From 1993 to 1997 Tom Osborne and the Huskers put up a record of 60-3. So, what was Nebraska doing that made them so dominate. The answer was the weight and nutrition program. By 1993 Nebraska had been fine tuning their weight program for over twenty years and wasn’t far behind with nutrition. Of course, by the mid 2000’s everyone had realized they needed to follow suit to keep up and did.
Matt Rhule has pointed this out numerous times and has commented that Nebraska needs to get back to being innovative and one of the leaders in college football. How do you do that in today’s world? For Matt Rhule, that’s getting as many guys on campus at one time as possible. He’s made it a mission to have 7 vs. 7 tournaments at Nebraska. Working with compliance and running everything past the NCAA making sure they were following all the rules and regulations, along with the help of Adidas, Rule’s mission has become a reality.
Friday June 6th, an Addidas sponsored event being called ‘Battle in the Boneyard’, is about to take place at Memorial Stadium.
This is a huge event and the first of its kind. No one else is doing this. As of now it appears there will be approximately 16 teams from places like Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Indianapolis, Chicago, and a couple of home-state teams as well. Eleven of the teams are Adidas sponsored teams. Some of the teams mentioned thus far are South Florida Express (SFE), California Power, Miami Raw, Domo National Team, Midwest Boom, National Playmakers Academy (NPA), South Indy Select 7, Hustle Inc, C1N (Cam Newton’s team) Drillington Elite, and Nebraska Select 7even.
This will be conducted as a tournament style event with pool play, semifinals and finals. All games are played either in the Hawks Center, the turf practice field outside the facility or in Memorial Stadium. Games are to be played from 1 o’clock to 5 o’clock. Semi finals will begin at 6 o’clock and finals will be played under the lights of Memorial Stadium. The event is also open to the public and Matt Rhule has asked Husker fans to show these players the love.
It’s estimated there will be between 40 and 50, 4 & 5-star recruits attending this event. These are high profile players who are part of the 2026, 2027, and 2028 recruiting cycles. However, several of the 2026 guys will more than likely miss the event as they will be taking official visits to schools they are interested in committing to.
This is a unique event seen as a camp and unlike anything else currently being done. That’s part of what makes this event so important. Because it’s considered a camp, the Nebraska coaches have access to players. The coaches can give on the field instruction and perform drills and test players. They will be allowed to gather verified testing numbers, measure players, get heights and weights, have them run routes, perform shuttle runs, and get 40 times.
Typically, the 7 vs. 7 teams consist of quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, linebackers, and defensive backs. However, because this is a camp the question 93.7 Early Break’s former coach Bill Busch asked was, “Will it be limited to players at those positions only?” To his point, normal camp rules state that anyone can attend. If that’s the case, will there be lineman or kickers that tag along just to be a part of testing and be allowed to take in all that Nebraska has to offer
Once again, this is a huge event because it will get close to 150 players on Nebraska’s campus that normally would never visit. Rhule and his staff can introduce future recruits to their training table, facilities, recovery system, and the city of Lincoln. It gives players a frame of reference as to what Nebraska and its program is all about. And if their visit leaves a lasting impression, it could pay off down the road. Not just with them but with teammates. Nebraska is great at building relationships and leaving the door open.
I personally will be attending the ‘Battle in the Boneyard’ if for no other reason that I want to see 2027 commit Trae Taylor will be participating in the camp. There are multiple players from some of these teams who have reached out to Taylor and requested that he be there. They want him to show them what it was that made him commit to Nebraska. Taylor has already been doing peer recruiting. You can believe that will continue during this event.
Nebraska is setting a new standard, and other teams will be taking notice. It’s the beginning of a new era in Nebraska football.
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