Nebraska DL Cameron Lenhardt's dominant spring game flashes home run potential for HuskersVIP ByBLAKE BROCKERMEYER 26 minutes ago
Nebraska freshman Cameron Lenhardt was labeled a "tweener" coming from powerhouse football factory Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy in the Class of 2023. The industry-generated 247Sports Composite ranked the Staten Island, New York, native and former Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep defensive lineman as the No. 305 overall prospect, and it looks like the Huskers might have hit a home run with the former four-star recruit.
The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Lenhardt looked like a man among boys during Nebraska’s spring game. He had incredible versatility, playing every position on Nebraska's three- and four-down fronts during the April 22 showcase.
Lenhardt's finest trait was his effort. A defensive lineman playing with relentless effort is an offensive lineman's worst nightmare, and he has a motor that does not stop. Lenhardt is extremely disruptive as a defensive tackle, and the Huskers look like they are going to be creating a lot of havoc by stunting and gaming their defensive fronts in 2023.
There were numerous snaps where Lenhardt spiked inside and clogged up the running lanes, so the back had to bounce it the opposite direction or was caught for a tackle for loss. I also saw numerous games, both inside with the tackles and outside with the defensive ends, that were effective. Lenhardt uses his hands well to strike and shed offensive lineman and is physical at the point when he's not moving in stunts and games.
Nebraska let its quarterbacks be "live" for the scrimmage, so this was a realistic look for everyone, and it looks like all the quarterbacks made it through healthy.
Lenhardt generally played right defensive end in three-man sub packages and did a nice job working on the edge. He had a chance early in the game for a sack but did not attack Jeff Sims' upfield shoulder and the Huskers quarterback was able to escape outside the pocket. This is a great teaching lesson for him to learn from — you cannot ever rush from the edge down the middle or inside of the quarterback or this can, and usually does, happen.
Lenhardt has a good explosive first step from the edge, and will only get better with reps and experience.
Lenhardt looks like a great get for a program that has had a ton of great defensive lineman over the years. One member of the staff told me last week that "he's a stud."
There is no doubt that he is going to be a fixture in the defensive line rotation in 2023, and I would not be surprised if he starts the majority of the games. I somewhat prefer him inside as a defensive tackle, but I love his versatility to play the edge and even saw him in the fire zone blitz drop into coverage on one snap.
Blake Brockermeyer is a College Football Analyst for 247Sports. He was an All-American OT at the University of Texas and was a first-round NFL Draft pick by the Carolina Panthers in 1995. He was a defensive quality control analyst for SMU from 2018-2020. He has sons on the Alabama (James) and TCU (Tommy) football teams.
