Last season in July I posted an article proclaiming Nebraska’s offensive line would be the heart of the team in 2025. It’s hard to say I was right on that one, but then again, what position group could you say that about last season? I do know that I put too much stock in Donavan Raiola, especially after his squad allowed 33 sacks. But it’s hard to completely knock the offensive line when you look at Emmett Johnson’s production. Yes, Emmett did a lot of that on his own. And yes, Dylan Raiola’s lack of pocket awareness and non-existent mobility left his lineman alone on islands, increasing the sack count.
So, maybe the offensive line was the heart of the team in 2025. If it was the heart, then they had atrial fibrillation, something I know a little bit about. AFib comes with an irregular heartbeat with symptoms of fatigue and dizziness. Yeah, sounds like Nebraska’s season.
I was working on this piece when I ran across that 2025 article. Man, was I drinking the Kool-Aid back then. And you know what, it’s even harder not to do that this season, because I’m not sure I won’t tell you the same thing going into 2026. From an offensive line perspective, things have changed. It seems like somebody flipped a switch with Rhule and he realized that to compete in the Big Ten he was going to need a dominant offensive line. So, he went out and hired Geep Wade and Lonnie Teasley and told them to go find three guys to go with Evans and Pritchett. And that’s what they did.
As of now, this is my projected 2-deep going into fall practice.
Left Tackle – Elijah Pritchett, 6’6”, 330-pounds
Gunnar Gottula, 6’6”, 320-pounds
Left Guard – Paul Mubenga, 6’5”, 320-pounds
Gibson Pyle, 6’5”, 310-pounds
Center – Justin Evans, 6’2”, 315-pounds
Sam Sledge, 6’4”, 300-pounds
Right Guard – Brendan Black, 6’4”, 325-pounds
Grant Brix, 6’6”, 315-pounds
Right Tackle – Tree Babalade, 6’5”, 340-pounds
Tyler Knaak, 6’6”, 320-pounds
Average height and weight of the two deep – 6’5”, 316-pounds. And the kicker – they can move. For the first time in a long time the offensive line could be the strength of the offense.
We haven’t seen more than the spring game from what I’m going to call the starting five, but Geep Wade’s track record seems to resonate with both players and recruits. That’s something that didn’t occur with former coach Donavan Raiola. Unlike Wade, Nebraska had no proven history of success with Raiola. Wade can sit down with recruits in the film room and show them tape from Georgia Tech and who he’s sent to the NFL, allowing players to see for themselves how effective his coaching techniques work. That is part of why Wade was able to lure players away from Iowa State, LSU, and South Carolina. I’m big on having two offensive line coaches, and things should be interesting with Lonnie Teasley as the running game coordinator.
“I’m going to teach the fundamentals, but you’ve got to demand the effort and the physicality – or you won’t play for me and coach (Teasley),” Wade said. “I want them to come off the football, I want them to play without thinking. I want them to play violent. I want them to play fast. I want them to have fun. And that’s something I’m big into and that’s kind of the way I’ve coached. Try to simplify things. It’s offensive line. I want this group to have a mentality in who they represent: You represent Nebraska.”
Don’t think things are different already? Listen to what the running backs are saying.
“They’re big, I’ll tell you that,” Kwinten Ives said. “They can run I and I like that too.”
“Oh my god, it’s great,” Mekhi Nelson said. “Running behind those guys has definitely been special. The style of play that Coach Geep Wade has them doing is definitely different. But I feel as though it’s going great.”
So, let’s take a deeper look at what Wade and Teasley are working with.
Two Deep Player Experience and Analysis
Tree Babalade –6’5”, 340-pounds
Experience: Junior (22 games, 15 starts)
Outlook: A transfer from South Carolina, Babalade’s size and exceptional footwork sets him apart as a pass blocker. In 2025 he allowed 1 sack and 21 pressures over 255 pass-blocking snaps. And that was against top-tier defenses in the SEC. While seen as a tackle at Nebraska, his size and mobility give him the ability to play both guard and tackle. He has a good relationship with coaches, as he played for Teasley at South Carolina.
Brendan Black – 6’4”, 325-pounds
Experience: Senior (36 games, 30 starts)
Outlook: Transferring from Iowa State, due to the number of games he’s played, Black is seen as perhaps the most consistent player on the offensive line other than Justin Evans. He blocks with good pad level and uses his hands well. He maintains blocks after making contact and can reach the next level of the defense without being knocked off balance. His mobility makes him effective at both run and pass blocking. One of the strongest linemen on the team.
Justin Evans – 6’2”, 315-pounds
Experience: Senior (38 games, 31 starts)
Outlook: Originally recruited under Scott Frost, Evans is considered Nebraska’s most talented offensive lineman, he’s ranked as the best center in the Big Ten Conference and a top 100 NFL draft pick. Starting all 13 games last season, he only gave up 1 sack and 10 pressures. Because of his speed (5.15) in the 40-yard dash he’s equally effective in the running game. His ability to move allows him to reach linebackers and get outside on counters making him a Geep Wade favorite.
Paul Mubenga – 6’5”, 320-pounds
Experience: Junior (20 games, 11 starts)
Outlook: A transfer from LSU, it’s understandable that Mubenga ended up at Nebraska since Geep Wade had recruited him since high school. He’s the type of lineman Wade looks for, displaying a good balance of size, patience, technique, and experience. He’s quick and aggressive off the line of scrimmage making him a powerful run blocker and an effective pass protector. An immediate starter.
Elijah Pritchett – 6’6”, 330-pounds
Experience: Senior (42 games, 21 starts)
Outlook: Starting his second season at Nebraska after transferring from Alabama, with his size he has legitimate power as a run blocker, allowing him to knock defensive lineman off the line of scrimmage while his quick feet give him the ability to move well in passing sets. With the Huskers looking to get more movement from their offensive lineman, being able to pull or run counter, Pritchett fits what Wade typically looks for. He showed promise last season and under Wade and Teasley he is expected to take that next step in his development.
Gunnar Gottula – 6’6”, 320-pounds
Experience: Junior (22 games, 16 starts)
Outlook: A player who combines size and strength to excel on the field. He shows exceptional power and better than average speed to move defenders off the line. His play is consistent and he has shown a resilience to fight through injuries. He plays with heart and has strong character, making him a dependable starter if needed.
Tyler Knaak – 6’6”, 320-pounds
Experience: Senior (30 games, 1 Start)
Outlook: Going into his third season at Nebraska, he transferred from Utah. He has exceptional power for run blocking and controlling the line of scrimmage. He shows good agility and acceleration and can react quickly if needed. This makes his pass blocking solid but still isn’t his strongest suit. Has good toughness and his raw power gives him an advantage in one-on-one matchups. Good durability keeps him available when needed.
Sam Sledge – 6’4”, 300-pounds
Experience: Junior (11 games, 0 starts)
Grant Brix – 6’6”, 315-pounds
Experience: Sophomore (2 games, 0 starts)
Gibson Pyle – 6’5”, 310-pounds
Experience: Sophomore (1 game, 0 starts)
It doesn’t take long to see why Nebraska went out and got three new starters. We can set back and knock Rhule and development, but his offensive line room was young and inexperienced. By adding three transfers, his top seven players have 208 games of experience, and 125 starts. The next nine players in line have 20 games of experience and 0 starts. It’ll be another year of development for the young guys and a chance for Wade and Teasley to turn them into the type of players they are looking for.
Best of the Rest
Preston Tauma, 6’4”, 330-pound Sophomore (2 games, 0 starts)
Jake Peters – 6’3”, 300-pound Sophomore (2 games, 0 starts)
Shawn Hammerbeck – 6’6”, 285-pound Redshirt Freshman (2 games, 0 starts)
Claude Mpouma – 6’8”, 325-pound Freshman. (0 games, 0 starts)
Rex Waterman – 6’5”, 305-pound Freshman (0 games, 0 Starts)
Hayden Ainsworth – 6’5”, 310-pound Freshman (0 games, 0 starts)
Getting back to Nebraska’s Roots
Nebraska has a long history of productive and dominant offensive lines. So much so that they were nicknamed the “Pipeline” during their national championship seasons. Part of that is due to having two offensive line coaches, did I tell you I’m a big fan of that. Could Wade and Teasley be the next Milt Tenopir and Dan Young?
Milt Tenopir, who retired in 2003, was an offensive line coach at Nebraska for 29 years with Nebraska posting a record of 295-63-2 while he was coaching. He is best remembered as the architect of the “Pipeline”.
Dan Young coached for 20 years, with Nebraska posting a record of 208-41-1 during his tenure.
While at Nebraska the duo sent 27 players to the NFL with 14 of them being selected in the first three rounds of the NFL draft. They had six Outland Trophy winners (best interior lineman in college football) and two Lombardi trophies winners. Their lines were responsible for 13 NCAA rushing titles, and three national championships in four seasons. They were a major reason Nebraska posted a 60-5 record over that five-year span.
Some of the players they coached and won Outland and Lombardi Torphys were Dave Remington, Dean Steinkuhler, Jake Young, Will Shields, Zach Weigert, Aaron Taylor, Dominic Raiola, and Toniu Fonoti. Taking it a step further, Raiola won the Remington Trophy (best center in college football). You guessed it, the trophy is named after Dave Remington.
If you’re an offensive line coach, how can you not be excited to be coaching at the University of Nebraska with its deep and rich “Pipeline” tradition. Wade knows where he’s at and makes sure his players do too. “You represent Nebraska.”
GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST, VIOLENT!!
Photos courtesy of the Falls City Journal Home – Falls City Journal – Falls City, NE
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