Spring Practice

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Some of our lineman look about as unathletic as it gets.

 

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Steve Marik • InsideNebraska
Staff Writer
@Steve_Marik

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule and receivers coach Garret McGuire spoke with the media following the 10th practice of spring ball on Tuesday. Here are the quick hits:

Matt Rhule. (Greg Smith/Inside Nebraska)

Matt Rhule​

>> With the spring transfer portal window of April 15-30 approaching, Rhule said he hasn’t given it much thought, even as he coaches a team with around 100 scholarship players.
“I look at the transfer portal as a tremendous opportunity for guys to figure out where they want to go," he said. "Some people probably don’t make the right decision, some people do make the right decision. I think the main issue is, coaches sometimes inducing people to leave places for the wrong reasons. We’ve probably dealt with a little of that from other places.”
>> Rhule wants to watch the tape first before saying how he thought the players did on their return from their four-day break. But on first sight, the retention level seemed like it was good.
“I didn’t think there were a ton of missed assignments or anything,” he said. “I’ve learned over the years not to judge practice based on how I feel after practice, good or bad. So I like to watch the tape.”
>> What does Rhule think about McGuire and how his transition to receivers coach has gone? The head coach has liked what he’s seen from McGuire, who Rhule said runs the entire 7-on-7 passing game during the second half of practice, so he knows the quarterbacks’ progressions along with the receiver, tight end and running back routes.
“I think it’s been great,” Rhule said. “He’s had a lot of people question him, which really honestly hurts us in recruiting. We’re out there recruiting and people are following us, and they’re like, ‘Well, I keep hearing this narrative,’ and it’s coming from our own people. So we have to battle that a little bit. But I always look at things in my life like, ‘Would I want my son to play for him?’ And I’d want my son to play for Garret.
“As he starts to churn out NFL prospects, the top recruits in the country will realize that if they play for Garret, they’re not just gonna get someone who’s a hype guy. They’re gonna get a really good coach who’s also going to care about them off the field.”
>> Rhule called receiver Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda “really, really, really dependable” and someone who’s “talented” and has “good hands.” Garcia-Castaneda, a former transfer from New Mexico State, started last season against Northwestern but saw his snaps and targets decrease afterward. He entered his name in the portal after the Oklahoma game, but returned to the team in January.
“The biggest thing we’re trying to express to this team is, dependability is one of the greatest traits you can have as a teammate and as a member of the team,” Rhule said. “If I know you’re going to be where you’re supposed to be and do what you’re supposed to do. Isaiah is a guy, especially with his story, transferring in and leaving the team, it leaves a lot of questions in terms of, ‘Hey, what happened?’ I haven’t really delved into it with him, I try to give everyone a blank slate. I think he’s been awesome.”
>> As for Zavier Betts, who continues to do what he needs to do off the field and in the classroom, Rhule said the receiver is doing well with the day-to-day grind.
“We have a couple messages we’re trying to get across from the guys, dependability being one. Just that competitive stamina of doing it day after day," Rhule said. "Zavier is straining himself off the field in the classroom at a level he’s never done before. That takes time, that takes a toll on you and I’m very proud of Zavier for what he’s doing off the field.”
>> In terms of how well the defense is tackling, Rhule said he’ll get a better idea on Saturday when the team scrimmages.
“The way we teach is a little bit of a break from some of the things they learned in terms of, we’re always tracking their hip, we don’t have guys running over the top,” Rhule said. “So that’s a departure from the way they maybe have played. So, we still sometimes struggle with our angles. But I think we’re very willing to tackle, we’re not a soft team.”
>> Rhule said he’s not in a rush to push offensive lineman Ben Scott back to full-go. Scott, who had a prior MCL injury, tweaked a knee recently and has been practicing in a green limited jersey since. Running back Ajay Allen was seen wearing a yellow no-practice jersey last week, but on Tuesday he was wearing green. Rhule said he’s hopeful Allen will practice full-go on Thursday.
>> Rhule said he’s planning on playing a competitive game for the annual Red-White spring game April 22, but that will be dependent on what the numbers look like. He’s also planning on the quarterbacks to be live during the scrimmage — but again, that will be determined later and may change.
“My goal is for it to be a competition and just to play it out,” Rhule said.
>> Rhule added two guys in the receiver room who don’t get talked about enough are walk-ons Alex Bullock and Ty Hahn.
“Bullock is a really explosive player, makes a ton of plays. Ty has done a really nice job as well,” Rhule said.
>> Rhule said he’s started the process of cutting back receiver Billy Kemp’s reps. The veteran wideout is already established and has played plenty of football in his career. The coach is wanting to give others a good look.

Garret McGuire (Greg Smith/Inside Nebraska)

Garret McGuire​

>> McGuire said he isn't too far removed from his own playing days, so his ability to see the game helps him relate to his players, even as a 24-year-old coaching guys who aren't much younger than he is. The defenses he played in high school and college aren't much different than the ones his current players are going against.
>> McGuire said he's a firm believer in showing his players NFL tape, whether it's of Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Tyreke Hill or his friend he coached in Carolina, DJ Moore.
"If they see the best of the best do it, they learn better than going to see a guy who is on the same playing level," McGuire said.
>> McGuire likes to tell the players that his office is there office, so whenever they want to come by and grab some snacks while watching film, they can do it.
"When you see Billy Kemp, Josh Fleeks sitting in my chair, running the remote, it's a lot more powerful than me teaching them," McGuire said.
>> McGuire wanted to create a relationship with one of the team's receivers, Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda, who was a starter last season but entered the portal after the Oklahoma game. Garcia-Castaneda is back now, so McGuire got to know his background.
"Just a super-disciplined, detailed guy," McGuire said of Washington. "Very, very smart, very engaged in the meetings when either myself or coach Satt (Satterfield) is speaking. He's just a guy who's dependable, and that's all we're really looking for, guys who are dependable."
>> What stands out about Betts to McGuire? Shoot, just look at the kid, the coach said.
"He's really big, really long, can stretch the field vertically," McGuire said. "Zavier is competing his tail off, I'm very proud of him and all the progress he's made, both on and off the field in the classroom."
>> McGuire called Nebraska a "developmental program" and to see young guys get a bunch of reps makes McGuire happy. Part of that program means installing what McGuire called Husker speed.
What is Husker speed?
"Playing with overwhelming effort, play after play," he said.

 

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Sup Avarie

 

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Rhule called receiver Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda “really, really, really dependable” and someone who’s “talented” and has “good hands.”

 

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Steve Marik • InsideNebraska
Staff Writer
@Steve_Marik

Nebraska is heading down the home stretch of spring ball after completing its 11th practice Thursday morning.
Afterward, defensive coordinator Tony White and linebackers coach Rob Dvoracek met with the media at Memorial Stadium. Here are the quick hits:

Tony White​

>> White said he “needs to be better in terms of making sure this is the stuff we’re going to run.”
White said the defense is moving players around, so he wants to be “cleaner” and “more efficient” to make sure he really gets a good look at the players playing fast. He said the defense hasn’t installed anything new the past couple days.
“It’s hard to get an evaluation when you’re changing stuff, or adding stuff all the time, then you throw a guy in a new position, so now he’s learning a new position and a new defense and you’re going out there and seeing him at his worst,” White said. “At this point, it’s a matter of making sure they’re in the right positions and they know what to do. I scaled back so those guys can go play.”
>> White likes the skill on the defensive side of the ball. That will help with the pass rush, and White mentioned off the top of his head Chief Borders, Jimari Butler, MJ Sherman, Kai Wallin and Princewill Umanmielen as guys who are impressing him. White credited strength coach Corey Campbell with his work with everyone.
“It’s fun to watch them when we get in those situations (pass rushing), but you have to get them in those situations. You have to get them to stop the run and then get them (the offense) in third down,” White said.
>> Don’t be surprised to see players like Borders, Sherman and Wallin move around on the defense from one play to the next.
“When you’re stopping the run, you’re putting them in one place. When you’re defending the pass, you’re putting them in another place,” White said. “They’re all really like X men, moving around. They’re doing a great job of doing what’s asked of them, showing different skill sets.”
>> AJ Rollins has fully made the transition from tight end to defensive end now, which White said was all Matt Rhule’s idea. White called the 6-foot-6 Pickle Smoochers Prep grad a “baller” and is doing what’s asked of him, and with a smile on his face.
“He’s been over there for maybe a week now, and all the sudden he’s making plays,” White said. “Constantly show up around the ball, which is really cool, really fun watching.”
>> In a previous press conference, Sherman mentioned that he and Butler were working at the Jack position. On Thursday, White said the Jack is really just an outside linebacker.
“They want to say the Jack, but also they’re at WILL, they’re at MIKE, they’re at end, they’re all over the place. So I don’t want to lock them into one thing because their skill set, they’re showing a lot of different things,” White said. “They’re showing their ability to play on run downs and then you move them outside and they’re rushing the passer. So I think there’s a really healthy competition right there, which is going to be good for everybody.”
>> There are around five different corners who have shown White that they can cover. He mentioned Malcolm Hartzog, Quinton Newsome, Javier Morton, Tommi Hill and Myles Farmer. You could tell that White was just naming players off the top of his head, so this wasn’t a definitive list. Later in the interview, he mentioned DeShon Singleton.
>> White was asked about Hill, and mentioned maturity being an important part to Hill’s time in Lincoln.
“It’s about maturity, and that’s with everything — a new staff, you make sure guys are buying into what we’re doing. Not only only buying in, but actually adopting it, believing in it. Tommi is a guy who has a lot of talent, and as his maturity comes along, you see him making more plays, more positive, around the ball more. So it’s fun to watch.”

Rob Dvoracek​

>> Dvoracek said the Jack position is a versatile role that does a lot. When asked who was in the mix to play it, the coach didn't mention any names but said many players have worked at the position in practice.
"They play off the ball, they play on the ball, they play in space. So they do a lot, which makes it a fun position to play," he said.
>> Dvoracek said he's really working on building trust and relationships with every player in his linebacker room.
"I try to spend as much time as I can with them," he said. "I want to learn about them, their families, what's important to them in football, life, whatever it is. I try to do my best to have them over to the house, hang out with me and spend time outside of football."
>> There won't be just one player yelling out instructions on the defense, Dvoracek said.
"It's the responsibility of the whole defense to get the call, and then each position has a part in which they communicate to the rest of the defense," Dvoracek said. The safeties will speak, the corners will speak, the 'backers will speak, the D-line will speak."
>> What is Dvoracek focusing on with his linebackers?
"We put a ton of fundamentals on just linebacker play — the body mechanics, the tackling, the block destruction, how to attack the football," he said.