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Rhule and Players Media Availability 3/11
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Rhule and Players Media Availability 3/11
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Don't like that.
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Injuries affecting spring practice
WR Carter Nelson
WR Keelan Smith
TE Mac Markway
OL Turner Corcoran
OL Gunnar Gottula
DL Conor Connealy
DL Jaylen George
LB Roger Gradney
LB Dawson Merritt
LB Pierce Mooberry
DB Jamir Conn
DB Evan Taylor
OL Teddy Prochazka
DL David Borchers
DL Sua Lefotu
PK Tristan Alvano
OUT:
WR Demitrius BellWR Carter Nelson
WR Keelan Smith
TE Mac Markway
OL Turner Corcoran
OL Gunnar Gottula
DL Conor Connealy
DL Jaylen George
LB Roger Gradney
LB Dawson Merritt
LB Pierce Mooberry
DB Jamir Conn
DB Evan Taylor
LIMITED:
OL Henry LutovskyOL Teddy Prochazka
DL David Borchers
DL Sua Lefotu
PK Tristan Alvano
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Especially those DB's. That room is over capacity. They will be looking for any reason to move people on.
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RW:
Rhule talks Stewart as new GM, where NU stands after mat drills
***Rhule said hiring Pat Stewart as Nebraska’s new GM was a result of his impressive credentials and Rhule’s relationship with him over the years. He said Stewart’s work in New England made him “a difference maker” as NU enters “this new space in college.”“We’re trying to take it to a whole ‘nother level.”
***Stewart will oversee portal recruiting and “implement philosophy” when evaluating transfers. It’s not just about talent but also “value financially” and how much NU will spend on each player.
***Rhule said GMs like Stewart reflected college football’s shift to more of an NFL model. “I think things are moving actually in the right direction… It’s a really unique time.”
***Rhule said Nebraska was “certainly further along than we have been” at this point of the offseason. The team is ahead physically but also “understands what needs to be done” and “takes things on in a much more mature way.”
***Rhule said everyone “understands what’s at stake” and how to handle their business, which has led to “a ton of competition” already.
Dylan Raiola’s progress and Nebraska’s new-look o-line
***Rhule said Dana Holgorsen has helped simplify the offense and find an identity based on NU’s strengths and weaknesses. He said Holgorsen was “a unifying force” who worked with every player and coach rather than being off on his own island.***Rhule said Holgorsen and Dylan Raiola having a full offseason together would help in Raiola’s on-field development and his confidence and command of the offense. He said Raiola had been diligent with his offseason conditioning to get in better shape while also mentally taking on a larger workload.
“Dana will for sure push him in every respect.”
***Rhule said Rocco Spindler was “a big, powerful man” who could move people. Beyond his talent, Rhule said Spindler was “a really good guy” who “fits the culture of our culture.”
“I think he’ll be one of the leaders of that room, and there’s a bunch of them.”
***Rhule said Justin Evans had also emerged as a vocal leader on the o-line. Evans is working at left guard and center. Sam Sledge and Jason Maciejczak are also working at center.
No spring league, and the battle for the No. 2 QB
***Rhule said Nebraska won’t have a “Spring League” this year. “That was more for a specific time and place last year.” This spring will be more about continued development and taking things to the next level.
“We’re past the point of potential now. It’s about who produces.” He said having several new coaches would provide “a fresh set of eyes” in all three phases.
***Rhule said Nebraska’s spring schedule would remain the same besides not having a traditional spring game. “These are still young players that have to become good players.” He said scrapping spring ball and moving to summer OTAs would be “a total mistake.”
***At quarterback behind Raiola, Rhule said it was too early to evaluate the young players in the room. However, Jalyn Gramstad emerged as a guy he trusted 100 percent to handle that role during bowl practices. He said Raiola and Gramstad “vibe off each other” and make each other better.
***Rhule said Holgorsen was “very comfortable” adding Marcos Davila, Dane Key, and Hardley Gilmore from Kentucky. Holgorsen and Daikiel Shorts vouching for them was enough for Rhule to sign off on adding them.
***Rhule thanked Heinrich Haarberg and his family for “trusting us” with the move to tight end. “He’s really a special athlete. I mean, he can run… He’s a great, great athlete who’s had to learn the physicality (of playing tight end).”
Schedule changes, NFL Combine, and Mike Ekeler
***Rhule said he understood why fans were upset about Nebraska backing out of its non-conference series with Tennessee. However, he reiterated that he felt it didn’t make sense, given how rapidly the game was changing.Now, it was all about who had the most money to field and support a championship-level team. As a result, Nebraska wasn’t in a position to lose money from missing ticket sales from a future home game (due to stadium renovations).
“We have to be unabashed about investing in athletics and doing the right thing for right now. That’s difficult to do.”
***Rhule said it was important for him to attend this year’s NFL Combine and support his former players. “I was really proud of Ty (Robinson).” He said NFL people told him Robinson “crushed his interviews” and excelled in the on-field testing.
***Rhule said two NFL teams had tried to hire away strength coach Corey Campbell. Another team tried to hire Mitch Cholewinski, the Huskers’ coordinator of football sports science. He said that was an example of Nebraska having “the best of the best” on every level of its staff.
***Rhule said Nebraska lost a lot on its defensive line, but it also has several players who were “ready” to step up. “I think the defensive line will play at a really high level.”
***Rhule admitted that he was a bit leery of hiring Mike Ekeler because of how many national media members were pushing for him. After meeting with Ekeler in person, “I couldn’t get him out of my mind.” Rhule called Ekeler a great teacher, and his style went well beyond just bringing high energy. He said Ekeler was “an excellent recruiter and an excellent evaluator,” and he’d also help NU in that regard.
***Rhule said defensive back Brice Turner was up to 210 pounds while running 22 mph.
Offensive lineman Rocco Spindler
***Spindler said coming to Nebraska was about finding “a trust” in his coaches and a place where he could come in and help take the o-line to the next level. The last few months since the national title game have been a whirlwind, but he’s settled in quickly.“It’s a quick turnaround, but I knew what I wanted.”
***Spindler said Nebraska’s mat drills were unlike anything he’d done at Notre Dame. “It was no joke. I even told my parents that I did not know they took mat drills this seriously.”
***Spindler said NU’s offensive line embodied everything he was about regarding culture and its standards. He loves Donovan Raiola. “There’s no fluff there.”
***Spindler said his father’s NFL experience had been a valuable resource for him, especially in dealing with the transfer portal like NFL free agency.
***Spindler said Dylan Raiola was “a great friend, but he’s an even better teammate and competitor.” He said Dylan had already picked his brain about Notre Dame’s championship game run and what helped them get there.
Wide receiver Dane Key
***Key said Dylan Raiola was a “really good football player” and was “one of the main reasons I came here.” He said Raiola was one of the first people to text him after Key entered the portal and spent nearly his entire official visit with him.***Key said his relationship with Shorts was “ultimately why I chose to come here.” Along with getting along well, Key said Shorts always believed in him.
***He just arrived in Lincoln, but Key is one of the veterans in the wide receiver room. He said he embraced that role and knew he had to “bring my game every day because I know there’s people behind me looking up to me.”
***Facing numerous first-round cornerbacks in the SEC helped him develop “that mentality” to compete with and beat the best. “These guys are NFL guys, and I’m an NFL guy. I’ve got to have that mentality that I’ve got to beat the man in front of me.”
***Key said Jacory Barney was “very special” in how he moved and shifted on the field.
***Key said Kentucky never held mat drills the way Nebraska does, but, like Spindler, he has embraced them. He said mat drills forced you to “do the hard things while you’re tired.”
***Key said his impressive change of direction was something he developed while working with Shorts at Kentucky.
Linebacker Dasan McCollough
***Dasan McCollough said playing at Memorial Stadium in 2022 when he was at Oklahoma was “the craziest game I played in my entire career.” That game stuck with him into his portal recruitment this offseason.***McCollough said mat drills were “made for you to struggle,” but “everyone needed to go through it.” The bonding that came from those was undeniable, he said.
***McCollough said finding a primary position was his priority after being a jack-of-all-trades player for much of his career. He’s now a Jack in Nebraska’s defense.
***McCollough said he was “a big fan” of the traditional Big Ten offenses. He’s excited about the level of physicality he’ll see this season.
**McCollough said he wanted to get to around 240 pounds this season. He was around 230 pounds last year.
***McCollough said Williams Nwaneri immediately caught his attention this winter. “He’s a dude I could definitely see going in the first round” of the NFL Draft.
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I don't know if the kid is a football player or not...but damn thats big and fast.
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Fat Pat confirmed, hoping he doesnt become FF Pat at this point. If he becomes so fat i hope there is some muscle gain and accuracy gain to emulate Big Ben comparisons 🙏
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I'd be surprised if he doesn't get down to around 225lbs. He's still Poly and has a mammoth of a man as his dad so naturally he's going to be bigger than the average QB.
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This is what the radio said over lunch. At a certain point, you're battling genetics.
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Convert to center? Im betting he is 250 if Rhule says 240
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Lol WTF
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Where is this comment coming from? Is he really 240 pounds now?
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Rhule stated that he WOULD NOT be a good QB at 240 lbs. He never once said Raiola is now 240 lbs.
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So I heard someone talking about this and did some research and it appears to be true, but Dylan's poly background comes from his mother. Dominic Raiola is not poly, but Italian, though he was born and raised in Hawaii. Raiola, with all its vowels, comes off as polynesian, but is actually Italian.
Though it looks like Dylan's grandfather, Tony Railoa, married a Hawiian, so he's more than 50% poly.
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