Huskers Reveal Depth Chart
14 comments so far
July 22, 2008 by
Nebraska revealed its first official depth chart for 2008. Of course, coaches will say these listings don't mean anything and that they are likely to change. That's all well and good. For right now, Husker fans get an important first look at what kind of roster NU might field in the fall. Here are some of the things I found interesting about the summer depth chart.
- Patrick Witt has the backup quarterback job at this point. Why start with this fact? Because it is the most important position on the field, and the battle between Witt and Lee is said to be pretty close. And, NU's season could turn dramatically with one ugly hit on Ganz. The battle for this spot merits continued watching.
- I like NU's overall depth along the offensive line. There are a lot of big people on the roster, which is nice. But, it remains fragile, too. The Huskers have redshirt freshman in their two-deep at both right tackle and center. You would have to think other, more experienced players might be moved around in should NU suffer injuries at one of those two spots.
- It is pretty clear who the top six wide receivers are at this point. You can expect to see everyone listed here take meaningful snaps, I think. It’s nice to have a Chris Brooks sighting. Again, you have to like the total talent makeup of the group. But, individuals must step up.
- NU has a lot of backs. For Lucky to be all conference in the preseason and still be pushed by Roy Helu and Quentin Castille, you know the Huskers have some something good
- Always nice to see a Makovicka listed at fullback. But, Lawson is the experienced senior who must step up now.
- Hunter Teafatiller is not listed. That doesn't look too good. Hope the kid can clean his act up, because the Huskers need him, especially as a blocking tight end. Though, I’m excited to see what Mike McNeil can do.
- Along the defensive line, Ndamukong Suh must be getting healthy as he is listed at the number one Nose Tackle. That's good news. I like the front unit there with Suh, Zach Potter, Barry Turner and Ty Steinkuhler. But, Kevin Dixon is listed as the top back up at both tackle spots. That's not good, folks. Better depth needs to be established.
- Wow, NU does not have a lot of linebackers, at least guys who have played much at all. At the "Buck" spot, Tyler Wortman is a walk on and Blake Lawrence does NOT weigh 225 pounds. In the middle, most people are excited about Dillard. But, nobody outside of Clay County, Nebraska has ever heard of Colton Koehler. At the "Will" spot, Cody Glenn is a converted running back. Good story or not, that has to give you pause. Latravis Washington is a fantastic athlete, but still very green.
- I'm actually very excited about the secondary. Armando Murillo was quietly NU's best defensive back last year. At safety, Larry Asante, Ricky Thenarse and Major Culbert all had fans drooling when they were recruited. I'm anxious to see what Marvin Sanders' coaching can do for those guys. At the other corner, Anthony West and Prince Amukamara are both prototype corners, at least athletically. Expect Amukamara to play a lot of nickel.
They both must grow up quickly. No sign of Anthony Blue. I wouldn't expect too quick a recovery for his knee.
- NU should have a strong kicking game, returning both the place kickers from last year and a very good punter. Hey, don't miss the "hidden third". It decides ball games, folks.
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tom Jul 22 08
I had very high expectations for the linebackers last year. I thought they were a strength for our team. We know how that all turned out. Now, I have very low expectations, and think they're a weakness. So by that token, they should be awesome!
Jason Jul 22 08
Steve pointed out in an email that the roster includes all of the recruits except:
* Justin Rogers
* Antonio Bell
* David Grant
* David Whitmore
Not sure what to make of that at this point, but it is worth noting.
Tyler Hughes Jul 22 08
I also notice Eric Hagg cracking the two-deep chart. Lots of hoopla about him when he signed with NU. Interested to see what he might add to that group.
Dwayne Jul 22 08
Darren,
Where's Tim Riggins on that depth chart? The d line is thin as far as numbers in my opinion too. I'm hoping Baker ends up on this side, just purely on numbers and apparent depth alone. I would think it would be easier to plug an area mammoth into the o line than to keep Steinkuhler on the bench if he's ready to play this fall.
Brad Jul 22 08
"I had very high expectations for the linebackers last year. I thought they were a strength for our team. We know how that all turned out."
Our linebackers were fine last year...the defensive line in front of them completely sucked though, so they looked bad. It's not like those guys forgot how to play football last year. They looked terrible and were getting injured a lot because our d-line was basically non-existent and o-linemen were all over them. This affected the secondary as well, as they constantly had to come up in run support.
Football is a team sport, and when your d-line is terrible your whole unit is going to look bad.
kalthalior Jul 22 08
I seem to recall something this morning about Baker being slated to work with the defense. I also thought I saw something to the effect that Blue will apparently not be ready for the start of fall practice, but may be ready for conference play if all goes well with his recovery.
donfl Jul 22 08
I partially agree with Brad that the D line sucked last year, that still does not excuse the myriad of missed tackles and slow movement to the ball that all three of the LB's showed last year. When your safeties end up with the majority of the tackles that does tell you how slow the LB crew was last year. GBR
ze bop Jul 22 08
Did our D make tackles last year? I must have missed those games....
Yeah, the D line was the main suck part of last year's D. But the rest of the D sucked too.
I think our secondary going into '08 has the best talent. Yeah, the D-line and LBs look pretty thin so one can only hope that BO produces a major turn around in their performance.
I still keep wanting to hear something about Niles Paul, I'm counting on that guy to make some noise this season.
And, it's surprising to see Witt currently listed as the #2 QB since Lee would seem to be the natural duel threat back up. Witt must be passing it very well at this point.
ze bop Jul 22 08
what about marcus mendoza? I like that guy...
Josh Jul 22 08
Brad,
I respectfully disagree.
Ruud & McKeon had less than acceptable year's last year. Sure, you can push some of the blame to the D-Line. That, I won't deny. But, take a look at the USC game tape and our linebackers were grossly out of position. It was Bohlesque how out of position they were. And, the USC game is just one illustration of that. There were many other games in which they played equally as poor.
I'm sorry I'm not sorry for my next comment. But, I am absolutely relieved that Bo Ruud's collegiate eligibility has been exhausted. Other than Mike Petko (anyone remember him?), Ruud was arguably the most overrated linebacker in NU history.
Bill in Iowa Jul 22 08
I am going to go out on a limb here and say for the record that the D-line will be the strength of the Defense. There is a Senior at every position is the two-deep expect for Piere Allen who is a very talented 3rd year Sophmore at DE. Yes, Dixon is listed at DT and NT, but I don't know if we can read too much into that. Afterall, also listed behind Dixon is Shukree Barfield*, 6-4, 290, Sr and I will bet money that Baker Steinkuhler will be in the mix if we need him. Checkout the Scout.com review of the D-Line, I think they have it right, they rate it a 7.5 which is the best rating they gave to any group on the NU defense.
http://cfn.scout.com/2/753578.html
Here is the quick list for those who missed it:
OPEN DE:
99 3 BARRY TURNER***, 6-3, 265, Sr., Antioch, Tenn.
95 3 Pierre Allen*, 6-5, 265, So., Denver, Colo.
DT:
43 3 TY STEINKUHLER***, 6-3, 280, Sr., Lincoln, Neb.
97 4 Kevin Dixon*, 6-3, 280, Sr., Vero Beach, Fla.
NT:
93 4 NDAMUKONG SUH**, 6-4, 300, Jr., Portland, Ore.
97 4 Kevin Dixon*, 6-3, 280, Sr., Vero Beach, Fla.
56 3 Shukree Barfield*, 6-4, 290, Sr., Camden, N.J.
BASE DE:
98 4 ZACH POTTER***, 6-7, 285, Jr., Omaha, Neb.
88 3 Clayton Sievers***, 6-4, 255, Sr., Elkhorn, Neb.
Mase Jul 23 08
The good thing is our D-line has potential. Suh was a freshman All-American, Turner has shined in big games (see Michigan), Potter was the only lineman making plays last year (while hurt), and Steinkuhler is an impact player in NCAA 2009, so he must be good. I think these guys can step it up. I also think an overall lack of confidence in the coaches, schemes, and plays hurt last year. You need a lot of intensity and attitude in the trenches, or you will look like...well, last year. Linebacker is the position to be most worried about...this is where dropping weight and picking up speed/quickness will be crutial and it appears the coaches are keyed in on that...good sign!
PS - tom...right on with that first comment, very funny and hopefully very true!
Bill in Iowa Jul 23 08
Mase, I think the LB position has everyone the most worried. There are a lot of question marks within the 2 deep. We have a lot of athletic talent in the 2 deep, but not much experience. So, I guess we will find out how good Ekler and Bo really are. With the new scheme, the emphasis on lighter and faster players, and LB's attacking instead of reading and reacting, I think we might be surprised how quickly this group becomes repectable, and maybe even scary by the mid to end of the season.
Jim Collins Aug 07 08
great, to see chris brooks listed hopefully he can continue to improve and stay healthy we wish you the best go- spartans go huskers