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Spring ball takeaways for Nebraska football plus much more
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Apr 15, 2024
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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0:00
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
0:26
basketball, whether it's the transfer portal or coaching moves or the NCAA tournament
0:30
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
0:40
Make sure that you don't miss any of our content going forward. We are the channel for hardcore Husker fans
0:45
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
0:54
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
2:33
That's ultimately what did him in in New England, but as a coach, he's still, in my opinion
2:39
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
3:17
He's one that I'm watching to see if he'll make a visit at some point this spring
3:22
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
3:37
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
3:57
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
4:11
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
4:27
39th overall player in California. So they're staying busy. And I'm happy to see all these official visits coming to fruition
4:36
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
4:46
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
4:57
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
5:10
I mean, this is a Nebraska-Kansas recruiting battle right now, which sounds kind of weird
5:15
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
5:43
Like, he's really making sure that Nebraska is the first offer for
5:47
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
6:00
Carter Nelson, they've been able to win these national recruitments for in-state guys
6:04
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
6:19
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
6:38
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
7:36
far through these first two weeks? Jalen Lloyd is gonna be a stud
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And we already kind of saw it last year, but he keeps getting recognition from the coaching staff
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That speed and his playmaking ability, I don't think he's gonna suffer a sophomore slump
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Because look, the reason Nebraska took him is academically, he had to redshirt last year
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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
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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
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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
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that helps as well. But this receiver group is very deep, like you said
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And I think it speaks to how quickly this program was able to build depth back up
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And I think it also speaks to the type of recruiter Garrett McGuire is
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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
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So that's good as well. You can kind of let players get into the game at their own pace
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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
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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
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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
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throughout the course of spring and throughout the, you know, these last couple of weeks
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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
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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
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you know, any trouble in 30 mile an hour winds, which I think is a great sign for
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you know, the cold weather games that we've seen, you know, that we tend to see in Lincoln, you know, October, November
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You know, it's going to help to have somebody who can whip the ball through that wind
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You know, just the accuracy, the ease with which he throws the football
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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
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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
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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
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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
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kind of being that mentor type. But I mean, it's going to be fun to watch these two guys develop
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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
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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
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which I think is, you know, pretty interesting. Maybe that's from working with Glenn Thomas
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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
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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
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work hard. And, you know, it's really interesting to hear, to not hear anything from him
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He's been a tremendous sport as it goes with this quarterback room
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Like you said, with the depth of running back, you know, Harburg's emergence, maybe not so much as a passing quarterback
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but as a continued, you know, gifted athlete and solid runner is going to be important as well
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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
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there has been a lot of positives on the defensive side of things too. I mean
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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
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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
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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
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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
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I heard didn't really show up too well in terms of just conditioning and stuff
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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
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you're going to get passed up. Yeah. Cause I mean, Shavers, you know, Rogers
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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
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five, six months, because what were, what were our takeaways from last year after spring, right
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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
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I said maybe a bowl game, but you know, I probably said like seven, eight wins though
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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
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like how, how bad it can go. Yeah. Well, you know, I mean
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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
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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
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I had that feeling. So, I mean, I just going back to that game, like in that
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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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