The Weekly Rundown: Nebraska turns the page on a busy week

It was a busy week full of news as Nebraska returned to work after the July 4 holiday.

We hit on that and more as we start your Monday with The Weekly Rundown column.

REALTED – Steven Sipple: Luke Gifford envies brother for “hard edge”; remembering Monte Kiffin; and Troy Dannen shows wisdom

Sure bets

You have to feel good about these things right now:

Aug. 3 open practice: Of all the ideas Nebraska has come up with over the years around the football program, opening up a Fall Camp practice to raise money for NIL has to rank right up there.

August is always filled with hope and optimism about the upcoming football season. Husker fans are starving for information and access to the football team.

How do you feed that craving? Open a football practice to fans for a small price to raise money for one of the most significant driving forces in college athletics—NIL. I predict this event will be so successful that it will open the door for many more fan events to raise money for NIL.

This event also allows more Nebraska fans to get involved with NIL and get something back for a minimal investment. So much of NIL is catered to supporters who bring large gifts to the table.

Jamar Mozee: The addition of former Lee’s Summit North head coach Jamar Mozee is an outstanding move by Matt Rhule . This will now give the Huskers arguably one of their best-ever connections to the Kansas City high school football scene.

All of this comes on the heels of the new NCAA rule that allows unlimited on-field coaches and an expanded pool of assistants eligible to go on the road to recruit.

John Bulter: Credit Rhule. Losing Evan Cooper on July 5 was a tough blow, but he quickly pivoted to find more than an accomplished replacement to take his spot.

John Bulter brings decades of high-level coaching experience to the table. At this stage of the game, it’s hard to imagine a more qualified replacement than Butler.

This situation is much different than replacing Bob Wager a year ago. Wager only coached tight ends. Cooper carried the passing game coordinator tag and managed five of the 11 positional players on the field.

Nebraska’s formal NIL relationship with 1890: This was a long time coming, but it was great to see Nebraska finally recognize 1890 as its official NIL collective this week.

The floodgates are now open to what this relationship can become. Donations made to 1890 Nebraska can receive Husker Athletic Fund priority points or a tax deduction for charitable contributions to the 1890 Foundation. 1890 Nebraska’s X account even now carries the official Husker verification badge that all the athletic department accounts have.

A source involved in fundraising at another major college football program told me that NU is the first school to implement this model successfully, and many more Power Four institutions will undoubtedly attempt to follow it.

Surprises

These were my surprises of the week:

Grass in Memorial Stadium by 2026: According to a report by Mitch Sherman in The Athletic, Nebraska is on track to have grass in Memorial Stadium by 2026.

Husker Athletic Director Troy Dannen announced the news in an interview with The Athletic. After hearing some chatter about this over the last few months, I can’t say this news is a huge surprise. However, maybe the biggest surprise was how open Dannen was to sharing this information.

Switching from turf to grass raises many questions, including hosting events like the NSAA high school football championships in Memorial Stadium. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out, but I have no doubt that whatever NU decides to do with the grass, it will be a pristine product.

Nebraska’s Turfgrass Science and Management major is regarded as one of the top programs in the country. One would think they will have a big part in this future project.

The jury is still out

Questions still surround these things:

The future of the ACC: With ACC, SEC, and Big Ten Media Days set for the next two weeks, the future of schools like Florida State and Clemson will be a hot topic.

If the Big Ten and SEC don’t want to expand, could the Big 12 package something together to entice the top ACC brands to join their league? Would the rest of the league be ok with at least two members making significantly more than the rest of the conference?

I’m not sure that will fly, considering that’s why the Big 12 crumbled in the first place.

How many tickets sold for the open practice?: What is the early number of tickets sold for Nebraska’s open practice on Aug. 3?

Thus, the University has not given an update on tickets sold for the open practice.

Butler’s official salary number: Another thing we don’t know is the official salary number for Butler. One would think it would be similar to Cooper’s $670,000 figure, but it could be even slightly higher, considering Butler’s previous experience.

NU hired Glenn Thomas from the NFL earlier this year and gave him a coordinator tag. His starting salary is $800,000.

David Höffken’s arrival: The only 2024 roster addition not on campus yet for Nebraska is German defensive lineman addition David Höffken .

I spoke with Chris Adamson of Gridiron Imports on Sunday. He said there is still no word on when Höffken will arrive in Lincoln. The thought was sometime in mid to late July.

This has my attention

Moving forward, this has my attention :

Nebraska’s new-look coaching staff: On Sunday, we learned about Mozee’s addition to the staff. This is the first of multiple moves Rhule is expected to make with the new unlimited coaching rules in college football.

We are expected to get a full update from Nebraska on the inner workings of coaching that will breakdown the new titles in coaching assignments. That should come by next week, possibly.

LB Will Hawthorne: Defensive back Bryson Webber made his commitment official to Nebraska on Sunday. Now Gilbert (Iowa) linebacker Will Hawthorne is on the clock.

I still feel good about where the Huskers currently sit with Hawthorne.

July 27 BBQ event: The conclusion of the dead period is now in sight. At the end of July, teams will have one week to host unofficial visitors on campus. Nebraska plans to host a July 27 BBQ event featuring several notable 2025 and 2026 recruits.

Sean Callahan can be reached at sean@huskeronline.com and is heard daily at 6:45 am and 5:05 pm on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during the football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha during the fall, and each week, he appears on Nebraska Public Media’s Big Red Wrap-Up Tuesdays at 7 pm .

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