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Potential for guys currently on the roster


Vince R.

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I want to start a discussion around which players we think will resurrect their careers/flourish with the new staff. I believe there is so much untapped talent on our roster and that it would be unfair to count anyone out. With that said, I wanted to name a few guys on the roster and hear what you all have to say as well.

 

Colin Miller 

What we know- He was a late addition in the 2016 class. He came in with little hype but really turned heads when he arrived. Many argued he was the best or one of the best defenders in that class. He has excellent size and it appears that if he can stay healthy, then he has a chance to make a splash. I look forward to seeing what a new strength program does for him. He could bring something new to the LB crops that we haven't seen in a few years.

 

Tony Butler 

What we know- Tony, also apart of the 2016 class, is another player that received good reviews when he showed up. He has tremendous size and build at corner but kept switching positions throughout the last two years. Coming in, his hips were a bit of a concern and he too could benefit from the new strength program. Tony was talked about quite a bit. I feel like Nebraska has somebody here who could contribute a lot quicker than many believe. 

 

Jalin Barnett

What we know- Jalin came in with very high expectations. It was noted that he did struggle in the all-star game. Still, he has the physical attributes to play at this level. He did come in overweight and it seemed to snowball from there. I felt like the previous staff shelved him too quickly (they did that a lot by the way). With a fresh start, and a trimmed frame, he could be someone on the rise. 

 

Freedom Akinmoladun

What we know- In my opinion, Freedom has been the most poorly managed player on the roster (Nick Gates was next). He is a next level talent and MR/Diaco wasted a pivotal period of his career. They blew him up beyond his frame to fit Diaco's scheme. Look at his muscle tone in his RSFR year compared to now. He lacked speed coming off the edge in the small opportunities he had. Pair that with a scheme that did not fit his skill set. Freedom getting back to the old Freedom would be a huge plus into the Defense this year. I want the best for him because by all accounts he is seen as a great character guy with a lot of talent. 

 

John Rairdon

What we know- John's career so far has been a bit of a mystery. As a recruit,  he flirted with 5 star status and drew rave reviews by everyone who watched him play. Once he arrived to Nebraska, many alluded to him being a really good player already. The knock on him was his strength and that time was going to benefit his growth. I wonder though, much like Michael Decker, he was shelved for no particular reason. It will be interesting to see what happens for him this spring. I am betting he makes noise and pushes for a spot. 

 

Boe Wilson

What we know- He should start and is Nebraska's best O-lineman. 

 

Edited by Vince R.
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I think Miller has good potential.  Just hasn't had the chance to show it yet.

I really haven't seen/heard enough of Butler to know one way or the other.  Hopefully the new staff allows guys to get used to one position and not flip-flop them all the time like the previous staff did.

I'm not holding my breath on Barnett.  I think he either didn't develop or didn't work hard enough late in high school and that's why most schools backed off of him.  And he was already getting passed by underclassmen last year.

I think the last staff screwed Freedom by bulking him up too much and making him lose a bunch of explosiveness.  He should have been a pass rushing DE in a 4-3 but they bulked him up into a base DE.  Then they bulked him up again to move to a 3-4 DE.  I'm not sure if he can get that back but he can still be a solid contributor.

I think Rairdon needed to get stronger and wasn't progressing as fast as anyone would have liked.  Maybe a fresh start will help.

Wilson must have killed Cav's dog.  I think a fresh start will really help him.

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3 minutes ago, Mavric said:

I think Miller has good potential.  Just hasn't had the chance to show it yet.

I really haven't seen/heard enough of Butler to know one way or the other.  Hopefully the new staff allows guys to get used to one position and not flip-flop them all the time like the previous staff did.

I'm not holding my breath on Barnett.  I think he either didn't develop or didn't work hard enough late in high school and that's why most schools backed off of him.  And he was already getting passed by underclassmen last year.

I think the last staff screwed Freedom by bulking him up too much and making him lose a bunch of explosiveness.  He should have been a pass rushing DE in a 4-3 but they bulked him up into a base DE.  Then they bulked him up again to move to a 3-4 DE.  I'm not sure if he can get that back but he can still be a solid contributor.

I think Rairdon needed to get stronger and wasn't progressing as fast as anyone would have liked.  Maybe a fresh start will help.

Wilson must have killed Cav's dog.  I think a fresh start will really help him.

I believe Wilson will be the one player we all agree on. Once he starts, everyone will be condemning the last staff. They handled him poorly. 

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16 minutes ago, Roll Skers said:

Under the radar Guys that will make a huge splash in 2018

 

Willie Hampton - LB

Guy Thomas - LB

Kurt Radfal - TE

JoJo DoMann - S

I wanted to mention a few of the guys you listed. My only issue is that they are first year guys or got slowed down from injury. I will say this, Guy Thomas will be an All-American. Write it down, take a picture. 

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7 minutes ago, LumberJackSker said:

Quayshon Alexander is a guy i was wondering about. He had a bunch of hype coming in and i don't think i've heard anything about him since he arrived on campus.   

Same. I haven't seen any footage of him playing as a Husker. Not even a practice clip. I think the LB room is where we will see the most attrition. 

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I mean just look what happened for Shaquem Griffin:

 

Quote

Things went well for Shaquill but Shaquem struggled. In his second year, he was a second-string linebacker when the team went to play Penn State in Ireland. That's when he learned he was demoted.

"I thought in my head, why did I get moved back just before the game?" Shaquem said. "I did everything they asked me to. I had a good camp. I worked my way up the depth chart. Then I got moved back to third string and then the scout team after the game."

Shaquem redshirted that season and Shaquill moved a year ahead of him.

"It was tough on him," Shaquill said. "He thought about stopping playing or transferring. It was as tough for me as it was for him. It's like everything we believed in wasn't going to come through."

As a sophomore, Shaquem played on special teams and was a backup safety. A switch in coaching from O'Leary to Scott Frost changed everything.

In his junior year, as a linebacker, he started every game and finished 12th in the nation in sacks. He had 92 tackles, 57 of them unassisted, while playing in the same unit as his brother.

http://beta.latimes.com/sports/more/la-sp-ucf-griffin-hand-20171220-story.html

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6 hours ago, theknife said:

I mean just look what happened for Shaquem Griffin:

 

http://beta.latimes.com/sports/more/la-sp-ucf-griffin-hand-20171220-story.html

Read somewhere that the brothers were a package deal.  Looking back, Shaquem said it was like they recruited him just to get his brother.

 

I look at the previous 3 years and saw a lot of issues all over the field.  I really think we will all be pleasantly surprised at how much better this team looks across the board with Frost and Co. I think we will start to see how the "good on paper" translate to positive results on the field....

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34 minutes ago, lo country said:

Read somewhere that the brothers were a package deal.  Looking back, Shaquem said it was like they recruited him just to get his brother.

 

I look at the previous 3 years and saw a lot of issues all over the field.  I really think we will all be pleasantly surprised at how much better this team looks across the board with Frost and Co. I think we will start to see how the "good on paper" translate to positive results on the field....

They reference they package deal in that article too. 

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