Zach Potter

H

Hunter94

Heisman Trophy Winner
NU Notes: Potter continuing to battle at DE

Sean Callahan

HuskersIllustrated.com

It's been a transitional spring for Nebraska's defensive line. After losing four senior starters in 2006, first-year coach Buddy Wyatt has his hands pretty full in developing NU's young and inexperienced defensive line.

One of the key defensive lineman Wyatt is counting on to step up his play this spring is junior defensive end Zach Potter. The last two seasons, Potter played behind Adam Carriker—now Potter finds himself in a situation where he gets all of the reps with the No. 1 defense.

Through nine spring practices, Potter said he feels like he's made great strides, but he still has a long ways to go.

"Spring has been going real well," Potter said. "Obviously I've had to adjust to being the No. 1 guy not having Carriker here anymore. It's been a challenge, but I learn stuff every day, especially from Coach Wyatt. He's a great coach and he drills us every day."

The biggest area Wyatt has helped Potter improve in is his technique. Before Wyatt got to NU, Potter said he really never learned how to use very good technique.

amazing, this guy sits behind Carriker for 2 years with his head up his arse and has just got around to learning the techniques for playing DE? OMG!

 
I would have been like a sponge under Carriker and learned as much as possible. Maybe he was just being a kid and screwing around since he wasn't starting. Now that he has the starting job in front of him he wants to catch up and that's just not going to happen!

 
"Before Wyatt got to NU, Potter said he really never learned how to use very good technique. "

Does anyone think that Wyatt's teaching is a whole lot different than what Potter or even Moore and Carriker were taught with the previous coaches? That's what that quote says to me.

 
If that's the case, that isn't a ringing endorsement for John Blake. The d-line play was dominant in the one game with Wyatt. We'll see.

 
amazing, this guy sits behind Carriker for 2 years with his head up his arse and has just got around to learning the techniques for playing DE? OMG!

in fairness to Potter, he made remarks last week in LJS hinting that Carriker didn't always have the best fundamentals:

Plus, “I think in a way I might be more sound in my alignments and techniques because I think Adam, he could cheat a little more or get away with certain things because he was so strong, such a physical player.”

 
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Once again, you have heard my "song and dance" about this before, but IMO, Potter will be a bust at NU...

Big kid, successful at HS because of size......NU took him because of "in-state" talent that BC needed for PR.... horrible, cocky attitude, seems to be a little bit of a "me" instead of "team"....... and Allen will win the position outright, causing Potter to finish his career at UNO or UNI.

 
Potter plans to fill Carriker's shoes by being himself

BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star

Friday, Apr 06, 2007 - 12:13:04 am CDT

How does Zach Potter proceed with trying to replace Adam Carriker?

The first step might be realizing he’ll never be Adam Carriker.

Potter possesses neither the same playing style nor massive body build of Nebraska’s 2006 All-Big 12 defensive end.

“Carriker was 6-foot-6, 300,” Potter said. “Everyone’s like, ‘Well, why can’t Zach Potter be 6-7, 300 pounds and be just like Adam Carriker?’”

Potter’s response: “Because everyone’s different. I got up to about 295 last year and didn’t like it. I felt really slow. So I got down to 275 in winter conditioning and then built my weight back up a little bit with the right type of weight, and so I feel a lot better than I did last fall when I was competing with Adam.”

Carriker has graduated from college and now prepares to cash in handsomely as a likely first-round selection in the April 28-29 NFL Draft. That leaves Potter, a junior from Omaha, to compete this spring with redshirt freshman Pierre Allen for Carriker’s old job at “base” end.

Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan said neither has emerged as a clear-cut starter, though Potter’s experience in the system arguably gives him an edge. To be sure, Potter pushes through spring drills with a sense of urgency. He felt no such urgency last season, realizing Carriker was entrenched atop the depth chart.

“Knowing that Adam Carriker was the guy and that he was going to get all of the (repetitions in practice), that was hard,” Potter said. “My mindset has changed now that I’m the guy and I’ve got to step up. It’s my position and I can’t lose it.”

Potter, a consensus choice as Nebraska’s top high school football player in 2004, has excelled mostly on special teams since becoming a Husker. As a freshman in 2005, he blocked Pittsburgh’s potential game-winning field goal as time expired. Later that season, he blocked an extra-point try by Kansas State. All told, he has just four tackles.

Carriker last season led the team with seven sacks and ranked second with 16 tackles behind the line. His 52 tackles led all NU linemen. He excelled with a rare blend of size, speed, strength and agility that allowed him run down ball-carriers despite constant double- and triple-team blocking.

Potter said he feels “a ton of pressure” trying to follow in Carriker’s footsteps. The good news is, Potter learned a lot from Carriker about how to prepare for games and practices. What’s more, Potter said, he has Nebraska’s defensive system “down pat.”

Plus, “I think in a way I might be more sound in my alignments and techniques because I think Adam, he could cheat a little more or get away with certain things because he was so strong, such a physical player.”

Potter said getting experience in games this coming season should be a significant boon for him.

“I played in every game last year,” he said. “I’d get like four plays here, six plays there. But, I mean, just getting reps in a game is going to be crucial for me. The Spring Game (on April 14) and all of these spring practices being with (the first string), is going to help me a lot.”

If Carriker’s loss weren’t enough for Nebraska, the Huskers also need to replace starters at the other three defensive line positions. Carriker’s absence, though, looms largest.

Just ask his potential successor.

“I’m not going to be another Adam Carriker,” Potter said. “If I am, that’s great. But I’d rather just be my own self. Be Zach Potter. Create my own image to people.”

Briefly

Nebraska took Thursday off from practice. The Huskers today will have the 10th of their 15 spring practices.

js

 
MadcatNU said:
amazing, this guy sits behind Carriker for 2 years with his head up his arse and has just got around to learning the techniques for playing DE? OMG!

in fairness to Potter, he made remarks last week in LJS hinting that Carriker didn't always have the best fundamentals:

Plus, “I think in a way I might be more sound in my alignments and techniques because I think Adam, he could cheat a little more or get away with certain things because he was so strong, such a physical player.”
Click to expand...
I was thinking the same thing. I have seen people refer to him as a pu&&y. I really doubt that the people saying that would say it to his face. I do not expect Zach to be all american caliber after sitting behind one of if not the best lineman in football last year. He will get better with each rep he gets and if he is beaten out by a better player, that is really not going to be all his fault is it. He didn't tell everyone to raise their expectations and if anyone is disappointed with him they can only look at themselves for their lofty expectations. If he does turn out to be an all american type player I hope the same people that are doubting him now will eat their crow and admit it.

I do not know how he will turn out, I will hope for the best and not try to bad talk him before the spring game has even been played yet. I trust the coaches will play the best player at any given time and if that turnes out to be Zach, GREAT if not GREAT. If he does in fact go through practice thinking he has the job won and does not have to try his best every play, I would think that the coaches would pick up on that fairly quick and either get his attention or promote the guy that he is disrespecting and sit him.

I will have a better feel for him and the team after the spring game, but an even better fell for them after the season has started.

GBR

 
Kids say things without thinking or realizing that some will put everything they say under a microscope.

In some ways it seemed like he was complimenting Carriker.. That Adam taught him his way and now he is trying to perfect what he can do.

I have heard negative things about the kid, but I want to see on the field actions or lack of before I send him down the river. If he isn't the best we have, he is near it and we will need every single one of them to produce better than last year. Keep him positive, we need him.

 
HANC said:
Once again, you have heard my "song and dance" about this before, but IMO, Potter will be a bust at NU...

Big kid, successful at HS because of size......NU took him because of "in-state" talent that BC needed for PR.... horrible, cocky attitude, seems to be a little bit of a "me" instead of "team"....... and Allen will win the position outright, causing Potter to finish his career at UNO or UNI.
Click to expand...
Not the Potter I know.

He was captain in HS and quite the opposite of a me player. Kept everyone very loose. Great sense of humor. All the kids at Prep looked up to him. The faculty absolutely adored him. Not cocky at all. In fact he could use more of a "Im the booger with the sugar" mentality. He hated lifting back in the day and his co-captains and teamates kind of pushed him to do so in the offseason. Rather be on the basketball court somewhere instead. Always smiling and could make people around him smile. Always felt he was meaner on the basketball court. In football he had size over most, knew that and took advantage of it every chance he got.

Where you get your info is bogus... this young man is quite the opposite of what you described.

 
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