The Weekly Rundown: Nebraska offered a rare backstage look at Fall Camp

The Nebraska football program offered a rare backstage look at its 2024 Fall Camp.

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

RELATED – Photo Gallery: Nebraska Football Big Red Preview Practice

Sure bets

You have to feel good about these things right now:

Nebraska’s upgraded talented at wide receiver: I think the biggest thing I heard from several people who watched Saturday’s open practice was how much better Nebraska’s wide receiver group looks compared to a year ago.

It’s clear Matt Rhule addressed this position over the off-season, adding Jahmal Banks and Isaiah Neyor , signing freshman Jacory Barne y , and moving Carter Nelson to wide receiver.

When you add that with guys like Jaylen Lloyd , Alex Bullock , Malachi Coleman, Janiran Bonner and Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda , it’s an entirely different-looking group than a year ago, with a solid mix of big-bodied possession receivers and speed.

QB Dylan Raiola and the respect he’s already earned: I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a true freshman at Nebraska already have the level of respect Dylan Raiola has in early August.

It’s rare to see a freshman in Raiola’s position with the skillset and maturity level to handle the position he’s about to step into. It’s hard not to get excited about what this offense might look like with him under center.

I’ll be intrigued to hear what the BTN guys say about Raiola when they attend a Husker practice on Aug. 14.

LB Vincent Shavers: This might be one of the bigger steals of the 2024 recruiting class. It’s remarkable to me that Miami let linebacker Vincent Shavers go. He’s in a position to make a real impact as a true freshman.

NU’s relationship with 1890 Nebraska has never been stronger : A year ago, former AD Trev Alberts would not let officials from the 1890 Nebraska collective attend practices or visit campus in an official capacity. At that time, the University was still recognizing two collectives, which really muddied the waters and caused confusion among fans and donors.

On Saturday, Nebraska’s NIL efforts took another big step forward under Troy Dannen’s leadership by hosting an open practice with over 3,500 fans in attendance. It was a great night and a statement on the potential this all has at NU moving forward.

I expect a crowd double the size to attend next year, especially if Rhule and the Huskers can put together a great season.

Surprises

These were my surprises of the week:

Turner Corcoran back at No. 1 left tackle: One of the bigger Week 1 camp surprises was seeing senior offensive lineman Turner Corcoran not only at full-go but also working as the No. 1 left tackle.

When Corcoran was hurt a year ago, it was hard to know when and if he would ever return to his old self. He appears to have bounced back strong enough that he’s now in one of the better battles in camp with Teddy Prochazka for the starting left tackle job.

Jeremiah Charles at No. 1 corner: The staff kept Tommi Hill out of Saturday’s open practice. Marques Buford worked at one cornerback spot, and redshirt freshman Jeremiah Charles at the other.

That tells you how high the staff is on Charles long-term, as you would have to think USC transfer Ceyair Wright , along with Blye Hill when he returns from injury, will also be in the discussion for playing time there.

Smith-Flores moves to LB: Another interesting nugget was redshirt freshman Ismael Smith-Flores’s move from tight end to linebacker. This reminds me a little of AJ Rollins’s move from tight end to edge rusher a year ago. If we’ve learned one thing about Rhule, he’s not afraid to make moves like this with players.

The jury is still out

Questions still surround these things:

Kicker and punter: Four practices into Fall Camp, Tristan Alvano remains out with an injury, and punter Brian Buschini did not have his best day of work on Saturday, with 3,500 fans in attendance .

How concerned should we be about NU’s special teams play right now? The good news is both kickers John Hohl and Nico Ottomanelli made all of their attempts from 47 yards out.

If Buschini continues to be inconsistent, you wonder if freshman Kamdyn Koch is in a position to push for an opportunity. When you play games where point spreads are 3 to 7 points nearly every week, one shanked punt could be the difference.

Roger Gradney status: The one injury of note on Saturday was to freshman defensive back Roger Gradney . He was taken off the field on a cart.

What is Gradney’s status moving forward? We will not hear from Rhule again until Saturday.

Where Princewill Umanmielen factors in at the defense: Sophomore linebacker/edge Princewill Umanmielen was held out of Saturday’s practice, so the fans in attendance did not see him in action.

However, they did see James Williams , who has made quite a jump since a year ago. Where does Umanmielen fit in that picture right now as an edge rusher?

This has my attention

Moving forward, this has my attention :

QB Jalyn Gramstad: I remember when Nebraska first decided to take NAIA national player of the year quarterback Jalyn Gramstad . The critics of the Red Sea Scrolls had opinions on the value he might bring to the 2024 football team. On June 20, one Husker fan sent me this message:

“My insider info is saying Gramstad is really not that good and they are more or less doing him a favor,” the user said in his message. “I’m curious what makes you think he even becomes the fourth guy in the room.”

I think we’ve already seen this as another great addition from Rhule’s post-graduate camp, and the fan who wrote this to me has already admitted he had bad information in June.

Gramstad is a veteran with a 25-1 record as a starting quarterback at the college level. He’s won a national championship and lost in the title game this past season. On Saturday, he showed the 3,500 fans in attendance he’s a gamer. He may not have the biggest QB frame or the strongest arm, but his decision-making and feel for the game make up for it. Gramstad appears to be more than capable of competing with Heinrich Haarberg and Daniel Kaelin .

I also remember what one NAIA head coach told me after Gramstad worked out for the Huskers in June. He said he “would’ve been better than any quarterback the Huskers trotted on the field in 2023.”

RB Mekhi Nelson: The addition of running back Mekhi Nelson appears to be another excellent summer pick-up. Some were skeptical of this addition then, not even realizing it was for the class of 2024. Nelson initially planned to reclassify to 2025 before the Huskers got involved.

Nelson has come in and already showed great promise thus far in camp and, from all reports, looked strong at Saturday’s open practice.

Naming a starting QB: It’s silly we are even having this conversation because Raiola will be Nebraska’s starting quarterback, barring some unforeseen setback.

Now, it’s just how and when Rhule wants to make that news official.

Scrimmage: It will be a jammed packed week of six practices for Nebraska. One would assume Rhule will hold one of his first Fall Camp scrimmages this week, presumably on Saturday.

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 .

Never miss breaking news or another HuskerOnline article again. Click HERE to sign up for HuskerOnline’s Daily and Breaking News Newsletters.

The post The Weekly Rundown: Nebraska offered a rare backstage look at Fall Camp appeared first on On3 .