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Final takeaways from Nebraska's Crown championship | Nebraska football spring nuggets & recruiting
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Apr 8, 2025
We analyze what it means for Nebraska basketball to win the College Basketball Crown championship. We also discussed the departure of Hardley Gilmore, the offensive line, and the latest transfer portal pickup for the #Huskers. #GBR 00:57 What does The CROWN mean for Nebraska? 8:49 Fred Hoiberg strikes in the portal 17:35 Spring fooball nuggets 28:10 Nebraska on commitment watch?
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0:01
hey Husker fans welcome back to the Husker Big Red YouTube channel I'm Chris Peterson and joining me as always was my co-host Janney Gillette and we're back
0:08
here on this Monday morning after Nebraska basketball wins the first ever crown championship So we're going to
0:13
talk about that and what that means for you know this program for the legacies of guys like Bryce Williams and Jawan
0:19
Garry Uh Nebraska football made an instate offer this past week and are now training for a commitment So we'll break
0:24
that down um some spring nuggets and uh Freddy portal uh Fred Hoyberg strikes again in the portal So we'll talk about
0:30
all that Before we get into it please make sure that you uh hit the like button hit the subscribe button so you
0:35
don't miss any of our future content Get into the comments section And Danny how are you doing on this Monday morning after the crown has been Nebraska has
0:42
been crowned with the crown I'm doing well Uh I'm doing well It's been a busy couple days here for Nebraska but uh a
0:50
solid weekend capped off by the Crown tournament So I I really have no complaints on this Monday Yeah it was uh
0:58
you know we we did our last episode before the semi-finals with our live stream on Saturday and you know they
1:04
Nebraska played spectacular against Boise State I mean that was both the game we were kind of worried about and
1:09
they blitzed them offensively and then um got up by what 12 points against UCF
1:14
then were down by 14 and then got it back up by you know 10 12 points Ended up winning by 10 I think And yeah just
1:21
or 11 crazy crazy swings a wild swing But um the thing that stuck out to me they got down by 14 Jawan Gary got
1:28
knocked out of the game and you're thinking like man how are they going to come back from this And Jawan Gary came off the bench and man he he truly
1:34
sparked that comeback Uh just some incredible plays defensively And really the defense over the last 15 minutes
1:40
they only allowed 17 points to UCF So they clamped down and you know as much as Bryce Williams and Gary and some of
1:47
the guys offensively made great plays this defense I I'd have to look at the final numbers for yesterday but in the
1:52
first three games Nebraska allowed you know less than a point per possession and they probably were right you know on par with that yesterday So four days of
1:59
great defense is why Nebraska is bringing home this trophy Yeah and it made me kind of wonder why they couldn't
2:06
play like this during the regular season but you know it is what it is And I know a lot of other fans were feeling that
2:12
way as well but um the play of Kale Jacobson I know we talked about it in our live stream on Saturday a little bit
2:17
but again he he keeps showing up and uh he showed up in uh big moments over the
2:22
weekend And um also again Conor Siege and played at a high level so it makes
2:28
me wonder if he can you know be as consistent as he was this weekend u when
2:35
it comes time for next season and probably when he'll have a bigger role Yeah you look at uh Kale Jacobson too I
2:42
mean Bryce Williams picked up that fourth foul with like five or six minutes left And I think Nebraska was up by four points And Kale Jacobson came in
2:49
and you're kind of like uh this you know can they survive these few minutes without Bryce Williams And Kale Jacobson hadn't scored any points yet in the game
2:55
And he hits a three-pointer and scored you know scored a two So five huge points And to me when he hit that
3:01
three-pointer I was like okay Nebraska's winning this game And you know Connor Aijan made three in the second half um
3:07
you know he had two in that in that kind of 24-3 run that Nebraska was able to take the lead back and um yeah it just
3:14
was a really you know impressive performance too and I'm happy that Jawan got the MVP I mean on Saturday he was
3:20
four for four from three-point range so he had the high on um you know he had 20 points on uh Sunday he had 21 points on
3:27
Saturday incredible defense you know Bryce Williams played extremely well too obviously and it set the singles season
3:34
record for you know scoring passing James Palmer I mean just an incredible season for Bryce Williams thinking about
3:40
you know he set the single season record for for single game scoring for single season scoring and uh you know helps
3:46
this team You know you're looking back at his junior year he helped his team get to the NCA tournament You know Nebraska back-to-back 20 win seasons
3:52
which they hadn't done in decades winning a postseason championship So really you look at the legacy of Bryce
3:57
Williams and I think he goes down as one of the best Nebraska basketball players ever And um Joan Gary's not in that
4:03
conversation but he's still going to be to me one of the great fan favorites for Nebraska basketball of all time just
4:08
because Jawan Gary's a true junkyard dog and and I don't think that this team wins this championship without him And
4:14
you look I think Jawan Gary came in in 2022 if I'm not mistaken So he was part of the whole rebuilding process of the
4:21
last two Nebraska basketball teams and Bryce Williams um you know he was just
4:30
spectacular again and he's been spectacular this entire season and through his Nebraska basketball career
4:36
Uh he had a very you know he has a very efficient game in terms of scoring in
4:42
terms of getting to the line in terms of you know finishing around the rim and
4:48
you know always seeming to get that big bucket when you need it and his legacy
4:53
for Nebraska basketball is certainly a strong one And you know he may not have
4:59
been the most you know electric player in the sense like Casey Tomaga was and
5:05
everybody got excited about what he did but Williams was definitely you know one
5:10
of the most um prolific scorers for Nebraska basketball in recent memory
5:17
Yeah And this past weekend uh you know you mentioned it a few times going into it You know it was a big weekend for Connor Agen Well he came out he averaged
5:25
uh 13 points per game And you know after he went 0 for8 against Iowa 0 for 11
5:30
from the field um he went eight to 21 from the three-point line this week So um you know he really stepped up and
5:36
delivered Um you know especially in the game yesterday making four Um and you know and he had a nice little play too
5:43
where he in the second half um you know attacked the basket I thought he did a good job You know yesterday he made four
5:48
two-point field goals Um you know he made a few in the first game So I mean
5:53
he was five for five from two in the first game of this tournament So I mean in terms of you know him building on next season um he definitely did that
6:00
I'm glad to see him have a role I do I do think that there's a a good chance that Kale Jacobson is on this team as a
6:07
full scholarship player next year I mean why not at this point you're going to feels like you're going to have a not a
6:12
hard time filling out your roster but I mean after your first few transfers I just feel like this guy could help you
6:18
next year I mean defensively ball handling and and uh just you know another Sam Hyberg type I mean Kale
6:24
played what 30ome minutes the last three games So you know that'll be interesting to monitor that decision
6:31
Um and yeah I I think uh we can now focus on the future but you know looking
6:36
I did want to say about Fred Hoyberg like I think this this should be a reminder to fans like how lucky Nebraska
6:42
is to have this guy because frankly like Nebraska they did you know if it wasn't
6:47
for his ties you know his grandpa being the head coach and his ties to the state Nebraska probably wouldn't have Fred Hyberg and Fred Hyberg had just put
6:54
together you know back-to-back he's only the second head coach in Nebraska history to have back-to-back 21 win
7:00
seasons Like so let's let's just think about this and um really appreciate who Fred Hoyberg is for this program because
7:06
like you know just a few weeks ago people were talking about running him off and it's like you're absolutely insane Like you're absolutely insane if
7:12
you don't want Fred Hoyberg to be the coach for the next 10 years Like this guy is the new Danny Knee Danny Kne had
7:18
you know nine you know 21 win seasons or whatever it was Um I'll have to look back on it
7:23
Wasn't quite that many but nine winning seasons I think but still in you know he had probably the best run of Nebraska
7:29
basketball history And I think Fred Hoyberg can you know replicate that as long as fans will be patient Luckily
7:35
Troy Dannon doesn't have you know the patience of fans But you know Nebraska's won 44 games or whatever over the last
7:41
two years So I mean like this is I mean if you count the 2023 or I mean the yeah
7:47
the 2022 23 season I mean I think they won 17 games that year So you know they've won over 60 games in three
7:54
seasons And for Nebraska basketball like that's that's almost as good as it gets I mean I know that they haven't won the
8:00
NCA tournament but I fully believe in my heart of hearts that Fred Hoyberg will get us an NCA tournament victory as long
8:06
as we don't run him out of town And that's he he's he's a great coach He's the best man for this job And I think that this weekend you know just
8:12
solidified that in my mind Hopefully it did for others too Yeah And you know when you look at schematically how he
8:19
was able to change things and you look at the improved play of the defense even this weekend you know he's not afraid to
8:26
try new things and mix it up and um change styles when needed So I think um
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I think they're on the right track and I'm not sure you know how much longer
8:39
we'll have to wait for an NCA tournament uh victory but I think we're getting
8:45
close Yeah So in terms of that victory looking or ahead to next season now um
8:51
to close it out on the crown Nebraska did pick up this was on Saturday um they picked up another um commitment from uh
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let's see I'm going to struggle on how to uh pronounce this name here but Ugus Uricphagus from Central Michigan Um and
9:07
yeah just a truly a really big pickup Um you know first team um all MAC last year
9:13
um averaged over 16 points a game um six foot 10 a really interesting big guy I
9:18
think to pair with rank mast and um Burki Buikat Tonsel um in the front court It does make me wonder a little
9:25
bit if you know we might see Berky lead to the transfer portal I mean that's that's the thing I'm going to be watching because you know you look at
9:33
you bring in a guy from uh you know that that was first team all MAC and it's like I'm not sure if you're bringing that guy into you know to come off the
9:39
bench but at the same time you know I know that that some people might be like well what's you know how how is Berky
9:45
going to compete against that but you know if you look at um you know Yurus' numbers before this season he was at Cal
9:51
he didn't even start He played two seasons at Cal State Bakersfield and then really took a jump this year So my
9:57
kind of question about this was what if Berky can take that jump next year So I I'm not I'm not 100% sure that this guy
10:03
can come in and start I do think he's going to have a good chance but you know I I still think that Berky Buatonsel has
10:10
his best basketball in front of him So either way I think that would give if Nebraska can get all three of those guys you know with rink mass included in
10:16
there uh I think that would be one of the better front courts in the Big 10 to be honest Yeah And I had the same you
10:22
know kind of wonder the same thing like you did cuz um you think Mast Your
10:29
Sephagist and then Boyer Katunel I mean that that could be uh lethal trio And
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you talk about your Suffach's game I see him more as a postcore than an outside
10:41
score And so when you have that um kind of paired with rink mast where mast can
10:48
shoot a little bit um you know I I I think that could benefit mast in
10:53
particular You know I think it allows to space the floor a little bit and um yeah
11:00
how boy fits into all this will be interesting but I'm not necessarily ready to give up on him yet Yeah No
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definitely not I I'm just my hope is that um Nebraska is able to convince him to stay you know with what his role is
11:13
and you know all that type of stuff but um he didn't play a ton over the weekend I know he's been kind of recovering from
11:19
things and Andrew Morgan played well too But um in terms of uh Utnisphagus you're correct in the sense
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that he's an elite two-point um shooter two-point percentage last season He led the MAC in field goal percentage at 53%
11:34
Um he also led an effective field goal percentage at 57.9 and he shot 62% on
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two point two-point shots So um he also does a good job of getting himself to the free throw line six and a half
11:44
attempts per game 71% free throw shooter Um 2.3 offensive rebounds per game So
11:50
that's another you know part of it Not really a shot blocker So you know in terms of Nebraska wanting some rim
11:56
protection they didn't really address that you know with with this addition Um he does he he blocks like half a shot
12:02
per game So I mean but that's kind of more just out you know being super tall but he can shoot a little bit you know
12:09
31% from three-point range Um you know and your your rim protection is going to
12:14
be a little bit different in the MA but he did make 22 three-pointers last year so he does have a little bit of an ability to space the floor I think we
12:21
could see some really interesting things with Rink Mast and uh you know with Ugus
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you know um high low type of situations Um both guys that can you know he does really well in ball screen situations
12:33
You know I talked about that having a bake who can you know play Now rank mass is another one So now they just need
12:39
that dynamic kind of ball scoring guard You know they've been um you know rumored with Jammarcus Lawrence I think
12:44
that would be a good addition I do think that they need more scoring though I think they need him and another and
12:50
another guy like ball dominant guard like a high usage guard because you know they still need someone to replace um
12:57
all the shots that Bryce Williams is going to take You know you can say that like Price Sanford's going to kind of replace some of Jawan Garry's shots you
13:03
know and kind of his three-point shooting but you know they need to replace Bryce Williams uh volume for
13:08
scoring too And and to me if you could find like a point guard that is really dynamic who scores you know 15 17 a game
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you know in some power or group of five conference or mid- major that that would be a great target I think for Nebraska
13:22
to kind of supplement this uh this rotation Yeah And you know you look at your suff's game and I'm just kind of
13:29
picturing you know a lineup here I think his ability to score inside allows guys
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like Sanford and Connor Sie and you know even Berky to some degree to get shots
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Uh I think if you have Mast and your your uh you know kind of filling the
13:47
inside then that allows for guys to get open at the perimeter and I know that's something we talked about on Saturday
13:53
but um this this commitment makes a lot of sense in terms of fitting into the offensive system Yeah And then you have
14:01
um yeah two you know a really good low post scorer Um someone who can is going to create shots just out of you know
14:07
forcing double teams and things like that Um and then you know you've got Connor Dejin you got Sanfort so you got
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some some stellar three-point shooters kind of surrounding him Um so yeah I really do like how this this uh roster
14:20
is kind of coming together You think about Sam Hoyberg being on the team too next season I mean look how well he
14:26
played defensively I mean um Darius Johnson came in he scored 42 points against Villanovavva He had I think four
14:34
against Nebraska yesterday It was like four or six or something but he was one of 11 from the field And Sam Hoyberg
14:39
pretty much guarded him the entire game I mean he just was up in his face He was physical Um he'll hit a three every now
14:44
and again I mean Sam obviously has his limitations but he's like a he's a solid dude to have in the rotation And I feel
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like Kale Kale Jacobson um is along the same lines I I've I did see people like
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"Oh you're not you're never going to make a Sweet 16 game or win a Sweet 16 game with Kale Jacobson but it's like
15:01
Nebraska needs to just make the tournament for one thing." Like I just don't buy that argument Like Nebraska's
15:07
not you know and and and I don't I don't necessarily believe that Kale Jacobson couldn't be on you know a team that won
15:13
a Sweet 16 game Like yeah he'd be the one of the LA later guys on the bench but you know you you need guys like that
15:19
who are willing to do the little things And in this era of NIL it's harder to find those guys because everybody wants
15:25
a payday and not everybody wants to be the the you know lunch pale you know hard hat bring yourself to work kind of
15:31
dude And Kale Jacobson is that and I think he would be a valuable piece for this program next year one way or
15:37
another Yeah Talking about Nebraska basketball in the Sweet 16 is is a little bit uh seems a little far-fetched
15:44
right now but hopefully we'll get there one day Yeah So it's like let's just worry about getting putting a team that
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can make the tournament I mean that's the you know get to the tournament get a win in the tournament And that's like what I feel is important about the Crown
15:56
twos because winning is like habit forming It's you don't just like show up and and you know win It's it's a you
16:02
know it's like the pinstripe bowl It it's literally the same thing to me You know it establishing that kind of
16:08
momentum going forward Um it you know obviously it would have been better if like you know Bryce and Jawan were able
16:13
to play you know next season but there's still like we said Sam Hoyberg Connor Ajin Kale Jacobson you know Berky
16:20
there's a lot of guys who are going to be back on this team next season that will benefit I think from this run and
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you think about the last four month run we have the Diamond Head Classic champions we have the Pinstripe Bowl and
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now we have the Crown Champions So maybe things are trending up and yeah so a
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great weekend for Nebraska great weekend for Fred Hoyberg hanging a hanging a banner and now um the work to get back
16:44
to the NCA tournament begins but you know a lot better We can go into the offseason with a lot better taste in our
16:50
mouth now than we would have And a great way to send out some seniors and not just not just Bryce and Jawan Gary but
16:56
Andrew Morgan was great over the weekend Aaron Ulis pitched in you know he made some big shots on Saturday So everybody
17:03
kind of had a hand in it and that that was good to see too I know We finally got to see Aaron Ulis kind of you know
17:09
what we thought he was going to be and that that was nice That was nice I'm not even making it a joke That was nice to
17:14
see cuz you know we knew he could be that guy It was just kind of bittersweet to see him uh be that guy at the end But
17:22
hey it worked Interesting that he found it in Vegas though So yeah I don't know if that was a coincidence or not but he
17:28
feels at home He feels he feels at home in at Vegas Anyway moving on
17:34
All right so Nebraska spring we'll talk a little bit of football here We got some recruiting We'll get to that in just a second So the first big spring
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nugget we kind of talked about it a little bit on Saturday Now it's confirmed Hardly Gilmore the transfer
17:47
from Kentucky has been kicked off the team Um not sure exactly Matt Rule just said that it wasn't a criminal type
17:53
thing So I don't know if it's just you know a bad attitude or maybe there was a fight I'm not sure exactly what it was
17:59
Like I total spec I'm just like trying to figure out what would get you kicked off the team but it must just be like a
18:05
really kind of bad attitude locker room cancer type thing I'm not sure But um at
18:11
any at any rate Hardley Gilmore will not be on the team this year So um that's kind of disappointing just because he
18:17
did create a lot of buzz in the short time he was here Um however like we said there's a lot of exciting receivers on
18:23
this team Obviously Dane Key Isaiah Hunter um you know Cory Barney Cortez Mills This this does open the door I
18:30
think for um Isaiah Mosy for Quinn for Quinn Clark I think this really opens the door for Quinn Clark Demetrius Bell
18:36
I'm going to hammer home the Demetus Bell point until we remember Bell Even
18:41
Jeremiah Jones if Nebraska plays him at receiver you know he could be in the mix too So um you know while it is a
18:48
disappointment and a bummer if there was one position where Nebraska could probably afford to lose somebody it was wide receiver
18:54
We hardly knew him and yet there's a ton of depth So you know I wish him the best
19:00
but uh I'm excited to see who steps up in his place a guy like Isaiah Mosy or uh again
19:06
Demetrius Bell or even you know even you know just trying to make the wide
19:13
receiver room clearer in terms of who starts where and this that and all that
19:18
happy stuff I still feel very confident about the wide receiver room and there's a lot of young talent So uh that still
19:26
has me excited for sure Yeah I just think they have I just think they have like legit number ones and number two
19:33
Like you know I I do think that um you know Jamal Banks and Isaiah Ner were were solid players but I think like in
19:39
an ideal world like Jamal Banks is probably your number two you know or number three He's probably more of a two
19:45
or three and Nebraska kind of had them trying to more be a number one where like Dane Key is a true number one like
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he's a number one receiver for an SEC team so he can you know what I mean go and make plays And then Isaiah Hunter I
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think too is like he had a really good season for Cal last year He's kind of the guy that I I feel like gets
20:02
underrated a little bit and just you know you know it's Dane Key because he played in the SEC but N Isaiah Hunter is
20:07
a freaking stud and I can't wait to see what him and Riola and he's a sophomore still Yeah I
20:12
mean rip to grow there But I think honestly um just to come to the defense of Jamal
20:19
Banks for a minute as soon as Hogerson took over the offense he started to look a lot better True And um I I feel like
20:25
that was the case for a lot of people right But uh I would have liked another year with Jamal Banks just to see what
20:30
he could have done Um but anyway he is a really good possession you know
20:35
possession route running type receiver Yeah And he did make a lot of necessarily the breakaway speed guy deep threat but he was the guy that you could
20:42
count on to get a I don't know third and six catch for a first down type player
20:48
had that big catch against Wisconsin um right before the half and and so yeah he he made some big plays in that game I
20:54
would I would like another year with him But um but yeah this this receiving group is going to be pretty fun to watch
20:59
I think Oh yeah it's going to be a lot of fun and I feel like it fits the offensive system very well That was the
21:05
other thing last year you had a bunch of playmakers at wide receiver or playmakers depending on how you look at
21:10
it and it just they just didn't fit cuz the offensive system was not where it
21:16
needed to be and uh this year I think that's going to be a lot different and it's going to be a lot better So another
21:23
um I guess kind of the other big nugget or or two I guess has to do with the offensive line in my opinion that has
21:29
come out over the past few days So we've been talking about these position battles and Justin Evans seems to have
21:35
uh kind of pulled away with the starting center position at least so far which we both kind of expected that I I felt like
21:41
Nebraska was kind of grooming him to take over for Ben Scott I've always liked him So yeah Yeah And the center
21:47
position I mean outside of tackle it's the most important position on the line So you know you you want an elite player
21:52
there So if Justin Evans is going to be the center I think that kind of sharpens you know or the focus on the O line
21:58
because you got Pritchette I think is going to be your left tackle Spindler I believe is going to be your right guard Now Justin Evans is going to be the
22:04
center And then you've got you know Gunnar Gula and Henry Leoski who started last year They could just start you know
22:10
at left guard and right tackle like they did I mean Levski was at right guard last year so I mean he would be playing
22:15
at the left side but that's probably not that big of a difference No Um so that could be that could be your starting
22:21
five right there Beyond that which I like Yeah I do like that Beyond that you've got Grant Bricks in the mix at
22:27
tackle You know Gibson Pile in the mix at guard Sam Sledge who's also kind of
22:32
been around Um and then you do have you know Turner Corkran and Teddy Posashka I
22:37
don't know that those guys are going to be I think they're going to have to be off the roster to be I just don't know how they're going to be on the spring on the on the fall roster and get to 105
22:44
You know what I mean They haven't played for over a year So I mean that's just to me that's kind of risky but maybe maybe
22:51
maybe their experience and the the positional value of offensive line will
22:56
like allow Nebraska to sneak them on there But I'm just really curious to see how that plays out
23:03
Experience and you know what you did from a year ago doesn't win you games I'm I'm I'm sorry but like we played
23:09
this experience game before We've said maybe their experience will be held to roster and in a perfect world if there
23:14
was no 105minute roster limit they probably wouldn't be on there But now it's about guys who can contribute right away So I don't see them on here If if
23:21
if they can show something that warrants them being on the 105 man roster then
23:27
you know then they definitely deserve to be there But now it's about can you play or not because you're out because you
23:33
don't have room for you I mean it sucks but that's the way it is Yeah And it's interesting how that's going to work
23:39
like you know can you like I'm not Can you bring guys to fall camp and then cut them you know during camp Like like
23:45
almost like cuts in the NFL during training camp Sort of like Yeah Like I'm wondering if like say you know if they
23:51
were like "Hey Teddy like in Pashka you know saying like "Hey you're probably not going to be on the 105 roster You
23:57
might want to enter the portal." Like could he be like "I don't want to do that Like I just want to stick on this team and then either you know compete
24:03
for a spot and get it or or not." Like I just don't I don't know enough about the the roster limits to know like can you
24:09
bring 110 guys to camp and then get rid of a few I don't think you'd want to do that Like I think that would be kind of
24:14
a crappy situation to put players in But if they It seems like with these I mean Nebraska's been pretty upfront with them
24:20
So they've you know told them like what their situation is I'm not sure how that's going to work out But um even
24:26
without those guys though I feel pretty good about Nebraska's offensive line depth as you know Lowski's dealt with
24:31
some injuries Catula as well but there's no sense that neither of those guys is going to be like limited in fall camp So
24:37
I think um yeah with those two transfers and the other three starters coming back I think this offensive line is going to
24:43
be better than people expect And Matt Rule even said it's been one of the highlights so far of the spring So you
24:49
know Tyler Knack is another guy that's gotten some mention at left tackle and that might be another you know if he's
24:55
if he's developing and emerging that's another reason to you know tell Teddy to probably hit the transfer portal this
25:01
spring So I mean there could be you could have like 30 Nebraska players hitting the board this spring I just don't know how that's going to work out
25:06
because they're still way over the limit Where do you see Preston Tamua fitting in all of this Yeah I forget about him
25:12
now He didn't he hurt himself last year Did he get hurt in the in the fall camp last year I think I think he did I think
25:19
he did So that that's the only thing that gives me pause about him being a contributor this year But yeah that
25:25
dude's that dude's a stud and if he's healthy like I think he could be right in the mix too But I do feel like he
25:30
missed some time last year So that probably has him a little bit behind like you know Grant Brics and Gibson
25:36
Pile just you know without those reps because those guys were on the two deep for most of the year So like I would not
25:43
count out especially on one of those interior positions I'm not saying like I don't think Grant Briggs is probably going to win the starting tackle job but
25:49
you know Flutski or somebody like isn't healthy on the interior Like I truly think that he or Gibson Pile could make
25:55
a run at that job And I'm also very interested to see I know he's a freshman this year but Houston Caya Torres like
26:01
how he develops this year because I really like him I thought he was a very solid blocker um in terms of the run and
26:08
even past he was pretty good too So I'm very curious to see how they bring along his development and not only him but
26:14
just this entire freshman class And it'll be nice too that you can kind of groom him to be your future center You
26:20
know have Justin Evans there and kind of groom him and then hopefully he can kind of take over that position in the
26:26
It's it's really interesting You know two years ago we were kind of just you
26:32
know searching for linemen and searching for depth And now we have enough depth
26:37
to where we can just kind of rotate guys in and out We don't have to rush to recruit a lineman You know now we have a
26:43
bunch of options to play with So when you look at some of these positions and I know you talked about this before but it bears what it's repeating like wide
26:49
receiver linebacker offensive line you're starting to get that depth that all the good programs have Yeah And even
26:57
I mean uh even tight end which you could probably say is like one of the weaker positions for Nebraska on offense They
27:03
still have uh you know Lynden Meyer who played a lot last year Harber and Carter Nelson So like even even positions a
27:09
running back where someone might say they don't have as much you know depth I think they on the outside Emma Johnson they have like nine or 10 rushing
27:15
attempts but the talent is there with Jar and Parker So yeah like like you said this is starting to resemble like a
27:21
true you know team that like that's that's able to compete for you know not the big not Big 10 championships but to
27:28
be an upper upper echelon Big 10 team I think Nebraska's getting very close to having the roster to do that
27:36
And I don't think Big 10 Championships is necessarily a bold statement either I think they are pretty close It's just
27:42
about putting everything together because again when you look at this wide receiver room it's like man like talk
27:48
about this room in a year or two from now and we might be having uh we might be doing some exciting streams in uh
27:56
December and not the season wrap-up ones that we're so accustomed to doing Yeah The where they Nebraska loses it at the
28:03
end type deal Yeah It's going to be I think this year is going to be a fun year for Nebraska football I'm really excited for it Um any rate you were you
28:11
had mentioned about recruiting and recruiting about the offensive line and stuff So to to wrap up the show we'll go
28:16
with some recruiting stuff Um we mentioned Darien Jones not that long ago I actually just wrote an article last
28:21
week for Husker Big Red Like Nebraska probably should offer this guy Um a bunch of Big 10 teams are offering Nebraska got in with an offer last week
28:28
last Friday um April 4th And now they are trending with Darien Jones They've
28:34
got two crystal ball predictions from you know Brian Kristofferson and Mike Schaefer Sean Callahan over at um you
28:40
know Husker online I think Brian Mson too So true So Darien Jones really trending um to be a Nebraska commitment
28:47
right now And um the younger brother of Donovan Jones 6'1 170 lbs He's ranked
28:53
473 overall in the 247 sports composite rankings and the number two ranked
28:59
player in the state of Nebraska for the 2026 class So this would be a nice pickup for the Huskers if they're able to actually go through and get his
29:04
commitment Do you think he's better than his brother Cuz from what I saw I think maybe I think it's too early to tell on
29:10
his brother but from like high school uh you know highlights and stuff that I saw I think he might be a little bit better
29:16
He could be I mean he definitely has some good ball skills You know five pass breakups this year Um eight
29:22
interceptions like that's not a typo That's eight interceptions had a defensive touchdown Um you know I do
29:28
like Donovan Jones a lot though he played I was really you know impressed with how he played in that bowl game So
29:34
um if he could be if he could be even that good that would be impressive Um you look at his recruitment you know
29:40
Iowa State Minnesota Iowa Kansas State a lot of programs are kind of getting in on him and it seemed like once Iowa made
29:48
the offer Nebraska kind of I don't know if they got a little more urgency but they've been slow playing instate
29:53
recruits a little bit and maybe a little bit too much So I think this was a good a good offer and and that's just too
29:59
good of a player in your state to not to not get I don't know if necessarily they've been
30:04
playing they they've been slow playing it a little bit too much but you know cuz they've been like if they weren't
30:09
doing anything else and they were just kind of sitting on their hands and not extending offers uh then I would say
30:15
maybe a little bit slow playing But um now they're they've got so many offers out mostly not mostly but a lot to you
30:22
know the kids down south and things like that and they've got a bunch of visits lined up for June There's a ton of June
30:28
visits that are coming up So it's good to see them get in the mix with Jones like like you said last week Um I was
30:35
hoping they would offer him and uh they were able to do that So I definitely think his brother being on the team is
30:41
certainly a step in the right direction for Nebraska But it seems like this cycle we've we've needed to watch out
30:47
for Iowa State Um and Rex Waterman um visited this past
30:52
weekend So that was another trip for the offensive tackle And yeah Iowa State's really been interested in the state of
30:58
Nebraska um this cycle They've offered 12 uh 12 recruits in the state of Nebraska which is kind of interesting Um
31:04
but yeah Titan Davis is going to be coming for an official visit We talked about that Um lots of guys So um
31:11
Nebraska's in a good in a in a good position here I think uh in terms of the 2026 recruiting class Um other in-state
31:17
guys Isaac Jensen and Jace Reynolds the other um kind of top guys are going to be visiting Jamal Rule also visited
31:24
recently um the running back from Charlotte who um has kind of been trending up not only with Nebraska but
31:30
he his recruitment's kind of been taking off lately And um you know I think he's I like him a lot Yeah I think he's one
31:36
of the I definitely say he's one of the top guys on the on the running back board for Nebraska So um he you know
31:42
Wisconsin's offered him NC State Boston College Um his official visits are
31:48
outside of Nebraska Yeah the same teams I mentioned Wisconsin North Carolina State and Boston College So I think a
31:53
very winnable recruitment for Nebraska and they seem to be uh continuing to to progress towards a commitment with Jamal
31:58
Rule I really like Jamal Rule He's a very he's a very solid runner He hits the holes quickly and he's a playmaker
32:05
and um yeah no he's one where you know he's kind of got a slow recruitment but
32:11
like you said it's building up and more teams are starting to take notice So good on Nebraska for getting in there uh
32:16
before his recruitment really takes off And then uh lastly um before I forget
32:23
another uh CJ Bron update I think he ran a 1024 this weekend in the 100 meter dash Um so yeah it's uh his recruitment
32:32
just keeps you know his his uh commitment keeps looking better and better for Nebraska 10 1024 in the 100
32:38
is just incredible um what he's able to do He also had a really impressive uh long jump I want to say Um but man like
32:47
there there's not many prospects in this entire in the entire 2026 class who are better athletes than CJ Brona So
32:54
whatever whatever it takes from the 1890 initiative like open up the checkbook and give CJ Bron a blank check because
33:00
he's special He is And it makes me worry about his recruitment a little bit but we'll see how it goes But he is
33:07
definitely like we like we've said before when when they offered him we both looked at the you know sheets and
33:14
his profiles and we said "How is he not a higher rated player?" And now he's showing exactly what he can do So good
33:20
for him And I really really hope Nebraska can hang on to him Yeah I mean him and him and Darien Jones would be a
33:26
heck of a although Darren Jones is a quarterback They have him listed as a quarterbacks safety I feel like probably
33:31
more of a quarterback um in my opinion So that would be two really solid gets for Nebraska at the cornerback position
33:37
and and look at looking at what they've done in previous years I think that would set them up very well for the
33:42
future if they got both of those guys This is completely random but um you mentioned the safety position and I was
33:48
thinking to Justin Rhett and so that to to me if Rhett plays like he can then
33:53
you could put Darien Jones a corner Yeah for sure Yeah Justin Rhett's a name
33:58
that people um probably you know have a little bit too far under the radar But um it's going to be hard for him to
34:04
start this year but you look at next season should be right in line to be you know get his feet wet this year and then
34:10
next season he should be one of the guys I would think So yeah So I mean there's just a ton of guys They they they've
34:16
just done been recruiting so much that we're missing some guys but uh a very talented defense uh in particular I
34:22
think this year And me and you have both said that we feel like this defense could be better than last year's So yeah
34:28
I uh I definitely agree with that Hopefully um that bears out Um so coming up now we're going to have uh some more
34:35
spring scrimmages leading up to uh Husker fan day and uh the next few weeks are going to be about the transfer
34:40
portal too So hopefully the men's and women's basketball teams can make some additions there So we'll have all that stuff We'll be back on Wednesday for
34:47
another episode and I'm sure we'll have some transfer portal uh intel by then Probably some more recruiting stuff Um
34:53
but yeah let's uh enjoy the college basketball crown championship and the
34:58
rest of spring football And uh we're getting close you guys Uh this the the regular season's what like five months
35:03
away less than five months away So um we're closing in on it So thanks again for joining us Um if you haven't already
35:09
hit the subscribe button hit the like button get into the comments section and as always go Big Red Go Big Red
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