Fall Camp 2025!
- Thread starter ATX_Husker
- Start date
Fine with me, ATX!
As I recall, you were accused of 'jumping the gun' with your Huskers Rhule thread back in the day too. So, FWIW, I view your early start as a good luck charm!
It's almost here, gang!
Let's start rocking people!Fine with me, ATX!
As I recall, you were accused of 'jumping the gun' with your Huskers Rhule thread back in the day too. So, FWIW, I view your early start as a good luck charm!
It's almost here, gang!
GO BIG RED!!!
Jumping the gun by a few days but hey why not?
Premature postulation? Eh, happens to most guys your age.
Man H99, that's just plain brutal and may just leave a scar.Premature postulation? Eh, happens to most guys your age.
Okay, with Fall Camp starting Monday for Matt Rhule's Year #3, I thought this weekend I'd share my Top Ten Reasons why I believe THIS is the season where CFB's sleeping giant, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, are going to wake up and return to their rightful place in the CFB World.
Reason #10: The "Rhule Year 3" Factor
We can debate whether or not it's a legitimate Rhule program-building thing for not. But either way, it gives this year's team an added sense of confidence because they are aware it's a major talking point in CFB circles.
Reason #9: The Peets / 1890
Like it or not, NIL is part of today's game. You either embrace it or you can pretend you can go 'old school' (like Wisconsin and Iowa St) without it. Coach Rhule said at Media Days "we'd be dead without the Peet brothers." In addition to retaining our key players from last year, our NIL partners, 1890, helped us hit the transfer portal for some players who could transform a good roster into a great one.
Reason #8: A MAJOR upgrade in Coaches
It's understandable how challenging it has to be to pull together a staff in a tiny window of time after being hired as a new head coach. Looking back, our defensive-minded head coach made some great hires on the defensive side of the ball, but there were early question marks about many of his offensive coaches, especially his OC and WR coach. Then, as fate would have it, his TE coach resigned before the start of the season. Yikes. In Holgorsen and Shorts, Nebraska went from C- coaches to A+ ones. And word is that Addison Williams, our new secondary coach (former DC at UCF) has been a top-shelf addition and Phil Snow's daily presence is a no-brainer. Lastly, new DC, Butler, is expected to bring a more aggressive style to the Blackshirts (which I'm excited about.)
Reason #7: Quality 'Young Pup' Depth
Nebraska has been stockpiling talent from Rhule's first two recruiting classes -- AND has added some 2025 talent that could play right away. Most of these guys are not household names (yet) but will play significant roles this fall, particularly on defense. FWIW, collectively they are the reason Coach Rhule wasn't keen on showcasing their talents in a Spring Game.
Reason #6: Rhule's Game Day "X-Factor"
Rhule mentioned during Media Days that the high quality of his coaches allow him to watch the practices and games with a fresh new, macro-view -- no longer needing to be laser-focused on the various position groups. On this point, Coach mentioned during the Pinstripe Bowl, he noticed that (forgotten the play he mentioned) could exploit BC's defensive coverage and asked Holgorsen why he'd had run it yet? He said Dana gave him a look--but then called it a few plays later for a touchdown.
Reason #5: Pass Rush - Even with Ty and Nash up-front, our pass rush left a lot to be desired. What we may lack in experience, we'll make up for with more speed on the front-line and at linebacker. I'm especially high on our linebacker room. We haven't seen this much talent there since LaVonte David was still here. Our defense's improved speed could be a real difference-maker when it comes to blitz packages.
Reason #4: Our Secondary - After Tommy got hurt, it was a big disappointment last season. But we have some serious talent back who can play man-to-man with some of the best receivers we'll face so that will give Butler the confidence to call a more aggressive game. IMO, defensive aggression leads to turnovers.
Reason #3: Our Wide Receivers - Going into the season last year, we thought we'd brought in a pair of dynamite receivers to help Dylan. But they were arguably our biggest disappointment, both with getting open and with their blocking. What gives me more confidence this time around is that Dana Holgorsen hand-picked Dane Key and Nyzah Hunter (while saying bye-bye to Nayor.) He also hand-picked his mentee, Shorts, to coach them. If you analyze DH's explosive offenses, the strength of his units have been his wide receivers.
Reason #2: Special Teams - As we all painfully know, it wouldn't take much to improve our ST. Like with Holgorsen and Smarts, I think our coaching has gone from a C- to an A+ with Coach Eck. He created one of the best units in CFB at Tennessee and I am confident that he can do the same here. At the very least, I expect to see a more aggressive and disciplined bunch than I've seen at Nebraska in a long time.
Reason #1: Dylan Raiola - The Best thing that could have happened for Dylan was to get a veteran OC like Dana Holgorsen as his coach. I am confident that Dylan is going to have much better stats this season because of: a) having a year of starting in the Big Ten under his belt; 2) Holgorsen's style of offense fits DR like a glove; and 3) his Uncle's OL is collectively The Best Unit with The Most Depth we've had in a very looooooooong time.
I realized after finishing this list that I could've listed a whole bunch more. What are some of the things that give you confidence going into Fall Camp?
Reason #10: The "Rhule Year 3" Factor
We can debate whether or not it's a legitimate Rhule program-building thing for not. But either way, it gives this year's team an added sense of confidence because they are aware it's a major talking point in CFB circles.
Reason #9: The Peets / 1890
Like it or not, NIL is part of today's game. You either embrace it or you can pretend you can go 'old school' (like Wisconsin and Iowa St) without it. Coach Rhule said at Media Days "we'd be dead without the Peet brothers." In addition to retaining our key players from last year, our NIL partners, 1890, helped us hit the transfer portal for some players who could transform a good roster into a great one.
Reason #8: A MAJOR upgrade in Coaches
It's understandable how challenging it has to be to pull together a staff in a tiny window of time after being hired as a new head coach. Looking back, our defensive-minded head coach made some great hires on the defensive side of the ball, but there were early question marks about many of his offensive coaches, especially his OC and WR coach. Then, as fate would have it, his TE coach resigned before the start of the season. Yikes. In Holgorsen and Shorts, Nebraska went from C- coaches to A+ ones. And word is that Addison Williams, our new secondary coach (former DC at UCF) has been a top-shelf addition and Phil Snow's daily presence is a no-brainer. Lastly, new DC, Butler, is expected to bring a more aggressive style to the Blackshirts (which I'm excited about.)
Reason #7: Quality 'Young Pup' Depth
Nebraska has been stockpiling talent from Rhule's first two recruiting classes -- AND has added some 2025 talent that could play right away. Most of these guys are not household names (yet) but will play significant roles this fall, particularly on defense. FWIW, collectively they are the reason Coach Rhule wasn't keen on showcasing their talents in a Spring Game.
Reason #6: Rhule's Game Day "X-Factor"
Rhule mentioned during Media Days that the high quality of his coaches allow him to watch the practices and games with a fresh new, macro-view -- no longer needing to be laser-focused on the various position groups. On this point, Coach mentioned during the Pinstripe Bowl, he noticed that (forgotten the play he mentioned) could exploit BC's defensive coverage and asked Holgorsen why he'd had run it yet? He said Dana gave him a look--but then called it a few plays later for a touchdown.
Reason #5: Pass Rush - Even with Ty and Nash up-front, our pass rush left a lot to be desired. What we may lack in experience, we'll make up for with more speed on the front-line and at linebacker. I'm especially high on our linebacker room. We haven't seen this much talent there since LaVonte David was still here. Our defense's improved speed could be a real difference-maker when it comes to blitz packages.
Reason #4: Our Secondary - After Tommy got hurt, it was a big disappointment last season. But we have some serious talent back who can play man-to-man with some of the best receivers we'll face so that will give Butler the confidence to call a more aggressive game. IMO, defensive aggression leads to turnovers.
Reason #3: Our Wide Receivers - Going into the season last year, we thought we'd brought in a pair of dynamite receivers to help Dylan. But they were arguably our biggest disappointment, both with getting open and with their blocking. What gives me more confidence this time around is that Dana Holgorsen hand-picked Dane Key and Nyzah Hunter (while saying bye-bye to Nayor.) He also hand-picked his mentee, Shorts, to coach them. If you analyze DH's explosive offenses, the strength of his units have been his wide receivers.
Reason #2: Special Teams - As we all painfully know, it wouldn't take much to improve our ST. Like with Holgorsen and Smarts, I think our coaching has gone from a C- to an A+ with Coach Eck. He created one of the best units in CFB at Tennessee and I am confident that he can do the same here. At the very least, I expect to see a more aggressive and disciplined bunch than I've seen at Nebraska in a long time.
Reason #1: Dylan Raiola - The Best thing that could have happened for Dylan was to get a veteran OC like Dana Holgorsen as his coach. I am confident that Dylan is going to have much better stats this season because of: a) having a year of starting in the Big Ten under his belt; 2) Holgorsen's style of offense fits DR like a glove; and 3) his Uncle's OL is collectively The Best Unit with The Most Depth we've had in a very looooooooong time.
I realized after finishing this list that I could've listed a whole bunch more. What are some of the things that give you confidence going into Fall Camp?
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Schedule: One of the easiest in the B1G this season. Should be conducive to a winning record at the end of the year and a good bowl game.
Ranking the Big Ten's toughest, easiest schedules in 2025: Oregon's path clear, USC faces uphill climb
Ranking the Big Ten's toughest, easiest schedules in 2025: Oregon's path clear, USC faces uphill climb
Because DrF says "This is the year!" -- nothing more needs to be said.
LOL, Thanks, Uenth. If Mrjfb were still here, he'd tell you that the trouble with your take is that this DrFumble guy is well-known for saying "This is the year!" Every Damn Season.
Hell, the Law of Averages would be yet another reason why I'm eventually gonna be right!
LOL, you've heard the old adage about even a blind squirrel finding an acorn every once in a while.
Either way, this is the year BABY. The comeback starts NOW!!!
GO BIG RED!!!
I have too many bruises on my butt from trying to kick that football that Lucy pulls away at the last second every pre season. Looking back, many of us were giddy for the new season, especially during those disastrous Frost F*ck - Ups. This should by all rights be an improved year 7-5 or 8-4. This could also be an extremely special year given our schedule. Iowa, Penn St, and Michigan probably will be favored over us. The rest of the teams aren’t any better than us. We should win those games that we have no business losing to, we have a nine win season. We win a game or two against Iowa, Michigan and Penn St, suddenly we are 10-2, 11-1, and maybe in the conversation for the playoffs. Injuries, play execution, and a will to win on both sides of the ball will determine how far we go this year.
I sure like the sound of 10/2 or 11/1, Perve State is over rated
My Top Ten list is actually a Top 12 list. Here's a couple more reasons why I'm expecting big things this fall that deserve being mentioned:
Another Reason - Our Tight Ends: How many programs could lose a TE to the NFL and have fans expecting BETTER TE performances the following year? IMO, we've got three tight ends who you could argue could all end up in the NFL: Lindenmeyer, Haarberg, and Nelson. One of my frustrations last season was having a killer TE room yet their own position coach, our former OC, couldn't seem to figure out how to use them? What's wrong with this picture?!?!? I don't expect this issue to be the case this time around with Holgorsen.
And Another Reason - Emmitt Johnson: He doesn't fit into the elite group of RBs we've ever had, but once DN came aboard and featured EJ, the kid stepped up his game and showed fans he's capable of being VERY GOOD. With his confidence and a solid OL, Emmitt could have a breakout season. My one worry has been RB depth. Johnson is not the kind of back you can run 30 times a game in the B1G. But on that front, I was excited to hear that Isaiah Mozee has moved to RB for the season. An RB becomes another receiver in DN's offense and Mozee is a buzz-worthy, Barney-like talent. And unlike WanDale back-in-the-day, Isaiah ASKED to be moved to RB in order to get on the field this year.
GO BIG RED!
Another Reason - Our Tight Ends: How many programs could lose a TE to the NFL and have fans expecting BETTER TE performances the following year? IMO, we've got three tight ends who you could argue could all end up in the NFL: Lindenmeyer, Haarberg, and Nelson. One of my frustrations last season was having a killer TE room yet their own position coach, our former OC, couldn't seem to figure out how to use them? What's wrong with this picture?!?!? I don't expect this issue to be the case this time around with Holgorsen.
And Another Reason - Emmitt Johnson: He doesn't fit into the elite group of RBs we've ever had, but once DN came aboard and featured EJ, the kid stepped up his game and showed fans he's capable of being VERY GOOD. With his confidence and a solid OL, Emmitt could have a breakout season. My one worry has been RB depth. Johnson is not the kind of back you can run 30 times a game in the B1G. But on that front, I was excited to hear that Isaiah Mozee has moved to RB for the season. An RB becomes another receiver in DN's offense and Mozee is a buzz-worthy, Barney-like talent. And unlike WanDale back-in-the-day, Isaiah ASKED to be moved to RB in order to get on the field this year.
GO BIG RED!
I was frustrated when I wrote this that I couldn't find where I'd heard this story. Today, I found it: It was Coach Rhule's Media Days interview with Kyle Crooks and Damon Benning, if you want to hear it for yourself.
The play I couldn't remember was called "Mesh" and Rhule didn't say DH gave him 'a look' when Coach asked why he hadn't run it yet. He actually said Holgorsen got pissed off by his suggestion--but ran it a few plays later for a TD.
I love that story!
