Recently, Ourlads came out with what their predictions are on the offensive depth chart for 2024 and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Thought i’d give a little analysis on what I believe they got right and what I think they got wrong.
Quarterback
Let’s just start with this one, I think they nailed it here. Raiola wasn’t coming here to battle it out, it’s why guys like Purdy took off. The job is his barring an injury. After that it gets a little tricky, as HH is going to be getting reps at TE this spring as well. This staff will do everything they can to preserve Kaelin’s redshirt, so Haarberg is our #2 for sure. But I think they want to get him on the field at TE. We will see how this all plays out.
Pretty straight forward with QB, really the only intriguing thing to me is how Rhule will handle things in the spring. In 2023, Rhule basically had full-contact QBs as he had double the amount of scholarship guys on the roster. If one went down, you had 5 more in the stable. Raiola is going to need the full contact, as will Kaelin, but can we afford to do that this time around? Will be fun to watch.
Runningback
This is what is so tricky about trying to guess things before spring ball. There are injuries that you have no idea how someone is going to be coming off of them. I am a bit worried about Ervin Jr getting back to form after his hip injury, I would actually give the nod to Rahmir Johnson as the starting back. However, both Ervin Jr and Johnson are out for this spring, which paves the way for Emmett Johnson and new Oregon transfer Dowdell to get the bulk of the work. Ives while he has been getting some praise, is going to need to show patience for another year if Johnson or Ervin Jr are healthy this fall. But he will get plenty of work in the spring.
I would put both Johnson’s as 1A and 1B right now, but since Rahmir is out for the spring Emmett Johnson will be RB1 starting in March.
Fullback
Not too much to argue with here, as Bonner got the lions share of snaps last year. However, will Nebraska be ok giving a scholarship to Bonner instead of letting a guy like Liebentritt take snaps? I don’t know, if things get tight here may be a tough conversation there.
Wide Receiver
This one is where it starts getting fun. Banks is a no-brainer starter for Nebraska in 2024, after that it gets tricky. While Neyor is coming here to play, he has only caught 1 pass the last 2 seasons. He dominated at Wyoming in 2021, but can you really rely on someone that has had that much of an injury issue? He will need to show he’s healthy after his injuries. So do you lean towards a guy like Alex Bullock who would be your most consistent guy and had the most success in your system coming back? Not sure if you can go there either, so you look at possibly Malachi Coleman who had the fourth most snaps on the team last year. The biggest jump you make is year 1 to year 2, as Coleman had an underwhelming freshman campaign when we desperately needed the top100 recruit to step up. I’m very curious to see what he looks like in 2024.
And what about in the slot, they have IGC starting there but I don’t buy that at this point in time. Lloyd was a big play threat and I may start with him at that position, but there’s a hidden secret waiting to get unleashed in 2024 by the name of Demitrius Bell. Bell had to take a redshirt due to academics, but by all accounts was the best freshman WR we had. The staff is anxiously awaiting to get him in the mix, and could very well be in the mix for that slot receiver role.
If I had to guess for the fall it would be Banks, Neyor/Bullock, and Bell. But this spring it will be wide open.
Tight End
Fidone really struggled with run blocking which is why I think they have him as 2nd string, but he nearly doubled Boerkirchers snaps last year which makes me think he will probably be the starter. Boerkircher is an unbelievable backup. Nebraska has Smith-Flores that redshirted last year, but i’m more intrigued with Carter Nelson coming in as a true freshman and what type of impact he could make. Also a guy like Keelan Smith who will start out in the WR room but may find an easier role on the field as TE is someone to lookout for.
Look for Fidone to be your starter with Boerkircher getting a ton of snaps again to help groom the freshmen we have brought in. I don’t expect Nelson to redshirt, but Ingwerson and Flynt should have plenty of time to get ready for Power5 football.
Offensive Line
They have Corcoran starting at LT but last I heard he was possibly going to be injured heading into even the season, so I would put Teddy Prochazka there with Gottula as his backup. At LG they ended up starting Jenkins who actually surprised me a bit with what he could do, once Corcoran gets back I think this may be where he ends up settling and battling it out with Jenkins. Center is of course locked up with Ben Scott and it’s more about finding who his backup is. Let’s skip to RT where Benhart will almost assuredly start in 2024 and his backup will be a battle between Knaak and Hood. Personally I think Hood will eventually hang it up as his ankles are just an issue for him. But let’s not sleep on a guy like Brix inserting himself into the mix at one of these tackle spots. Now to RG… The common thought is that Mazzccua will start here but he better pick it up as I think he is under the impression that spot is his, and it’s not making the coaches happy. That would open the door for a guy like Lutovsky who has been patiently waiting his turn or maybe even one of the young guns like Sledge.
Spring depth chart:
LT – Prochazka then Gottula
LG – Jenkins with Corcoran when healthy
C – Scott then Sledge
RG – Lutovsky or Mazzccua if he gets his poop together
RT – Benhart then Knaak
Join us tomorrow when we go over the defensive depth chart!
