This is the fifth installment of ‘Getting to 105’. In the last installment I covered the offensive line. If you have been reading the earlier articles, then you know I established my 105 by first determining how many players are needed at each position. On offense, I decided on the following, 20 offensive linemen, 6 tight ends, 13 wide receivers, 5 quarterbacks, and 6 running backs for a total of (50).
Matt Rhule suggested in his winter press conference that like the NFL’s 53 man roster they would start with 57. There are some slight differences, such as at quarterback where they would carry three instead of two. He also mentioned the final 10 spots on the roster and the importance of what that final 10 would mean.
The tight end position is the only position the Huskers didn’t add anyone from the high school ranks or through the portal. That’s unusual because they lost their two top starters, Thomas Fidone and Nate Boerkircher. Fidone entered the NFL draft after catching 36 balls for 373 yards last season. Boerkircher left through the portal and went to Texas A&M. He had 6 catches for 102 yards. Neither player had a touchdown. So, while Nebraska lost their top two tight ends, they didn’t lose a ton of production.
Even though the Huskers didn’t bring in any new bodies, they did move two players from other positions to tight end. The additions occurred before Fidone and Boerkircher’s departure. So, the question here is, did the addition of the two players push Fidone and Boerkircher to move on. There could be something to that thought as we saw a shift in how the tight end was used under Dana Holgorsen.
Position Change
Heinrich Haarberg, 6’5”, 225lbs, Sr, Kearney, NE
Carter Nelson, 6’5”, 230lbs, So, Ainsworth, Ne
Current Roster
Luke Lindenmeyer, 6’3”, 250lbs, Jr, La Vista, Ne
Mac Markway, 6’4”, 260lbs, So, St Louis, Mo
Eric Ingwerson, 6’6”, 250lbs, RFr, Papillion, Ne
Ian Flynt, 6’4”, 255lbs, RFr, Katy, Tx
Cayden Echternach, 6’4”, 250, So, Bennington, Ne
Conner Schutt, 6’6”, 215lbs, RFr, Wahoo, Ne
Danny King, 6’4”, 254lbs, RFr, Bloomington, Mn
After losses and additions, the Huskers stand at 9 tight ends. By my numbers, they need to get to 6. Of the 9 players on the roster there is 1 senior, 1 junior, 3 sophomores, 4 redshirt freshmen, and no true freshmen. As for experience, Lindenmeyer has the most at the tight end position.
From an experience standpoint, Mac Markway may be next in line as he saw time at LSU in 2023. He had 3 catches for 16 yards and 1 touchdown as a true freshman. Markway tore an ACL upon arrival at Nebraska and sat out last season. His participation in winter conditioning and spring ball will be limited. There is a level of excitement with Markway as he showed promise at LSU.
Haarberg is learning the tight end position after starting multiple games at quarterback in 2023. From the tight end position last season, he had 2 catches for 16 yards. Rhule has suggested several times that Haarberg is too talented to not be on the field. That was evident recently with Haarberg winning the slam dunk competition for football players. Upon seeing him in action, you could see he’s put on weight and has hit the weights.
Carter Nelson was recruited to Nebraska as a tight end. However, with needing time to develop physically and not blocking at the high school level, it was determined he would play wide receiver his freshman season. He is now moving to the tight end position. Nelson showed his athleticism and potential with 10 catches for 86 yards and 1 touchdown last season. However, he had offseason surgery and could be limited until fall.
Luke Lindenmeyer is the best blocker at the tight end position. That ability got him on the field, and he has slowly become a threat as a receiver as well. Holgorsen seems to have taken a liking to Lindenmeyer. Look for him to be more involved moving forward. He had 5 catches for 50 yards last season.
So, while multiple guys have seen playing time, the experience in this room is limited.
If the season were to start today, and everyone healthy, my 3-deep would appear as follows:
Heinrich Haarberg, 6’5”, 225lbs – Luke Lindenmeyer, 6’3”, 250lbs – Mac Markway, 6’4”, 260lbs
There will be intense competition in this room to make the roster, and if the offensive line wasn’t as deep as it is, I’d be tempted to say there may be one or two guys in this room who could be moved to the offensive line. And even with one senior and nine guys to work with, Nebraska continues to recruit the tight end position heavily. I’ve said it with other positions, and I’ll say it again here, don’t be shocked if you see some big names who don’t make the 105-man roster.
Up next, we’ll look at the wide receiver position. This is a room that has been improved and has unlimited potential but also needs to be thinned out. It’s going to be an interesting spring and fall.
Go to Off The Cob to see the current 105-man roster and more on Husker football.
