the end. I think. Have you heard a lot about Willis McGahee
20:48
I haven't heard a ton on him, but he's another guy who's watching. I haven't yet, but, but yeah, I definitely think he could have, I think
20:56
you know, he's probably going to play more of that Jack position. I think there's more guys probably ahead of him, but, but yeah
21:02
I'm really excited to what I've heard with the Shavers, especially like he
21:05
that that's a, that was a really good, like get for the Oscars. Miami's, you know
21:10
the hurricanes are at the level where they're recruiting, you know, top tier talent
21:14
but that doesn't mean that the kids that decommit or, you know
21:19
don't end up signing with the program are bad football players. And I think
21:23
you know, Shavers, for example, is a player that, you know, we, we really lucked out in getting
21:29
Yeah, definitely. Definitely lucked out there like we did Demetrius Bell. And I would not be surprised at all to see, you know
21:34
I think Vincent Shavers is probably going to play and he's not going to redshirt. I'll just say that
21:39
Nor should he, I mean, the best players on the field, Shavers is one of them
21:44
So on that note, we'll shift the last little part of the show here to talk about, you know
21:48
Nebraska basketball, the transfer portal, I guess, first we can touch on some of the big news that's happening in college
21:53
basketball with John Calipari going to Arkansas, which is a whole thing
21:58
You know, it's hilarious. It's hilarious that you know, two weeks ago he was fighting for his job at Kentucky
22:04
And now that the Tyson food Walmart money has come out in full influx
22:09
he's taking the Arkansas job. And I don't know, man, I mean, Arkansas, you know
22:12
won a national championship there under Nolan Richardson, I want to say, you know
22:16
and they had 40 minutes of hell back in the nineties. So it's, it's possible
22:20
And if the NIL money truly is behind coach Cal, like that would be hilarious kind
22:24
of to see, you know, Arkansas go up and then Kentucky go down
22:29
But I feel like, you know, a lot of Kentucky fans are probably, although they're not probably not happy that they lost coach Cal to Arkansas
22:35
I think they are happy that he's moving on. Yeah. And you know, it's kind of an interesting move because, you know
22:42
just like a week, a week or so ago, the athletic director said that Cal Perry was staying and now he's gone. So
22:48
you know, it's, it's, it's interesting because he can always recruit. That's never been the problem. He can't win. He can't win when it matters
22:55
So I don't know. We'll see. Will he be able to get the same level of recruits Arkansas as he did Kentucky
23:02
I don't know. But I think if I'm a Kentucky fan, while you don't want to lose a good recruiter like Cal Perry, and you know
23:11
he's probably one of the best coaches of all time. I think it was time for a change
23:16
And I think Kentucky is still in an still an attractive job no matter who's the
23:20
coach. I mean, it's Kentucky, you talk about blue bloods and, you know
23:24
stuff like that. And, you know, I think Kentucky is still going to be an attractive job
23:29
Nate Oates was a guy that I heard on the message boards kind of as a rumor to
23:34
take the job. You know, a lot of my Kentucky friends want, you know
23:39
a Danny Hurley type coach, but we'll see who Kentucky can bring in
23:43
because you can bring in as much talent as you want as a coach, but if you can't do much with it, I mean, then what good is it
23:50
And we saw some of the rosters that Cal had at Kentucky
23:54
They were absolutely loaded and he only managed one national title out of it
23:58
So I think it was in the best interest of everybody to move on and we'll see
24:02
what he does at Arkansas for sure. I didn't expect, you know
24:07
such a lateral in conference move, but, you know, college basketball is full of surprises
24:15
Yeah. We'll see if he shifts to more of the, you know, goes to more of the transfer portal
24:19
Cause being young in college basketball, this isn't a great thing right now. And the one, and that's the thing like with, you know, women's basketball
24:26
like, you know, the Caitlin Clark and Paige Beckers, that that matchup is literally impossible in college basketball and men's
24:31
college basketball doesn't exist because the star players leave college basketball before their star players, they're the one and done's all the players
24:38
that should be, should be great. You know, as juniors and sophomores, they're in the NBA and when they're in college, they're not that good
24:44
And that's why Cal has not had that much success. So I'm going to be interested to see if he, you know
24:49
shifts towards more of a transfer portal, you know, philosophy, and then they should have, you know, NIL money coming out the wazoo. They had
24:55
they got a bunch of transfers, you know, when you know, muscleman was there who's now at USC. So that'll be interesting. And then
25:02
you know, if I was Kentucky, man, I would definitely be going for, you know
25:06
yeah, NATO, but you know, Scott drew would be a guy, you know, Billy Donovan's probably sick of losing with the bulls. And then who, I mean
25:13
if none of those guys said, no, I would just call Rick Patino again. I don't think Danny Hurley's leaving Yukon for Kentucky
25:18
That makes no sense to me. Why would he do that? He's already, he's already got, you know, probably the best job in college basketball
25:25
maybe Jay, right. But I really don't think he's gonna, you know, I just don't see him leaving the TV realm at this point
25:31
So people were throwing Brad Stevens name out too. And I don't see him leaving his position with the Celtics. I mean, yeah
25:39
I don't see that happening now. But Billy Donovan, I think would be a good hire
25:44
You know, Scott drew would be my number one choice. If I was them, I would go for Scott drew and then probably NATO and then, you know
25:50
maybe Billy Donovan, but you know, like I said, as long as there's no, you know
25:54
dominoes that have any blowback with Fred Hoiberg, then I'm fine. And so probably
25:59
the only thing that would have me worried is if like Bill self leaves, cause there's already been talk of if Bill self leaves Kansas
26:05
they would maybe target Fred Hoiberg. So, you know, it's just, you just don't know how the dominoes are going to play out
26:11
but that's my only thought on it. I wouldn't worry. I wouldn't worry about Fred. And if, you know
26:16
if he were to leave, then, you know, I mean, it's hard to say no to Kansas
26:19
Let's be honest here. It really is hard. It's like, you talk about blue, blue blood programs. Kansas is one of them. And
26:27
so I wouldn't worry too much about Fred, but you never know
26:32
Yeah. I mean, you never do know. I mean, he's been putting in a lot of work, or trying to put in work, I guess, with the basketball program
26:39
So there was a big announcement last week. Obviously I'm sure that you guys have seen that, but you know
26:43
Bryce Williams, Juwan Gary have confirmed that they'll be back for next season. Rink mass has yet to do that. He's still weighing his options
26:50
He did an interview at the three point competition about KSA. And he mentioned, he talked about Nebraska is like a we in the future
26:56
but guys do that all the time. So, you know, I'm not, he sounded like a guy that's coming back, but still hasn't made a decision
27:02
So, you know, I'm not sure where that's going to line up, but that's
27:06
that's the biggest move. I mean, all the moves Nebraska could make in the portal or out of the portal
27:11
it's retaining rink mass is number one, because if you lose him, that to me
27:15
that really hurts, you know, this team going forward into next season. And just, you have to add, you know
27:21
you're losing to all conference, big 10 players, and you have to add another guy that like rink mass
27:25
And I just think that's asking a lot for sure. And, you know, I think I would
27:32
in my opinion, probably say that he is coming back, but you never know a college basketball. And, um
27:40
the fact that Gary and Williams are coming back is absolutely huge because Bryce
27:44
was just such a consistent scorer. You knew what you were going to get out of him every night. Um, you know, he
27:49
he, he kind of as a throwback player in the sense that he loved the mid range game and Gary was an excellent defender, both on the perimeter and, you know
27:56
in the paint when needed, uh, he brought a ton of energy, um
28:01
both in the starting lineup and, you know, off the bench. So, I mean
28:05
just the fact that they're back is going to be a good sign for this program and
28:09
we'll see what other, you know, dominoes fall and where things fit. Yeah. And there's, I would say, excuse me, I would, uh, yeah
28:16
if I had to put out a prediction, I would predict that rank mass would come back next year. I think he'll get
28:21
you know, he's probably getting pretty good NIL money in Nebraska and, um, you
28:25
know, wouldn't shock me, I guess, if he's thinking about a professional future to see him declared for the draft
28:29
like case they did last year, just to, you know, that would be the step to take if he's going to go pro he hasn't done that yet
28:36
either. So, I mean, I feel like he's going to be back. I just want to see it confirmed and then I'll feel a lot better about this team
28:42
but there are a couple, you know, feral pain. We've talked about him before, but he is supposed to be coming, you know, for a visit and in the coming weeks
28:49
not really a timeline set, but, you know, he's a really nice player. Um, doesn't
28:53
doesn't shoot, you know, much from deep, but, you know, scores well inside. I mean, I think average 10 points a game last year
28:58
and that's never a bad thing. And Nebraska has a wide open position at that four
29:03
spot. Um, and then also another Minnesota, for whatever reason they're transferring or targeting Minnesota guys
29:10
but Joshua Ola Joseph, I don't want to say Olaf, like the movie frozen
29:14
but at any rate, he is from Minnesota. It's used to the cold, but I'm six foot seven wing. Um, he played at 29 games last year
29:22
started 19, um, you know, shot 60% average 7.5 points. I mean, would be a nice guy to have a bigger wing, you know
29:30
on the perimeter for defensive purposes. That feels to me like a guy that's kind of like a CJ Wilcher type replacement
29:36
somebody who could come off the bench, which you do need. And that's the thing is not everybody can start
29:41
So you got to recruit guys from the portal that, you know, we're going to want to come off the bench a little bit. Um
29:45
so I'm interested to see how all those roles kind of play out. And then I guess the last thing Frankie Fidler did
29:51
did put Nebraska in his top four, um, Omaha, Wisconsin, or not Omaha
29:55
excuse me, Creighton, Wisconsin and Michigan state are the others. So I'm worried about Creighton. I'm also worried about Wisconsin too, because, um
30:05
you know, with some of the social media stuff he was posting with, uh, Chuckie Hepburn, uh, that definitely, you know, worried me. Um
30:12
so we'll see, that would be, you know, a pretty big domino to fall. If they could get, if they could get Frankie, but, um, you know
30:19
we'll see what happens. They do have to, they have to add some impact guys in the portal though, because you're losing Tomana. I mean, there's
30:24
that's kind of the elephant in the room is Tomana is out the door of all the other guys. You have to find a way to replace that production
30:31
And I think they're recruiting a lot of Minnesota guys. Cause you know, you watch how Minnesota played last season, they were scrappy, you know
30:37
they were kind of gritty that, you know, and they were similar to Nebraska in a lot of ways
30:41
And so I think that type of style is similar to what Nebraska plays
30:46
And so from that end, I think it makes sense why they're targeting so many, you know, Minnesota guys, just because of the way they play. And they
30:52
and they played tough defense as well. And they were very defense oriented team
30:56
And, uh, you know, they always gave Nebraska fits. So I definitely see why Fred is maybe trending towards more Minnesota transfers
31:05
And I think, um, you know, it's just, you, when you see a guy playing the big 10, I mean, you know, he can produce
31:11
cause like when you go, I mean, yeah, last year, you know, like Rick mass came from, you know, the Missouri Valley conference and yeah
31:17
he was great. Yeah. But there is always that, um, kind of that wonder, you know
31:23
like is this guy really going to make the next, you know, is he really gonna transition well to this conference? Um, it should be noted
31:29
They did get a prediction for Andrew Morgan, um, from North Dakota state last week from, um, you know, Robin washout
31:36
So that'll be interesting to see, um, how that kind of plays out
31:40
That worries me a little bit slightly because he seems to be a very similar
31:44
player to rank mass, but not that you can't have, you know, you need multiple bigs in the big 10. So, I mean
31:50
I don't think it's necessarily a sign rank isn't coming back, but you know
31:53
I would like to see a guy if possible that at that four spot with some shot
31:57
blocking ability, and that's not Andrew Morgan or rank mast. So Morgan's did the prediction on Morgan switch. Cause I saw at one point last week
32:05
he was predicted to go to Minnesota. Um, well there was, apparently there, there was something that happened where, you know
32:12
somebody thought he committed to Minnesota and he didn't. So, um, after his visit, yeah, this was, um, yeah
32:17
we reported a history of big red.com last week, but it was last like Wednesday that this happened. So
32:24
All right, cool. So yeah, cause things always move quickly and I wasn't sure on that one, but, um
32:30
yeah, there's a lot of movement in the transportal. Nebraska has been busy
32:34
So I'll be interested to see how this roster kind of, you know
32:39
shapes up. Frankie Fidler is a guy that worries me in terms of, you know
32:43
Creighton and even Wisconsin. I mean, the fact that they let Nick Janowski leave Wisconsin was, uh
32:51
you know, was, was surprising to me and of itself. And, you know, if Wisconsin wants somebody, you know
32:57
you usually have to work very hard to try to, you know, get him
33:01
get him to, uh, not at least be pursued by the Badgers. So
33:07
Fred has a lot of work to do, but I think, I think, you know
33:12
if there was a coach that needed to rebuild a program, Fred's the one to do it
33:16
And, um, you know, it, it is going to make me miss some of the other guys
33:20
I mean, seeing Casey just dominate the, uh, three point competition last week
33:27
just made me realize that we're not going to see him again on the court as a
33:32
Nebraska player. And I'm going to miss him and I'm going to miss, um
33:36
this past season's group. So, but it'll be exciting to see, you know
33:40
what Nebraska can come up with in a year that, you know, they really want to build off things. And, you know
33:45
now that Fred Hoiberg is going to, you know, in theory, by contract to be here for a long time
33:52
that definitely helps the program moving forward. Yeah. Fred's going to be here for a long time
33:57
And I think he's going to be the guy to end, uh, to finally get Nebraska over the hump and get an NCAA tournament win maybe
34:03
maybe next year. I mean, it's very possible. He's very good at the transfer portal and Nebraska's got NIL. I mean, you know
34:09
look, he got Casey out of the, you know, as a junior college transfer, rank mass, Bryce Williams, Juwan. I mean
34:14
a lot of the best players have come from the portal. I think he's going to start getting more, you know
34:19
high school recruits that are going to do well, you know, in the future, but, um, that's, that's what he's always done. He did it at Iowa state
34:26
It's what he's comfortable doing. And, uh, I think it's going to be fun to watch him, you know, build this roster, but you know, as long as rank mass comes back
34:32
I think the Rask is going to be an NCAA tournament team again. So that's, that's my thought there on basketball. Um, we'll wrap it up there
34:39
You guys will be back for another episode on a Wednesday. We'll have some more spring ball talk. I'm sure some recruiting stuff, uh
34:46
going to be the spring game coming up very soon or what less than 20 days away
34:49
now. So it's almost time to, uh, actually watch this team practice a little bit
34:53
So that's going to be a lot of fun. You should do a live stream or a reaction stream during the game. If you're
34:57
around. Yeah, we could definitely do something, I think, uh, for spring ball
35:01
So that'd be fun. Cause then, yeah, that'd be a lot of fun. And, uh, yeah
35:06
yeah, it's been, it'll be fun to watch these quarterbacks in this defense and just, you know
35:10
see the progress that Nebraska is making. It feels very real right now
35:14
but got to see it on the field. So we'll get that soon. And as always guys
35:18
make sure you like the video, hit the subscribe button and as always go big red
35:23
go big red
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