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Indiana can can sort of cement itself
C
as we are no longer this team that's going to be fighting for six wins anymore. Malachi Toney Is he going to be ready?
B
Dante Moore he showed improvement.
C
Better command.
B
What's going on y'?
C
All?
B
I'm Bud Elliott. That's Michael Brun, Nebraska's 247 expert. Welcome back to the show dude, really excited to talk Chad Little Cornish with you.
C
Yeah, it's a sign of, sign of the sign of the season. It's time for summer school and hopefully football's not, not too, too further down the road.
B
Absolutely. So, you know, last year, Nebraska, a little bit of disappointing year overall, I think, relative to some of the preseason expectations. 7 and 6, 4 and 5 in the Big Ten did go to the Las Vegas Bowl. You know, Matt Rule has a reputation as a turnaround artist. You know, he's taken over some very difficult situations and, and done extremely well there. You know, he's had his ups and downs at Nebraska so far entering year four. Like, what, what are kind of the general thoughts on where we are in the Matt Rule era?
C
Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, the, at his previous stops, year three had kind of been the, the, the year where everything kind of took off. And you know, with the way that last season ended for Nebraska in November with, you know, a pretty sound defeat at Penn State and then losing to Iowa and then also the way things ended in, in the bowl game against Utah, you know, I think a lot of people are probably taking a wait and see approach with Nebraska and especially with the schedule that they have coming up in 2026. You know, it's to the, to the point now where I think you need to start to see some, some true signs of progress and it's going to be a tough schedule this year. You know, they brought in some, some guys in the transfer portal that are going to have to contribute right away, certainly the quarterback position being the top of that list. But, you know, I think the general feeling is, you know, time to get to work and start to see some results. I mean, Nebraska change their schedule in the spring, and I think this is a little bit of a reflection of just maybe the feeling around the program where they started spring ball in February and had the red white game, the, you know, traditional spring scrimmage at the end of March. So they were already done by April 1st. And part of the reason for that was they just wanted to kind of get to the football part of things and, you know, get through winter conditioning fast, focus on the football and just kind of put their head down. And, you know, I think, you know, Nebraska basketball and the, the run that they went on in the NCAA tournament, I think actually helped Nebraska football a fair amount. It was a really quiet spring. There wasn't a lot of buzz about much coming out of spring practices. And I think that was kind of by design and also kind of aided by what was going on on campus. So I think that's where they're at now as a program in year four of the Matt Rule era is, you know, you've had, you've had to put things in place when you came in, get things kind of set in order off the field. But now you need to start to see some results, tangible results on the field.
B
So Dana's back at OC year what? Year two, Year three full.
C
This will be full year two yet. Just the little November.
B
That's right.
C
A few years ago. Yeah.
B
And then Robert comes in from San Diego State, which, you know, it's, you know, with that coaching stat there at sdsu, you kind of think like high flying offense, you know, given what they did at Kent State. But like the defense carried that team for a lot of the year. What did, what did Matt Rule see in him? And how do you expect this defense to change just before we kind of dive into the personnel like, like schematically like anything they really want to do differently and independent of personnel.
C
Well, they're going back to a four man front and I, that's a, a big change. You know, Tony White was the defensive coordinator when, when Matt Rule took over, he ran a 335. John Butler took over from Tony White and kept the three, the 335. I don't know that that was necessarily the defense that he would have run if he completely had his, his say. And I think Matt Rule kind of weighed in and said, you know, wanted to keep the three, the three man front. You know, with Rob Orich, you know, what they wanted to find was they, they wanted somebody whose resume speaks to an ability to change things fairly quickly. You look at the work he did at San Diego State and you mentioned it, they were really disruptive, a very efficient defense, forced a lot of turnovers and they did that relatively quickly when he took over his defensive coordinator there. And you know, I think they wanted a coordinator also who was an effective communicator and a guy that could really motivate. You know, he kind of has a reputation as a player's coach. Guys play hard for him and you know, I think they just wanted to see a little bit more of just kind of that flying around defense that Nebraska it really didn't have last year. So that was the big thing in making that change. Rob or brought in a new defensive line coach, new edges coach. They moved some personnel around a little bit. So it's going to be, you know, kind of a new look on the defensive side of the ball. And, you know, as much as David Holgerson has kind of been the. Almost the head coach of the offense, I think you're seeing Rob Orich being that with the defense and really kind of setting the tone over there, you know, coming into the season. I mean, Nebraska just needs to be more disruptive. They need to be better against the run. I think that was the biggest step back that they kind of took last season was they just were not consistent enough, especially late in the year and stopping the run and. And I think that's, you know, been one of many things that Rob Orich has kind of been charged to do since he got to Nebraska.
B
So they lose Raiola quarterback, obviously. Right. And I'm guessing that was like. I don't know, I shouldn't guess. We have the expert here. I'll just ask you, like, are they happy to have lost him? Like, is it kind of like a mutual, like, mutual decision thing? What. What are we kind of feeling here?
C
Yeah, I think it. I think it had kind of. Everything had kind of run its course. I think that's fair to say. You know, I think Dylan was. Was looking for a different opportunity. I think Nebraska was maybe looking for a type of quarterback that did. That does things a little bit differently than Dylan does. I mean, if you go back to last year, we probably talked on this podcast about how Nebraska was working with Dylan on being more mobile and, you know, working on that part of his game. You know, that was something that never really came to fruition for him in Nebraska. That's just not the type of quarterback he is. And I think Nebraska wanted somebody that was a little bit more dynamic of an athlete maybe than what Dylan was. You know, Nebraska went into the portal this offseason. They initially had Kitty Minchi committed. He ended up at Kentucky, but they ended up with Anthony Calandria from unlv. Certainly a more athletic quarterback. A guy that runs around, got a little gunslinger in him, which will be kind of fun. But, you know, I think the relationship, by the time they kind of got to, you know, the. To November and after Dylan had the broken leg, I mean, I think it. It was kind of. The writing was on the wall there about which direction things were going to go between Nebraska and Dylan Raiola.
B
So Calandria, they land. I know they had a couple, you know, targets they pursued, and it's really just kind of like speed dating in the portal, especially at the quarterback position for. For most teams out there at uva. Like, I know my co host Tom Fridelli called him the Whoopsie Daisy King because he would do some really exciting stuff and then he would do some stuff that was just maddening. It seems like Dan Mullen at UNLV really kind of got him, for the most part, dialed in and kind of accentuating the positives and minimizing the negatives. What do you think they saw in him that makes him a fit for what Dana wants to run?
C
Well, I think what they, they, they were prioritizing mobility in a quarterback, like I said, I mean, I think that was a big piece of it. And when you kind of look at the other quarterbacks that were kind of connected to Nebraska at various points during that speed dating round, that that was kind of the through line for a lot of those guys was that it was a more mobile quarterback, a little bit more of a dual threat. And you know, what kind of, I think sold them on Calandria was he just kind of has a presence about him and a little bit of a swagger that I think was pretty attractive to Nebraska when he showed up. You know, he visited very quickly, signed, and he was their guy. And, you know, looking at his time at unlv, I think the one thing that Dan Mullen was kind of able to do was to just frankly, kind of keep things a little bit simple. You know, it was, you know, find the open guy and throw it to him. And, you know, also allowed him to kind of take advantage of his natural athletic ability. I mean, he's exceptional at keeping plays alive. He's not just going to take off and run. He's. He's, you know, scrambling with and looking to throw. And, you know, I think that's something that this spring we heard Dana Holgerson talk a lot about that. He's never coached a quarterback like this where, you know, normally it's like a four or five seconds you've got, you know, to train your wide receivers to run the routes, and that's about it. And you'd see like an 8, 9, 10 second type play that would result in bigger throws downfield, a little bit more certainly volatility, but also a little bit more potential for big plays than maybe what Nebraska's had the last couple years. And certainly that, you know, that affects everything. I think Nebraska does have a pretty good wide receiver group coming back. I think having a quarterback that's going to allow them more time to work open will be a welcome sight. You know, I think Nebraska also upgraded its offensive line via the transfer portal this year. And, you know, they talked all spring about how everybody was kind of having to train themselves to, you know, basically play offense a little bit differently because of Calandra's ability to scramble and make plays. So, yeah, I think it's been a little bit everything. I mean, talking to players, he's kind of settled in pretty quickly as a leader, as you would expect your quarterback to be, and he's got the experience and, you know, I think that the challenge for Nebraska is going to be to make sure that, you know, the numbers look more similar to what it was at UNLV and not the, you know, the turnover prone years at uva.
B
Offensive line wise last year, I mean, it was disappointment, right? Like, there's no doubt about it, they, they took a swing on the Alabama tackle. He didn't exactly, you know, work out for him. It felt like, I'm not gonna say mentally soft, but they definitely got pushed around. I think, you know, both sides out of scrimmage, but the offensive line getting pushed around kind of surprising more than the defensive line. I think a lot of us kind of saw that potentially coming, you know, much more than they did in 2024. Do we think there's a chance for them to rebound here?
C
Yeah, I think so. I mean, I. And actually, you know, with Elijah Pritchett, you know, early in the year, it didn't start off well for him, but by the end of the season, I mean, he was playing, I think, at a level that they were hoping he would have by the time the season ended. So he's your, he's your left tackle. You know, Justin Evans is a multi year starter at center. Both of those guys come back and then they added Tree Babalade from South Carolina, he's going to be the right tackle. Brendan Black, who was a multi year starter at Iowa State, he's going to be the right guard and then left guard. They've got Paul Mbenga who started at lsu. And you know, I think seeing that group together in the spring game, it's, it's a noticeably bigger group. It's a little bit more of an athletic group too. And you know, the other big change that happened with the offensive line that I think should help, they made a change at the position coach there, Donovan Raiola was removed from the, from the job. They got Jeep Wade from Georgia Tech. And I think the thing that really kind of attracted them to the Jeep Wade as an offensive line coach isn't necessarily, you know, obviously the connections to Matt Roll and the staff, but the different kinds of runs that they were able to do at Georgia Tech. I think Nebraska wants to get a little bit more diverse in what they can do schematically in the run game. You know, I think they found some things late in the season with Emmett Johnson during that all American campaign that they want to carry forward, but they also want to be able to do some different things as well. And I think they, you saw in the bowl game against Utah, they were able to do that to a small degree because Jeep Wade was there in December for the bowl practices. But you know, kind of combined with the upgrades I think they made intentionally at the offensive line spot and then also just with some schematic changes, I think they should be, should be more efficient up front and I think also just having a more mobile quarterback back there will help them too because there was kind of this, you know, chicken or egg thing with, you know, was it the offensive line? Was it the quarterback not being mobile enough to escape pressure? I mean, so I, I think that should look better this season. I think that was probably the, the most improved group that they had with their transfer portal ads up front on that offensive line.
B
So I mean, potentially even with the loss him at Johnson, this is crazy to say because like, I think if you didn't watch a lot of Nebraska, I mean that guy was amazing as a running back. Like even without him, they may not have a big drop off if the offensive line improves. And I mean, I guess it wouldn't be totally shocking if the run game actually improves overall, right? In theory, yeah.
C
No, they were, I mean Emmett Johnson was the offense, especially later in the year after Dylan Raiola went down. And you know that, that's a credit to Emmett. I mean he, he was really good. He's going to be, you know, potentially a day two pick in the draft this year. But you know, replacing him, they've got kind of a, a three or four headed monster at running back with Makai Nelson, who started the ballgame against Utah. Isaiah Moz, who is going into his sophomore year as a converted wide receiver, played a little bit last year, but he's going to have a much larger role. They really love Jamal Rule. True freshman running back out of North Carolina. He had a 75 yard run in the spring game, was kind of the guy that was the buzz of spring practices this year just for not only his, you know, home run ability, but he's also a pretty physical runner for a freshman. He was at the bowl practices in Las Vegas and you know, just looking at that player then to the player he was three Months later he put on a lot of good weight and really looks like a guy that's going to contribute right away in that running back group. So somebody's got to emerge there. But I think certainly having, you know, mobile quarterback helps you a little bit for defenses to have to worry about that they've improved it offensive line as well. So that should hopefully get that group going a little bit early in the year.
B
So let's hit a break here and we come back, let's dive into this defense. Certainly an area that I think has a chance to improve, you know, maybe a lot this year.
C
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Hey guys, welcome back into summer school. Here on the COVID 3 podcast, that's Michael Brunt's Husker247. We're talking all things Nebraska just gave you the rundown from the expert on the Nebraska offense. Defensively, like honestly a lot of guys coming back that I feel like, you know, you could, you could tell yourself we're a year away last year and some guys who are already pretty good players come back. Am I crazy to think with this new scheme they have a, a chance to, to really make a leap?
C
Yeah, it was kind of a mixed bag last year for the defense. I mean when you look at the numbers, passing defense was great. You know, they didn't play a lot of, you know, pass heavy teams or kind of the elite throwing teams in the Big Ten. But you know, when they played usc they kept them bottled up fairly well through the air and you know, I think that was all generally pretty positive and I think part of that's a reflection of the fact that John Butler was a, you know, defensive backs coach in his history and the secondary is pretty good. Too often rushing offense or defense. Excuse me. It was rough at times there I think 100th right around there in rushing defense. Last year you saw further into the year that the teams really started figuring out how to, how to attack the defense. And you know, Penn State ran all over Nebraska. I did the same thing, Utah as well. And I think that was, that was eye opening for, for what Nebraska needed to get done this off season. And you're right that there's, you know, some, some youth in that, in that defensive line. They really missed Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmaker. Last season is kind of just the, the dominating guys in the, in the defensive line that could really just go in there and wreck shop. And that's going to be the challenge I think for Rob Orich and Corey Brown is how do you get, how do you get more out of those guys that are coming back or guys that have been in the program for a couple of years. And, and so yeah, I think, you know, that that group has to take a step forward. I think, you know, the other group that needed to get better was a linebacker. And you know, they went into the portal. They got Dexter Foster from Oregon State, they got Owen Chambliss who was a huge part of that San Diego State defense at linebacker as well. And those guys paired with Vincent Shavers who returns this year are going to kind of be the three headed monster at linebacker and they're going to need to be better this year. They'll definitely be helped if that defensive line is better up front. But that front seven is going to get a lot of attention and rightfully so, you know, to start the season and kind of see what, what kind of improvements have been made.
B
Where's your real concern on this defense? Like the spot you're like, okay, like I could see a lot of this working. If it fails, it's, you know, maybe not a guy, but like a position where like, oh shoot, like I just, they need to get there. Maybe there's more questions as to if they actually will.
C
Yeah, I mean, I think the middle of the defense, defensive line needs to be much improved. You know, Riley Van Poppel was one guy who I think going into last year was expected to slide in and maybe kind of replace Ty Robinson, which is a tall task based on what Ty had done the previous year. You know, I don't know that Nebraska was good enough around him either, you know, in the middle of the defense. And Nebraska is going to have to find some guys that can kind of stand in there and do that. Next to, next to Van Poppel, they got Owen Stoudmire from, from Boston Colleges, a guy to kind of come in and play along the, at the defensive tackle. Spot. They've got some guys that have been in the program for a while. Sula Fotu was a name we heard a little bit during spring ball as a guy that was potentially, you know, ready for a bigger role. But you know that they were young at the defensive end spots as well. So I mean if you can develop then I think that was the hope with, you know, what Rob Orich's defense can do for those guys. You know, those guys are going to have to play, play much better this year. I think that would be my biggest spot of concern.
B
Where do you see like the most like is there a spot in this defense where you know, if the weaknesses do come to pass, like the strength can just totally make up for it? Like is there, is there somebody who has just like, like is there a group that's like, oh, like we think they'll be good but like there's some chance that, you know, they reach that ceiling like a year before we expect.
C
Yeah, that's a good question. I think, you know, I think Nebraska has some options at the defensive end spot where, you know, the thing that's been lacking the last couple years is Nebraska just hasn't had that eraser type pass rusher that will just go in and win a one on one. They haven't done that enough consistently. And Williams Winery, who started at Missouri, former five star defensive end, he played his first season at Nebraska last year. He looks like an NFL type defensive end I think at times, you know, he played like it last year. But they need to see a little bit more from that, more from him this year as that potential guy. They added just here, Whittington out of the transfer portal. He was at Pitt last year, a quick twitch guy that was, you know, there was some buzz about him and what he was able to do as a pass rusher during spring ball. And you know, one of those guys, Cade Petchalk was a true freshman last year, defensive end that had some moments, but that, that group I think with you know, a little bit better pressure scheme, another year of development, I could see where you would have one or two of those guys kind of break out this season. And that was the thing that you know, you go back and look at Rob Orich's defenses that at San Diego State they were able to really get pressure, like a lot of pressure and they were really good on third down and he was able to kind of scheme up some, some things that allowed those types of difference makers to make plays. And it's interesting, you go back and look at some of the, the defections in the portal from San Diego State. A lot of those guys ended up at Power 4 programs and were really, you know, highly recruited and sought after. So we'll see if they can do that for, for Nebraska as a roster. But I do think there are some options at that defensive end spot that could potentially be difference makers this year.
B
So let's go ahead and hit one more break here, and when we come back, I want to talk kind of like schedule expectations, you know, trap spots, et cetera.
C
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Wayfair, Every style, every home. All right, welcome back here to the COVID 3 Summer School Series. This is Bud Elliott. That's Michael brunts Husker247, the best website out there, bar none, for all your Nebraska coverage. So this Nebraska schedule this year, man, looking at this, there are some, there's some tough outs on this thing. It, it does start, you know, pretty friendly. I would say Ohio, Bowling Green, you know, North Dakota, which is like a good fcs, but, you know, a game certainly at home that I fully, you know, expect them. And I'm sure Nebraska fans also expect to win. And then you get at Michigan State, you know, and Maryland, you know, neither of whom are at this time, they're recording our favorite to make a bowl. You better get those wins now because then the back stretch of this, Indiana at Oregon, Washington at Illinois at Rutgers, host Ohio State at Iowa to finish this out. So I guess the first question is, who did Nebraska piss off and win to end up with this schedule?
C
Well, I mean, that's the, I think that was probably what was a little bit disappointing about the way that 2025 played out because it was a fairly favorable schedule for Nebraska. And even think, think back. I mean, that, that Penn State game that Nebraska went on the road and played there, I mean, it was a half empty student section, probably about as favorable conditions as you could ever get to play a road road game at night at Penn State. And weren't able to get it done. So, you know, I think, I think part of what's kind of colored the view of year three was what was coming in year four with the schedule. And like you said, it sets out pretty nicely to start for those first five games and then it's Indiana, Oregon, Washington, and then you have Ohio State at home and you finish at Iowa, which has been, you know, a one sided rivalry for a while now. So yeah, I mean, Nebraska is going to have to hit the ground running. And then, you know, it's always interesting with Nebraska's schedule, you kind of look at, I think a couple of games that, that you highlight. You know, I, I Look at that Nov. 7 game at Illinois, followed up by the Nov. 14 game at Rutgers as kind of the. Not toss up games, but games that you got to get if, if you're going to feel okay about the season at the end of it. And you know, I think those are key ones. And also, you know, for Nebraska, just as a program, they have not beat a ranked team since 2016. So when you start talking about those games that, you know, against Indiana, against Oregon, you know you're going to have to find something to win those games. And I'm eager to see if a little bit more explosiveness from the offense and a little bit more swagger there maybe helps you in those types of games where you, you just got to go in there and take your best shot and, and start swinging. So. But I think those two, to start November, I'm, I'm eager to kind of see how that would tips the balance either way for Nebraska schedule because I think you got to get at least one of those to, to feel okay about things.
B
What do you think makes Nebraska fans happy for this year? Like, maybe not overjoyed, but like the, you know, the, the result that says, hey, all right, like we see it, we see the progress. Like is there a, is there a win loss that, that shows progress here? I mean like, like we were talking, I mean they could easily go 7 and 5 and be a much better team, but with the schedule. But like, is there a number where people say like, you know, what are the optimistic fans on your board be like, all right, I think they should do this?
C
No, I think, I think, you know, 6 and 6, 7 and 5 is probably where most people would just on paper, looking at that schedule right now, say, you know, as the most likely outcome. You know, I think the thing that you would feel a little bit better about is, you know, potentially getting one of those big games, those games that Nebraska has not gotten in recent years and you know, the Ohio State games and the Oregon games, like going in there and playing four quarters of really good football. You know, I think, I think how things look, I think that matters now in that conversation. But I mean, if you, you were able to get one of those, I think you'd feel pretty good about the direction of things and then winning the ones you're supposed to. I mean, I think there's, you know, probably four I would consider toss ups, you know, in there. And if you can get most of those, I think, you know, you'd feel, feel good about the progress of things. And it's interesting, I mean, in year four, you also just kind of have, you know, what's essentially a reset again on one side of the ball and you need to start seeing progress on defense that, you know, things are taking hold and going in a positive direction there. So I don't know if there's necessarily like a win number, but I think it's got to look a certain way, you know, in year four.
B
Michael really enjoyed this, man. I, I feel like we're a lot more informed on Nebraska now. I hit you with one last thing. Is, is there a guy that we have not discussed? You're like, hey, Budget asked me about this guy. Like, you know, just didn't kind of come up organically.
C
That's a good question. I would say, I would say Jacori Barney. I, I think, I think, you know, he's talked about a fair amount. He had a great freshman year. Maybe not as dynamic as a sophomore, but you know, junior season. He's got confidence, he's a South Florida guy. I think Nebraska's wide receiver group is going to be a strength of this team and I think he's going to have the possibility to really kind of shine with Anthony, Anthony Calandry at the quarterback spot and just kind of, you know, the, not backyard football, but those kinds of, kinds of big plays that just kind of naturally come from, from two athletes like that.
B
I really enjoyed this and we will, we'll definitely see you soon. Big Ten 80 days coming up, just, you know, a couple months from now.
C
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Hosts: Bud Elliott (CBS Sports), Michael Bruntz (Husker247)
This episode of Cover 3’s "Summer School" series offers an in-depth, early preview of the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ 2026 football season. Bud Elliott is joined by Nebraska expert Michael Bruntz (Husker247) to break down the current state of the program under head coach Matt Rhule, discuss significant roster and coaching changes, evaluate the offense and defense, and set realistic expectations for a tough upcoming schedule.
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 03:36 | Bruntz | “At his previous stops, year three had kind of been the year where everything kind of took off… now you need to start to see some results, tangible results on the field.” | | 08:44 | Bruntz | “Everything had kind of run its course… I think Nebraska was maybe looking for a type of quarterback that does things a little bit differently than Dylan [Raiola] does.” | | 13:42 | Bruntz | “The most improved group that they had with their transfer portal ads up front on that offensive line.” | | 15:54 | Elliott | “Even with the loss of Emmett Johnson... in theory, the run game could actually improve overall?” | | 18:51 | Bruntz | “For the defense... when you look at the numbers, passing defense was great… rushing defense… was rough at times.” | | 29:04 | Bruntz | “6 and 6, 7 and 5 is probably where most people would just on paper, looking at that schedule right now, say as the most likely outcome… But if you’re able to get one of those [big games], I think you’d feel pretty good.” |
The 2026 Nebraska Cornhuskers face a pivotal year in Matt Rhule’s tenure. Depth, upgraded talent, and schematic changes offer reasons for optimism, but questions at quarterback, offensive line, and (especially) defensive tackle must be answered for Nebraska to contend. A brutal back half of the schedule will be a true measuring stick. Fans hope for visible, consistent progress—an upset over a ranked team would be a significant sign of success.