This is the second installment of ‘Getting to 105’. In the first installment I covered the defensive line. As I stated in that article, to get to 105 you must first determine how many players are needed at each position. I decided on the following on defense, 16 defensive linemen, 14 linebackers, and 20 defensive backs for a total of (50).
When discussing the defensive line, I spent some time on coaching changes as well, specifically John Butler moving from defensive backs coach to defensive coordinator. Matt Rhule has stated he likes his defense and doesn’t want to change the alignment. However, while the alignment may not change, the overall scheme of how the 3-3-5 is run under Butler will. Look for Butler to occasionally use two outside backers in a more traditional cover roll. And from what we saw against Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl, he may also turn linebackers loose when they see a lane to the quarterback. The change will influence the linebacker’s roles on defense.
Rob Dvoracek is returning for his third year as Nebraska’s linebacker’s coach and will be the only remaining defensive coach from Rhule’s initial staff. Looking back, Dvoracek may be Rhule’s best hire in his first year. If you look at what he has done with the personnel he’s had, it’s impressive. Consider John Bullock and Javin Wright had not played a single down at linebacker before Dvoracek’s arrival. You can also include Mikai Gbayor, as he hadn’t seen the field other than on special teams.
Phil Simpson has been added as the outside linebacker’s coach, or the ‘Jack’ position. When using a single outside backer, his players will be more involved with defensive line play due to four-man fronts and the pass rush. All the linebacker’s responsibilities will obviously change with pass coverage, blitzes and filling run gaps in Butler’s defense. But I have no doubt Dvoracek and Simpson will have their guys coached up.
Again, I won’t spend much time on guys that are gone. The Huskers lost 2 players to graduation, John Bullock and MJ Sherman. They had 6 players enter the transfer portal, Princewell Umanmielen (Ole Miss), Mikai Gbayor (Missouri), Stefon Thompson (Florida State), Ismael Smith-Flores, Noah Bustard, and Gage Wager. As far as production, this group had 220 tackles and 9 sacks. There is work to do moving forward.
The Huskers added 3 high school players and 2 transfer portal players to offset the 8 that are gone. Additions are as follows:
Recruits
Dawson Merritt, 6’3” 215lbs, Stillwell, KS
Christian Jones, 6’3”, 215lbs, Omaha, NE
Pierce Mooberry, 6’4”, 200lbs, Omaha, NE
Portal Players
Desan McCullough, 6’5”, 235lbs, Sr, Oklahoma
Marques Watson-Trent, 6’0, 225lbs, Sr, Georgia Southern
After losses and additions, the Huskers stand at 19 linebackers. By my numbers, they need to get to 14. Of the 19 players on the roster there are 5 seniors, 2 juniors, 3 sophomores, 6 redshirt freshmen, and 3 true freshmen. As for experience, 2 of the seniors and the 2 juniors have seen little to no playing time. It’s a given the five newcomers will make the roster, leaving 9 available spots for the14 players listed below.
Current Roster
Javin Wright, 6’5”, 230lbs, Sr
Vincent Shavers Jr. 6’1”, 225llbs, So
Dylan Rogers, 6’3”, 240lbs, RFr
Willis McGahee IV, 6’1”, 235lbs, RFr
Vincent Genatone, 6’0” 235, Jr
Gage Stegner 6’2”, 220lbs, Jr
Roger Gradney, 6’0” 205lbs, RFr
Maverick Noonan, 6’4”, 240lbs, So
Micheal Booker, 6’1”, 225lbs, Sr
Ethan Duda, 6’5” 230lbs, RFr
Derek Wacker 6’1”, 220lbs, RFr
Jacob Bower, 6’1” 220lbs, So
Danny Pasko, 6’1” 225lbs, So
Grant Buda, 6’0”, 225lbs, Sr
If the season were to start today, my 2-deep would appear as follows:
JACK – Desan McCullough, 6’5”, 235lbs, Sr – Willis McGahee IV, 6’1”, 235lbs, RFr
LB – Javin Wright, 6’5”, 230lbs, Sr – Vincent Shavers Jr. 6’1”, 225llbs, So
LB – Marques Watson-Trent, 6’0, 225lbs, Sr – Vincent Genatone, 6’0” 235, Jr
The return of Javin Wright for another season was big for this room as experience is lacking. The addition of Marques Watson-Trent is no question the biggest addition on defense. He was the Sunbelt Player of the Year this past season and in his three years at Georgia Southern he registered over 100 total tackles each season. He also accounted for 6 forced fumbles. Desan McCullough adds versatility as he has the size to play the Jack position but the speed to cover on the outside. While missing playing time last season due to injuries, he still adds needed experience and depth.
Like the defensive line, the Huskers have recruited over some of the current roster. There will be guys on the move. Once again, there will be competition, and that’s a good thing. Winter conditioning and the weight room will benefit Dawson Merritt and Pierce Mooberry, but I expect the young guns of Merritt, Christian Jones, and Mooberry to get on the field.
Up next, I’ll go over the defensive backs, which is a deep room with over 30 players competing for 20 spots. There is some good talent that the coaches aren’t going to be excited to let go. Don’t be surprised if at least one body doesn’t move to the linebacker room and push someone out. We’ve seen it happen in the past with Bullock and Wright.
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