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[00:00]
A
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[00:30]
B
Open practice occurred in Lincoln, Nebraska, as reporters, media members, writers, television anchors, all of the likes were able to see the Nebraska corn huskers, the 2026 cornhuskers in live action for the first time this off season. And it looked like just seeing some of the sights and sounds that are coming through on Twitter, there wasn't just some warm up work. It looked like there was plenty of one on one work for people to break down, analyze. One person who was there who will give us all the info that he gathered from the open practice, joins us from the road. It's Michael Sevier, the executive director at the Jet Award Foundation. Michael, how are you, my friend?
[01:12]
C
I'm good. I, I'm hoping that I come on and you just say, and here's Michael.
[01:20]
B
What?
[01:20]
C
What, why?
[01:22]
B
Why?
[01:24]
C
A lot of verbose this there. You're very verbose, like use a lot of words.
[01:29]
B
I'm, I'm setting for the interview. I'm being a, I'm being a professional broadcaster. I'm setting the stage so people know when I'm going to ask you.
[01:41]
C
Nah, nah, just get into it, man. The best question ever asked was why. And then it went on from there. And that was of course Adam asking about why he gave me. But that's still the greatest question ever. And that's how you should start. Let's go. What you got?
[01:56]
B
How was the D line?
[01:59]
C
Okay, so Berryman is a giant individual. He has got to lose some weight. We got a chance to watch him kind of like on one on one a little bit. He just can't move enough. I would, I don't know, 360, something like that.
[02:18]
B
Berryman, the freshman?
[02:19]
C
Yeah, yeah, he's. He's listed at 356 to 350. I'm gonna guess he's about six' one, I don't know, 365, something like that. He's just, he's just too big. He's not, doesn't allow him to move enough. So he's gonna have to go back to where he was. Like we watched him in high school video where he showed some real quickness. You know, maybe he plays at 3:30, maybe that's his weak spot. But I think he's a little heavy right now. And new guys, right? Jeremiah Jones, the wide receiver, converted defensive end. You know, he's raw. He's got a lot of work to do as a raw kid. I don't think they're thinking about him playing this year, but, you know, you get him in the lineup to a couple games against North Dakota, maybe against Bowling Green or whatever, and then next year after a full year and a full offseason, maybe you see it. But just real raw kid right now. You know, I'm a big fan of Whittington. He's just so quick whenever they. Whenever they snap the ball and it's not always across from. He always gets by them. He's just really talented kid. Van Poppel looks bigger. I don't know what his muscle mass rating is or whatever that is. They do, but he just looks like he's a little trimmer in terms of how he is muscular wise. But he looked really good. You know, they got a lot of bodies out there. We didn't get a lot. We didn't see, you know, offensive lineman against defensive linemen. So we didn't see that. We just basically saw them going against each other for the most part. We saw a couple of one on ones. It was running drills.
[03:53]
B
Yeah.
[03:54]
C
Where Claude and Puma, I think, by the way, offensive line wise, I think I was getting ready to tweet that out. He's really impressed to me, I wouldn't be surprised if by next year he's one of your starting tackles. And I know there's a lot of guys that are kind of, you know, juniors going on to seniors, but I think every time I watch him, yeah, good knee bend, good strength. Just a huge individual. I really like him. I think he's got potential.
[04:21]
B
Well, adding context to that and Puma only played two years of football in high school and so he is incredibly raw. Yeah. And so he's got it. He definitely has to get coached up a little bit. Let's go back. I want to Tyson Terry. You see anything from him?
[04:35]
C
Yeah, I didn't see a ton of Tyson Terry looking. But again, you know, you're bouncing around position to position and you basically whoever's in the drill, when you get to that spot, that's the one you watch. So I didn't get a chance to see a Lot of Tyson Terry. Okay, go back. I saw a lot of videos. So I had to go back in the videos and see if maybe he was next. To see if he was next to somebody else. Yeah, but, you know, he's listed. He's listed right now on here at where they have. At 250. Where was it? He's listed at £300. Wow. Wow. Yeah. So I gotta go back and look and see because they're usually in threes. You know, you get the three guys going. And so I gotta check and see if maybe I got some video of him next to somebody else. I was focused on.
[05:25]
B
Yeah. You know, you could have maybe liked to have seen him get into a couple of games last year with Terry. But the. I guess the silver lining, if you will, for him rehabbing his injury was he was able to spend a lot of time in the weight room and put on that weight, needed to go and play in the Big Ten. So that's pretty encouraging to hear. You catch, you catch up with catching on any of the quarterback.
[05:47]
C
Yeah, that's all the way on the other side of the field. I watched it. They were throwing. Basically, it looked like red zone work, I could see. But again, way on the other side of the field, saw a nice catch. I think it was Clark that got up and made a nice catch. And then. Who's 15 now, by the way? I don't even know.
[06:06]
B
Well, 15 on the defensive side is Anthony Jones.
[06:10]
C
No, Keelan Smith.
[06:11]
B
Keelan Smith.
[06:12]
C
Smith had a nice catch again, watching on the other side of the field, but had like a little fake inside corner route in the end zone and got a touchdown from what I saw. But I've always liked his break. Running full speed, I think might be the best on the team. I thought that last year we had a chance to watch him in that open practice. We did. They did in the stadium. Whenever I watch him, he comes out of his break so smoothly. And so I know they brought in other people. I hope it wasn't at the detriment of Cortez Mills and Keelan Smith. I think those young guys both coming along and I hope they get a chance to play and have a chance to win the job. You know, bringing Gilmore in, it's nice. He's a veteran, but I hope those young guys don't get buried.
[06:55]
B
Plenty of new coaches out there. Did you take away any from any of them? Corey Brown, Roy Manning, Tyler Yelk, Any of those guys scanned out to you?
[07:03]
C
Well, my favorite coach to watch is watching running back drills. I just think EJ is really. Yeah, it's fun to watch. He's a technician. He will make those guys redo any part of the drill. So it's a three part drill. Right. You got to go through the gauntlet. You had to. They slide the bags, you got to go over the bag and then you get stiff arm. Right. Three parts. And if the guys messed up any of those parts, he made them redo them. And it's. There are very few perfect drills, you know, going through there. And so a lot of the guys had to either re. Go through going over the bag, both feet came off the ground. He doesn't want that because that means you're going to get knocked down. Didn't give a good stiff arm. Maybe had the ball in the wrong place where he was worried about it getting stripped, making him do it. So I enjoy watching him. I watched Jeep Wade a lot when I was. We first got there because the office in line was the first group. I watched him and Manning. Him and Manning together. Just really good watching those two guys work. Who else? So you know, Oryx was running most of the linebacker drills watching him. And then you had Dvorak behind him. But mainly the drills were being run by my orange. And I say this every time I watch them practice, see them in any context. You know, they haven't had a guy look like Stoudomar. I'm not stylemar. They haven't a guy look like Chambliss.
[08:22]
B
Yeah.
[08:23]
C
In a long time.
[08:24]
B
Yeah.
[08:24]
C
You know, just tight. His build overall, he just looks like a big ten linebacker. Fits perfectly into it. And so excited about watching him play. Dexter Foster was out there obviously. V9. Much better shape this year, I think than he was last year. Big bigger.
[08:42]
B
Do you think he's. Yeah. Do you think he's bigger? Is he thicker? What do you mean by that?
[08:47]
C
Lighter. Lighter. I thought. I thought he was a little. A little chubby last year. I think part of that was because he had some injuries.
[08:55]
B
Okay.
[08:56]
C
And that obviously is a good reason not to be able to do all the work you want to be able to do. So I think that was the reason why. But you look at him, he looks slimmer. He see him running around. Wasn't a ton of running sideline to sideline, actually. But just doing the drills, I think he looks better. But I think a big reason of it is he's in this competition. You know, he knows that champs is probably the starter and then it's him or Dexter Foster. So he's got to really commit to being the best he can possibly be. So I think he's gonna. That's gonna be interesting battle, but I think it's going to be Dexter Foster based off of what I've seen by the way they line up. But yeah, that's the linebacker spot is. Is much improved compared to last year. Might be. And just by having those two guys with their experience, with their links, with their size overall, I think that's a. Definitely an improvement.
[09:43]
B
You know, I, I always found it interesting when I would go to those open practices like Rule would, you know, be pretty visible. You would see him like very much interacting with guys when they're warming up. There was one time where he was kind of like holding court. Right. And like talking to different reporters during the open practice. Where was he today? And did you take away anything from his attitude, his mood, what he was doing? Just anything you saw from the head coach, really?
[10:08]
C
I did not see Rule until near the end. He was walking across the field talking. They had referees out there, so he was talking to the ump and he was walking across the field talking to him. That's all I saw. I didn't. I'm not. I usually don't look for him much, but I didn't. That's all I saw. I didn't see much of him at all.
[10:25]
B
All right. Just kind of putting a bow on it. What would you say is your biggest takeaway? We had you kind of go position by position and break down things you like, but your biggest takeaway.
[10:33]
C
I think the two things is I think that, that, that battle for the number one running spot between Mozi and Nelson and tight. I thought Mosi was taking number one reps today. Doesn't mean that's every day. But both those guys were really working hard to look good. Rule looks bigger. As the third running back I had a chance to see Kaiki Hayes, small lower body. I think all 200 whatever pounds of that is, is that giant head of his and his upper body and then which. And that's not insult. I. The dude's got offensive lineman head. Nothing wrong with that. Bigger brain too. So that's kind of the four guys there. And the other takeaway I thought probably was the depth of the offensive line. I think between guys like Grant Bricks and a few of those other guys Pile, for example, obviously you got Kac, who you know, and Gunner Kula. I think that they're about a good 9, 10 deep. So if there is an injury, hopefully knock on wood or not, I think they do have A number two that come in there. So you're the depth of the offensive line and the competition at the running back position probably stood out the most for me today in the short amount of time we had to watch news
[11:42]
B
came out of the NFL while probably you were in the car. So I might be breaking this to you. Despite reports, the Vikings have gone ahead and named Kyler Murray their starting quarterback. J.J. mcCarthy, according to all reporters, look like he was playing the best at the position. But the Vikings have officially named Murray as their starting quarterback. Do you have any reaction to that?
[12:03]
C
I say this every time. Miles, My son is five, nine and a half and he's taller than Kyler Murray.
[12:11]
B
Fair enough.
[12:12]
C
Yeah, I like Kyler Murray. I think he can make plays. I don't think he can survive a 17 game season. I think he's going to give you games where because of the pressure up the middle from the defense, he's going to have to get outside and do a lot more scrambling. And you want him running if you can. You don't want to be able to throw touchdown passes. And so I personally don't believe this is a guy who's going to make the Minnesota Vikings what they could be if they had a really good quarterback. And so again, I hope they do. Well. I cheer for Schaefer, but I've never been a Kyler Murray guy, especially if he runs on his toes, which really bothers me.
[12:48]
B
Why? Why are you a Mike Schaefer guy and you're rooting for the Vikings but you don't root for the Bears and you're a Matt McMaster guy? That's insulting.
[12:56]
C
Yeah. So I've never had anything against the Vikings. I've always. The Vikings are one of those teams that like the Saints where they just never could get over the top. And so many times they got the NFC championship games and they couldn't get back to the super bowl after all those years in the 70s. And so I've always kind of felt a kindred spirit with the Vikings fans because of that.
[13:17]
B
Yeah.
[13:17]
C
And I love Tommy Kramer growing up and I was a Mod Rashad fan. My, one of my favorite players as a kid was Chuck Foreman. So I've always kind of liked the Vikings. I like purple. I mean, what can I say? There's nothing about the city of Chicago I like. I just don't like the city.
[13:30]
B
I know.
[13:31]
C
I like you, you're fine. But I just hate the city.
[13:33]
B
I appreciate you. Hey, real quick, you're a partner from one of the. If not the Best show that this radio station has had. Severe and Coogler or in sportsman conduct with Michael Severe and Kevin Coogler. Kevin Coogler getting inducted the Nebraska Broadcasting association hall of Fame. I want to ask you, what is your. Do you have a favorite, a definitive favorite moment from working with Kevin here at 1620 zone?
[13:58]
C
Oh, my. Dude. Narrator. You work together, what, 10 years?
[14:02]
B
Yeah, I know it's a tough question.
[14:04]
C
Yeah, it's. It's always. The best memory will always be arriving at DJs dugout after the Oklahoma State game after Peterson was fired. And walking into that place and it was just packed. There were people everywhere. Jed was holding a gravestone that had Peterson's name on it and the dates. They were just people everywhere. They were cheering for us coming in. They had just gotten killed by Oklahoma State in the game that was to honor the 1997 championship team. But we walked in and people were so excited because Peterson had been fired. I'll never forget that moment. I remember looking at Kevin because we decided to go on early that day and looking at him and thinking, this is nuts. They're having the worst season in forever, and we're having probably the best content for a show we could possibly have. So I always remember that. Kevin's an amazing worker. Kevin's an amazing talent. The reason why he's where he is is because how hard he works. I wish I could be there tonight. My son's having an event tonight for band, but I wish I could be there to support Kevin, but he. He's. He's an amazing dude. And it's. It's an honor. That's well deserved.
[15:13]
B
Well, it's only a matter of time before both parts of unsportsmanlike conduct from that era of 1620 zone end up in the Nebraska Broadcasters hall of Fame.
[15:22]
C
So in the world. There's no way in the world anybody's putting me in any hall of Fame.
[15:29]
B
I don't know. I. I see the. I see the nomination form right here. It's due 2027. We can move some. We could. We could politic.
[15:37]
C
Don't. Don't do that. No. Thank you very much. No, thank you. You're very welcome.
[15:42]
B
Hey, did I do. Did I do well with the quick questions?
[15:46]
C
That was good. I like that. The shorter the question, the better, I'm telling you. That's. That's the way to make life. Make the life grand for both your listener and the person being asked the question.
[15:56]
B
Tanks, but no tanks. But I'll always do it with you. And I Appreciate your guidance. I will talk to you soon, my friend.
[16:02]
C
Talk to you later, buddy.
[16:03]
B
See you, Severe. Michael Severe, the executive director of the JET Award foundation as Kevin Coogler gets inducted the Nebraska Broadcasters association hall of Fame tonight. Congratulations to Kevin. Round of applause. Him and Michael made an incredible legacy doing unsportsmanlike conduct together that we're always chasing here at 1620 zone. And obviously what Michael said about Kevin being such a hard worker and always just from my perspective, you know, I've gotten to meet Kevin a couple of times. Always been super gracious to me and super nice to me, but see a guy who. I always respected the broadcasters who. And you can talk about this Jake Janicek, like at the CO jmc, who would give their time to students to talk to them, to do interviews with them, to allow them to write stories about them for assignments. And Kevin was a guy that in. In basically every class I was ever in, someone always was doing a feature on Kevin, always writing a story about Kevin, always did some sort of interview with Kevin. And I think it just goes to show a guy like that who is at the top of the heap when it comes to where we're at in this crazy world of broadcasting. He was always willing to give his time to students to help them out. And I think that that's. That says a lot about that guy, says a lot about his character. And it's a great community that this media core has because there are so many guys who are like that. One of them is Michael Sevier, who, you know, funny enough, guy that I did a feature on right when I was a student at the University of Nebraska was Gary Sharp. You know, there. There are plenty of guys like that who are always willing to give their time. And Kevin was no different from those dudes, despite the fact being on national TV every single week. So congratulations, Kevin Coogler. Congratulations to just everything that he's done in his career. Hell of an honor. And I will be there tonight. So I will shake Kevin's hand and tell him it's the strongest handshake I've ever felt in my entire life. So I, uh, we'll take a break here. Odd news with Jake Janicek coming up next year on the 1620 Zone radio network.
[18:01]
A
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Summary6 min read

Podcast Summary: Middays With Matt

Episode: Mike'l Severe joins from the road (Tues 8/11 - Seg 4)
Date: August 11, 2026
Host: Matt McMaster (NRGMedia)
Guest: Mike’l Severe, Executive Director at the Jet Award Foundation

Episode Overview

The main theme of this episode is a comprehensive breakdown of Nebraska Cornhuskers' open football practice. Live from the road, Mike’l Severe delivers firsthand observations, assessments of the team’s development, positional battles, standout players, coaching dynamics, and shares memories from his storied broadcasting career. The conversation wraps with a heartfelt tribute to longtime colleague Kevin Coogler’s induction into the Nebraska Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Open Practice Access

[00:30]
Matt highlights the unique opportunity media had to watch the Cornhuskers' open practice, providing the first glimpses into the 2026 squad.

Mike’l’s Immediate Feedback:
- Enjoys direct questions:
  - “The best question ever asked was why.” — Mike’l Severe [01:40]
- Encourages getting to the substance.

2. Defensive Line and Position Reviews

D-Line Impressions
[01:56] — [04:20]

Berryman:
- "Berryman is a giant individual. He has got to lose some weight... I’d...guess he’s about 365, something like that. He's just too big. Doesn't allow him to move enough." — Mike’l Severe [01:59]
- Needs to trim down to regain high school quickness.
Jeremiah Jones:
- Raw, former wide receiver now at defensive end. "I don't think they're thinking about him playing this year...maybe next year after a full year and a full offseason, maybe you see it."
Whittington:
- “He's just so quick...every time they snap the ball and...he always gets by them. He's just really talented kid.”
Van Poppel:
- Looks trimmer, better muscle mass.
O-Line vs D-Line:
- Few direct matchups observed; one-on-ones mostly within the same unit.

3. Offensive Line and Standout Newcomers

[03:53] — [05:25]

Puma:
- "He's really impressed to me...good knee bend, good strength. Just a huge individual. I really like him." — Mike’l Severe [03:53]
- Inexperienced but high potential.
Tyson Terry:
- Didn’t see much live, but noted weight room improvements ("was able to spend a lot of time...put on that weight needed").

4. Quarterback and Receivers Notes

[05:47] — [06:54]

Red Zone Drills:
- Limited view (other side of field), but Clark and Keelan Smith made standout catches.
- “Whenever I watch [Smith], he comes out of his break so smoothly...might be the best on the team.”
- Hope expressed for young receivers (Cortez Mills, Keelan Smith) not being buried on the depth chart.

5. Coaching Observations & Drill Details

[06:54] — [09:42]

Running Back Drills (Coach EJ):
- “He’s a technician....If the guys messed up any of those parts, he made them redo them.”
- Noted for emphasis on technique and repetition: “There are very few perfect drills...so a lot of the guys had to either re-do [parts].”
Other Coaches:
- Jeep Wade and Roy Manning (O-Line), Oryx (Linebackers), Dvorak (supporting drills).
Player Physiques:
- Chambliss: "They haven’t had a guy look like Chambliss in a long time, just tight. His build overall, he just looks like a big ten linebacker."
- Foster: "Much better shape this year...looks slimmer...think it's because he’s in a competition."

6. Head Coach Matt Rhule’s Presence

[09:42] — [10:25]

“I did not see Rhule until near the end...walking across the field talking [to the ump]. That’s all I saw. I usually don't look for him much, but that’s all I saw.”

7. Major Takeaways from Practice

[10:25] — [11:42]

Running Back Battle:
- “That battle for the number one running spot between Mozi and Nelson...both those guys were really working hard.”
- Kaiki Hayes: Noted for “small lower body...giant head and upper body,” shared humorously.
O-Line Depth:
- “About a good 9, 10 deep...so if there is an injury...they do have a number two that can come in there. So the depth of the offensive line and the competition at the running back position probably stood out the most for me.” — Mike’l Severe [11:37]

8. NFL News: Vikings’ Quarterback Decision

[11:42] — [13:17]

Kyler Murray named Vikings starter over J.J. McCarthy:
- Classic Severe: "I say this every time. My son is five, nine and a half and he's taller than Kyler Murray." [12:03]
- “I like Kyler Murray. I think he can make plays. I don’t think he can survive a 17 game season...I’ve never been a Kyler Murray guy, especially if he runs on his toes, which really bothers me.”
Vikings vs Bears Fandom:
- “There’s nothing about the city of Chicago I like...I like you, you’re fine. But I just hate the city.” [13:30]

9. Kevin Coogler Tribute – Broadcasting Memories

[13:32] — [15:12]

Coogler’s Hall of Fame Induction:
- Matt asks for a favorite moment.
- “The best memory will always be arriving at DJs dugout after the Oklahoma State game after Peterson was fired...cheering for us coming in...People were so excited because Peterson had been fired. I’ll never forget that moment.” — Mike’l Severe [14:04]
- "Kevin’s an amazing worker...the reason why he’s where he is is because how hard he works...It’s an honor. That’s well deserved."
Host’s Reflection:
- “It's only a matter of time before both parts of unsportsmanlike conduct...end up in the Nebraska Broadcasters Hall of Fame.”

10. Closing Banter and Advice

[15:42] — [16:02]

On Interviewing:
- “The shorter the question, the better, I’m telling you. That’s the way to make life grand for both your listener and the person being asked the question.” — Mike’l Severe [15:46]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Berryman’s size:
“He’s got to lose some weight…just too big. Doesn’t allow him to move enough.” – Mike’l [01:59]
On watching Coach EJ work:
“There are very few perfect drills...so a lot of the guys had to either re-do [parts].” – Mike’l [07:02]
On Cornhusker linebackers:
“They haven’t had a guy look like Chambliss in a long time…He just looks like a Big Ten linebacker.” – Mike’l [08:23]
Vikings QB talk:
“My son is five, nine and a half and he’s taller than Kyler Murray.” – Mike’l Severe [12:03]
On Kevin Coogler’s Hall of Fame moment:
“I’ll never forget that moment…They were having the worst season in forever, and we were having probably the best content for a show we could possibly have.” – Mike’l [14:04]
Advice for broadcasters:
“The shorter the question, the better…I’m telling you. That’s the way to make life grand for both your listener and the person being asked.” – Mike’l Severe [15:46]

Timestamps

[00:30] Nebraska open practice setup/intro to Severe
[01:56] Breakdown of D-Line, standouts and concerns
[03:53] Offensive line praises, potential future starters
[05:47] QB & receiver observations, young talent noted
[06:54] Coaching staff observations, run game drills
[09:42] Where was Head Coach Matt Rhule?
[10:33] Main takeaways: RB competition, O-line depth
[11:42] NFL: Vikings name Kyler Murray starter
[13:32] Kevin Coogler’s Hall of Fame tribute and radio memories
[15:42] Interviewing advice and episode wrap-up

Episode Tone & Style

Relaxed and conversational, with Mike’l’s trademark humor, candor, and detailed football insight. The dialogue is spirited, occasionally irreverent, mixing deep-dive assessments with radio banter and genuine nostalgia for Nebraska sports media.

For listeners seeking a snapshot of Nebraska football’s developing roster and culture—and a taste of local sports media camaraderie—this episode delivers depth, wit, and heartfelt appreciation for the craft and personalities of sports broadcasting.

Loading summary

Transcript61 lines

[00:00]
A
Playing mobile games and not getting rewarded for it is a thing of the past. Why haven't you switched yet? If you're going to spend the time playing, you should be earning rewards doing it. With Mistplay, you play what you love and earn points for gift cards and more. Plus, you can enter the Mistplay sweepstakes for your chance to win tens of thousands of dollars in cash bundles and gift cards every week. So yeah, keep playing games, just maybe get rewarded for it. Download Mistplay today and enter for your chance to win.
[00:30]
B
Open practice occurred in Lincoln, Nebraska, as reporters, media members, writers, television anchors, all of the likes were able to see the Nebraska corn huskers, the 2026 cornhuskers in live action for the first time this off season. And it looked like just seeing some of the sights and sounds that are coming through on Twitter, there wasn't just some warm up work. It looked like there was plenty of one on one work for people to break down, analyze. One person who was there who will give us all the info that he gathered from the open practice, joins us from the road. It's Michael Sevier, the executive director at the Jet Award Foundation. Michael, how are you, my friend?
[01:12]
C
I'm good. I, I'm hoping that I come on and you just say, and here's Michael.
[01:20]
B
What?
[01:20]
C
What, why?
[01:22]
B
Why?
[01:24]
C
A lot of verbose this there. You're very verbose, like use a lot of words.
[01:29]
B
I'm, I'm setting for the interview. I'm being a, I'm being a professional broadcaster. I'm setting the stage so people know when I'm going to ask you.
[01:41]
C
Nah, nah, just get into it, man. The best question ever asked was why. And then it went on from there. And that was of course Adam asking about why he gave me. But that's still the greatest question ever. And that's how you should start. Let's go. What you got?
[01:56]
B
How was the D line?
[01:59]
C
Okay, so Berryman is a giant individual. He has got to lose some weight. We got a chance to watch him kind of like on one on one a little bit. He just can't move enough. I would, I don't know, 360, something like that.
[02:18]
B
Berryman, the freshman?
[02:19]
C
Yeah, yeah, he's. He's listed at 356 to 350. I'm gonna guess he's about six' one, I don't know, 365, something like that. He's just, he's just too big. He's not, doesn't allow him to move enough. So he's gonna have to go back to where he was. Like we watched him in high school video where he showed some real quickness. You know, maybe he plays at 3:30, maybe that's his weak spot. But I think he's a little heavy right now. And new guys, right? Jeremiah Jones, the wide receiver, converted defensive end. You know, he's raw. He's got a lot of work to do as a raw kid. I don't think they're thinking about him playing this year, but, you know, you get him in the lineup to a couple games against North Dakota, maybe against Bowling Green or whatever, and then next year after a full year and a full offseason, maybe you see it. But just real raw kid right now. You know, I'm a big fan of Whittington. He's just so quick whenever they. Whenever they snap the ball and it's not always across from. He always gets by them. He's just really talented kid. Van Poppel looks bigger. I don't know what his muscle mass rating is or whatever that is. They do, but he just looks like he's a little trimmer in terms of how he is muscular wise. But he looked really good. You know, they got a lot of bodies out there. We didn't get a lot. We didn't see, you know, offensive lineman against defensive linemen. So we didn't see that. We just basically saw them going against each other for the most part. We saw a couple of one on ones. It was running drills.
[03:53]
B
Yeah.
[03:54]
C
Where Claude and Puma, I think, by the way, offensive line wise, I think I was getting ready to tweet that out. He's really impressed to me, I wouldn't be surprised if by next year he's one of your starting tackles. And I know there's a lot of guys that are kind of, you know, juniors going on to seniors, but I think every time I watch him, yeah, good knee bend, good strength. Just a huge individual. I really like him. I think he's got potential.
[04:21]
B
Well, adding context to that and Puma only played two years of football in high school and so he is incredibly raw. Yeah. And so he's got it. He definitely has to get coached up a little bit. Let's go back. I want to Tyson Terry. You see anything from him?
[04:35]
C
Yeah, I didn't see a ton of Tyson Terry looking. But again, you know, you're bouncing around position to position and you basically whoever's in the drill, when you get to that spot, that's the one you watch. So I didn't get a chance to see a Lot of Tyson Terry. Okay, go back. I saw a lot of videos. So I had to go back in the videos and see if maybe he was next. To see if he was next to somebody else. Yeah, but, you know, he's listed. He's listed right now on here at where they have. At 250. Where was it? He's listed at £300. Wow. Wow. Yeah. So I gotta go back and look and see because they're usually in threes. You know, you get the three guys going. And so I gotta check and see if maybe I got some video of him next to somebody else. I was focused on.
[05:25]
B
Yeah. You know, you could have maybe liked to have seen him get into a couple of games last year with Terry. But the. I guess the silver lining, if you will, for him rehabbing his injury was he was able to spend a lot of time in the weight room and put on that weight, needed to go and play in the Big Ten. So that's pretty encouraging to hear. You catch, you catch up with catching on any of the quarterback.
[05:47]
C
Yeah, that's all the way on the other side of the field. I watched it. They were throwing. Basically, it looked like red zone work, I could see. But again, way on the other side of the field, saw a nice catch. I think it was Clark that got up and made a nice catch. And then. Who's 15 now, by the way? I don't even know.
[06:06]
B
Well, 15 on the defensive side is Anthony Jones.
[06:10]
C
No, Keelan Smith.
[06:11]
B
Keelan Smith.
[06:12]
C
Smith had a nice catch again, watching on the other side of the field, but had like a little fake inside corner route in the end zone and got a touchdown from what I saw. But I've always liked his break. Running full speed, I think might be the best on the team. I thought that last year we had a chance to watch him in that open practice. We did. They did in the stadium. Whenever I watch him, he comes out of his break so smoothly. And so I know they brought in other people. I hope it wasn't at the detriment of Cortez Mills and Keelan Smith. I think those young guys both coming along and I hope they get a chance to play and have a chance to win the job. You know, bringing Gilmore in, it's nice. He's a veteran, but I hope those young guys don't get buried.
[06:55]
B
Plenty of new coaches out there. Did you take away any from any of them? Corey Brown, Roy Manning, Tyler Yelk, Any of those guys scanned out to you?
[07:03]
C
Well, my favorite coach to watch is watching running back drills. I just think EJ is really. Yeah, it's fun to watch. He's a technician. He will make those guys redo any part of the drill. So it's a three part drill. Right. You got to go through the gauntlet. You had to. They slide the bags, you got to go over the bag and then you get stiff arm. Right. Three parts. And if the guys messed up any of those parts, he made them redo them. And it's. There are very few perfect drills, you know, going through there. And so a lot of the guys had to either re. Go through going over the bag, both feet came off the ground. He doesn't want that because that means you're going to get knocked down. Didn't give a good stiff arm. Maybe had the ball in the wrong place where he was worried about it getting stripped, making him do it. So I enjoy watching him. I watched Jeep Wade a lot when I was. We first got there because the office in line was the first group. I watched him and Manning. Him and Manning together. Just really good watching those two guys work. Who else? So you know, Oryx was running most of the linebacker drills watching him. And then you had Dvorak behind him. But mainly the drills were being run by my orange. And I say this every time I watch them practice, see them in any context. You know, they haven't had a guy look like Stoudomar. I'm not stylemar. They haven't a guy look like Chambliss.
[08:22]
B
Yeah.
[08:23]
C
In a long time.
[08:24]
B
Yeah.
[08:24]
C
You know, just tight. His build overall, he just looks like a big ten linebacker. Fits perfectly into it. And so excited about watching him play. Dexter Foster was out there obviously. V9. Much better shape this year, I think than he was last year. Big bigger.
[08:42]
B
Do you think he's. Yeah. Do you think he's bigger? Is he thicker? What do you mean by that?
[08:47]
C
Lighter. Lighter. I thought. I thought he was a little. A little chubby last year. I think part of that was because he had some injuries.
[08:55]
B
Okay.
[08:56]
C
And that obviously is a good reason not to be able to do all the work you want to be able to do. So I think that was the reason why. But you look at him, he looks slimmer. He see him running around. Wasn't a ton of running sideline to sideline, actually. But just doing the drills, I think he looks better. But I think a big reason of it is he's in this competition. You know, he knows that champs is probably the starter and then it's him or Dexter Foster. So he's got to really commit to being the best he can possibly be. So I think he's gonna. That's gonna be interesting battle, but I think it's going to be Dexter Foster based off of what I've seen by the way they line up. But yeah, that's the linebacker spot is. Is much improved compared to last year. Might be. And just by having those two guys with their experience, with their links, with their size overall, I think that's a. Definitely an improvement.
[09:43]
B
You know, I, I always found it interesting when I would go to those open practices like Rule would, you know, be pretty visible. You would see him like very much interacting with guys when they're warming up. There was one time where he was kind of like holding court. Right. And like talking to different reporters during the open practice. Where was he today? And did you take away anything from his attitude, his mood, what he was doing? Just anything you saw from the head coach, really?
[10:08]
C
I did not see Rule until near the end. He was walking across the field talking. They had referees out there, so he was talking to the ump and he was walking across the field talking to him. That's all I saw. I didn't. I'm not. I usually don't look for him much, but I didn't. That's all I saw. I didn't see much of him at all.
[10:25]
B
All right. Just kind of putting a bow on it. What would you say is your biggest takeaway? We had you kind of go position by position and break down things you like, but your biggest takeaway.
[10:33]
C
I think the two things is I think that, that, that battle for the number one running spot between Mozi and Nelson and tight. I thought Mosi was taking number one reps today. Doesn't mean that's every day. But both those guys were really working hard to look good. Rule looks bigger. As the third running back I had a chance to see Kaiki Hayes, small lower body. I think all 200 whatever pounds of that is, is that giant head of his and his upper body and then which. And that's not insult. I. The dude's got offensive lineman head. Nothing wrong with that. Bigger brain too. So that's kind of the four guys there. And the other takeaway I thought probably was the depth of the offensive line. I think between guys like Grant Bricks and a few of those other guys Pile, for example, obviously you got Kac, who you know, and Gunner Kula. I think that they're about a good 9, 10 deep. So if there is an injury, hopefully knock on wood or not, I think they do have A number two that come in there. So you're the depth of the offensive line and the competition at the running back position probably stood out the most for me today in the short amount of time we had to watch news
[11:42]
B
came out of the NFL while probably you were in the car. So I might be breaking this to you. Despite reports, the Vikings have gone ahead and named Kyler Murray their starting quarterback. J.J. mcCarthy, according to all reporters, look like he was playing the best at the position. But the Vikings have officially named Murray as their starting quarterback. Do you have any reaction to that?
[12:03]
C
I say this every time. Miles, My son is five, nine and a half and he's taller than Kyler Murray.
[12:11]
B
Fair enough.
[12:12]
C
Yeah, I like Kyler Murray. I think he can make plays. I don't think he can survive a 17 game season. I think he's going to give you games where because of the pressure up the middle from the defense, he's going to have to get outside and do a lot more scrambling. And you want him running if you can. You don't want to be able to throw touchdown passes. And so I personally don't believe this is a guy who's going to make the Minnesota Vikings what they could be if they had a really good quarterback. And so again, I hope they do. Well. I cheer for Schaefer, but I've never been a Kyler Murray guy, especially if he runs on his toes, which really bothers me.
[12:48]
B
Why? Why are you a Mike Schaefer guy and you're rooting for the Vikings but you don't root for the Bears and you're a Matt McMaster guy? That's insulting.
[12:56]
C
Yeah. So I've never had anything against the Vikings. I've always. The Vikings are one of those teams that like the Saints where they just never could get over the top. And so many times they got the NFC championship games and they couldn't get back to the super bowl after all those years in the 70s. And so I've always kind of felt a kindred spirit with the Vikings fans because of that.
[13:17]
B
Yeah.
[13:17]
C
And I love Tommy Kramer growing up and I was a Mod Rashad fan. My, one of my favorite players as a kid was Chuck Foreman. So I've always kind of liked the Vikings. I like purple. I mean, what can I say? There's nothing about the city of Chicago I like. I just don't like the city.
[13:30]
B
I know.
[13:31]
C
I like you, you're fine. But I just hate the city.
[13:33]
B
I appreciate you. Hey, real quick, you're a partner from one of the. If not the Best show that this radio station has had. Severe and Coogler or in sportsman conduct with Michael Severe and Kevin Coogler. Kevin Coogler getting inducted the Nebraska Broadcasting association hall of Fame. I want to ask you, what is your. Do you have a favorite, a definitive favorite moment from working with Kevin here at 1620 zone?
[13:58]
C
Oh, my. Dude. Narrator. You work together, what, 10 years?
[14:02]
B
Yeah, I know it's a tough question.
[14:04]
C
Yeah, it's. It's always. The best memory will always be arriving at DJs dugout after the Oklahoma State game after Peterson was fired. And walking into that place and it was just packed. There were people everywhere. Jed was holding a gravestone that had Peterson's name on it and the dates. They were just people everywhere. They were cheering for us coming in. They had just gotten killed by Oklahoma State in the game that was to honor the 1997 championship team. But we walked in and people were so excited because Peterson had been fired. I'll never forget that moment. I remember looking at Kevin because we decided to go on early that day and looking at him and thinking, this is nuts. They're having the worst season in forever, and we're having probably the best content for a show we could possibly have. So I always remember that. Kevin's an amazing worker. Kevin's an amazing talent. The reason why he's where he is is because how hard he works. I wish I could be there tonight. My son's having an event tonight for band, but I wish I could be there to support Kevin, but he. He's. He's an amazing dude. And it's. It's an honor. That's well deserved.
[15:13]
B
Well, it's only a matter of time before both parts of unsportsmanlike conduct from that era of 1620 zone end up in the Nebraska Broadcasters hall of Fame.
[15:22]
C
So in the world. There's no way in the world anybody's putting me in any hall of Fame.
[15:29]
B
I don't know. I. I see the. I see the nomination form right here. It's due 2027. We can move some. We could. We could politic.
[15:37]
C
Don't. Don't do that. No. Thank you very much. No, thank you. You're very welcome.
[15:42]
B
Hey, did I do. Did I do well with the quick questions?
[15:46]
C
That was good. I like that. The shorter the question, the better, I'm telling you. That's. That's the way to make life. Make the life grand for both your listener and the person being asked the question.
[15:56]
B
Tanks, but no tanks. But I'll always do it with you. And I Appreciate your guidance. I will talk to you soon, my friend.
[16:02]
C
Talk to you later, buddy.
[16:03]
B
See you, Severe. Michael Severe, the executive director of the JET Award foundation as Kevin Coogler gets inducted the Nebraska Broadcasters association hall of Fame tonight. Congratulations to Kevin. Round of applause. Him and Michael made an incredible legacy doing unsportsmanlike conduct together that we're always chasing here at 1620 zone. And obviously what Michael said about Kevin being such a hard worker and always just from my perspective, you know, I've gotten to meet Kevin a couple of times. Always been super gracious to me and super nice to me, but see a guy who. I always respected the broadcasters who. And you can talk about this Jake Janicek, like at the CO jmc, who would give their time to students to talk to them, to do interviews with them, to allow them to write stories about them for assignments. And Kevin was a guy that in. In basically every class I was ever in, someone always was doing a feature on Kevin, always writing a story about Kevin, always did some sort of interview with Kevin. And I think it just goes to show a guy like that who is at the top of the heap when it comes to where we're at in this crazy world of broadcasting. He was always willing to give his time to students to help them out. And I think that that's. That says a lot about that guy, says a lot about his character. And it's a great community that this media core has because there are so many guys who are like that. One of them is Michael Sevier, who, you know, funny enough, guy that I did a feature on right when I was a student at the University of Nebraska was Gary Sharp. You know, there. There are plenty of guys like that who are always willing to give their time. And Kevin was no different from those dudes, despite the fact being on national TV every single week. So congratulations, Kevin Coogler. Congratulations to just everything that he's done in his career. Hell of an honor. And I will be there tonight. So I will shake Kevin's hand and tell him it's the strongest handshake I've ever felt in my entire life. So I, uh, we'll take a break here. Odd news with Jake Janicek coming up next year on the 1620 Zone radio network.
[18:01]
A
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