Iowa vs. Nebraska, 11.29

Nebraska inside linebacker Collin Miller gets ready against Iowa in November at Memorial Stadium. 

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Nebraska spring football consisted of just two practices before it was halted due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Even so, conversations with head coach Scott Frost, several players and almost every assistant coach provided at least some information about every position on the field.

The Journal Star is taking a position-by-position look at the Huskers, what was learned early in March and what to look for whenever NU returns to the field.

Inside linebacker

Scholarship players: Seniors Collin Miller (12 starts), Will Honas; junior Eteva Mauga-Clements; redshirt freshmen Nick Henrich, Jackson Hannah, Garrett Snodgrass; freshman Keyshawn Greene. 

One storyline

At the inside linebacker position, Nebraska is led by seniors Collin Miller and Will Honas, who each ranked in the top four in tackles for the Huskers last season.

But Miller and Honas can’t play every snap. In fact, inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud says coaches would like to feel pretty good about six guys at the position. Maybe only four or five play, but they want to feel like they have enough guys.

“When I was playing, 60-65 snaps was a really normal game, now it’s closer to 80-85 snaps,” said Ruud, who played linebacker at Nebraska from 2004-07. “So to have one guy to play each position all the way through a season, it ends up adding up to three or four extra games, so you want to have guys you can rotate through.”

So it’s what happens after Miller and Honas that is also important for the Huskers this offseason. Who can be a good player after them? Redshirt freshmen Jackson Hannah, Nick Henrich or Garrett Snodgrass? Junior college transfer Eteva Mauga-Clements? Or someone else? Remember, last year at this time nobody expected walk-on Luke Reimer to play like he did in 2019.

Ruud thinks there are talented enough players after Miller and Honas.

“Everybody clicks at a different point,” said Ruud when spring practice began on March 9. “(Luke) Reimer last year, it was like his fourth practice where I was like, ‘This guy is going to be a good player.’ Then he had an injury and it slowed him down, but it kind of just clicks for everybody at a different point. Sometimes it’s halfway through spring practice, sometimes it takes a guy all of spring and half of fall. Sometimes it’s a year. You teach each guy individually, but you’re always hoping that it just clicks at some point where they’re playing really fast, really instinctively and they’re flying to the ball and not thinking out there.”

Reimer, a sophomore walk-on from Lincoln North Star, may be the most explosive player on the team at the linebacker spot, Ruud said.

“He exceeded our expectations for sure,” Ruud said. “He’s a little bit of a late bloomer probably, and we’re just hoping he continues to expand on that.”

One quote

Hannah was one of Nebraska’s highest-ranked recruits in the 2020 class coming out of Nashville, Tennessee, and there is still a whole lot of time for that to show on the field. Hannah didn’t play any games last season, taking a redshirt year that Ruud sees as being really good for Hannah.

“Sometimes people tend to view redshirts as almost a negative, but for years and years around here, that was just the way it went,” Ruud said. “In a 20-person (recruiting) class there may have been one or two that played and everybody else was a redshirt. When you redshirt, you get a chance to really have a full year in the weight program, and usually guys make big strides in that regard. And (Hannah) was a guy that had to change his body a little bit and had to trim some fat down and get stronger. He’s done a good job in that regard. I think that year is going to make it really good down the line for him. I think usually it makes guys pretty hungry again, too, and they’re ready to get out and play.”

One thought

Regardless of whether Nebraska gets back some of its remaining spring practices, the normal flow of the offseason isn’t going to be the same with spring practice, time spent in the film room and strength and conditioning.

But with seniors in Miller and Honas, the inside linebacker spots may be best suited to help the defense run smoothly when practice and games resume, following a bumpy offseason.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7435 or . On Twitter @LJSSportsWagner.

This article originally ran on journalstar.com.

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