BChristophersonSTAFF
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Spring ball is back and we're here to cover it from all angles.
Some quick observations from our roughly 25 minutes during an open part of Thursday's spring practice:
>>> Five quarterbacks:
Dylan Raiola,
Daniel Kaelin,
Heinrich Haarberg,
Luke Longval and Jack Woche are the guys.
Raiola was putting it on target at a good clip, and with definite zip, in the throws I saw. All the QBs sprinted off the grass outdoor practice field to the smaller new turf field between one drill and then got some work in there. Raiola was leading the charge to get there. He had a particularly nice long ball dropped into Jacory Barney.
>>> Barney got kudos a couple times from wide receivers coach
Garret McGuire. He looks very fluid out there. Don't forget about him. He came here to play right away.
>>>
Sam Sledge was among those getting some work at center. Certainly has seemed like a spot for him down the line, perhaps as soon as Ben Scott is done after this season. Justin Evans was getting reps there too. Huge year for him to see if he can lock down an interior starting job.
>>>
Ru'Quan Buckley working with the O-line as expected. Looked like guard responsibilities. He's got a leadership voice on this team too. Coaches like him. Keep your ear to the ground to see if that story picks up momentum in the weeks ahead.
Jason Maciejczak was also getting some guard work.
>>>
Blye Hill is a skinny corner but he sure is long. Very long. His 6-3 frame is nice, but he's got a wide reach too. Definitely going to be interested to see where his spring takes him. I'm not counting him out at all for two deep or more, but that competition will run hot.
Ethan Nation is another to not forget about amid the talk of others.
>>>
Rahmir Johnson was going through everything we saw, which was promising. Ball security was being stressed heavy with the backs. Hard to make heads or tails of anything there yet, but it's good to see
Dante Dowdell adding another body to go through spring drills. Piling up another four-star in the 2025 class to keep that competition humming in the years ahead is already known but something I thought about looking at the group.
Forgiveness to Dowdell for tripping on one gauntlet drill we saw. 'Tis the time to work that out. Strong upper body, though, with first glance telling you why they think of him as a Big Ten back.
>>>
Micah Mazzccua, as we know, got a bit of a callout from his head coach, but obviously that's a power conference starter and he looks like it up close. Only got to see him in a drill or two but he gained compliments from
Donovan Raiola on one I watched for his technique.
>>> Offensive coordinator
Marcus Satterfield bounced between stations. I saw him both by the QBs at one point and also dialed in on blocking drills on another. The setup with
Glenn Thomas working with the QBs could be very useful for Satt in getting a good overview of the whole picture. You see a taste of how that can help even in a quick portion of practice.
>>>
Matt Rhule was very comfortable, chopping it up with some reporters off to the side during the open practice period. He has said how he loves how this team just looks on the field from an athleticism standpoint. There's truth there at first glance.
>>> Various recruits were checking out the practice.
Matt Ludwig, an impressive athlete from Montana who everyone calls "Moose," was taking in the QBs along with everyone else as he got an explanation from someone on all how all the facilities connected together.
>>>
Teddy Prochazka looked trim – a good trim, in our eyes.
Bryce Benhart, remember, caught similar notice for how he reworked his body last offseason with big dividends.
>>>
Grant Brix is a true freshman who doesn't look that far behind body-wise from others. He's listed at 285 pounds. The top guy on Nebraska's board all of last cycle, his decision to enroll early was a tough one but look for a payoff as he continues to build knowledge and on a frame that is already far ahead of most linemen his age. Good for the Midwest soul to see the young buck working alongside fullback Barret Liebentritt on one particular 2 v. 1 blocking drill.
>>> Some players in green jerseys included
Turner Corcoran,
Princewill Umanmielen,
Maverick Noonan, Cooper Hausmann,
Malachi Coleman,
Brice Turner and
Rex Guthrie.
Larry Tarver Jr., who got a nod from a teammate for his get-after-it winter conditioning work, was in a yellow jersey as he works back from something.
Obviously caution is at play with this being just the third day of screen. Mostly, I was encouraged to see Corcoran out there on the field though. Rhule had said that recovery could go into fall camp. Corcoran was part of some contact in drills.
>>> Some good physical 2 v. 2 blocking drills were part of the practice we saw, with blocks being carried 10 to 20 yards down the field on each one. Well it's 2 v. 1 initially, building to taking on a second defender waiting a few yards back at the next level. Good drill. Nice pad popping sounds to it.
>>> It was no-nonsense work, which I appreciated. When a drill ended, there was a fast transition to the next one. The defensive line is where a lot of leaders live. When you see
Jimari Butler,
Nash Hutmacher and Ty Robinson all go one after another to show how you run through something, it's a nice message for everyone else about this is how things are supposed to go around here.
