The 3-2-1: Nebraska has battled plenty of ups and downs at tackle play since 2020

The most recent injury to offensive lineman Teddy Prochazka is the latest of the Huskers’ bad luck at the tackle position.

In this week’s 3-2-1 column, we hit on that and more with three things we learned, two questions, and one prediction.

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THREE THINGS WE LEARNED THIS WEEK

1 – Nebraska has had bad luck at the tackle position since 2020

When Mike Riley got to Nebraska in 2015, Nebraska had three eventual NFL players at the tackle spots – Alex Lewis , Zach Sterup and Nick Gates .

You almost forget how good the Huskers had things at the tackle position. They eventually moved Sterup inside to a guard position to utilize all three NFL players on the field at once.

When that group was done, we saw Brendan Jaimes and Matt Farniok plug into the tackle spots as eventual NFL offensive linemen. The tackle position has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs at NU since then.

In 2020, Jaimes opted out of the Rutgers game. That opened the door for Turner Corcoran to make his first career start during the COVID season. It was one of the more promising lineman debuts in recent memory. It appeared the Huskers had an eventual All-Big Ten level player at tackle.

Then, as 2021 came around, Corcoran suffered an injury over the summer that delayed his development in Fall Camp. Brant Banks started for him at Illinois before former head coach Scott Frost put a rusty version of Corcoran into the game. Nothing clicked for Corcoran to start that year.

Meanwhile, on the right side, Bryce Benhart stepped into a starting job in 2020 after redshirting in 2019. He, too, looked like a future star in the program but would go through his ups and downs.

As the pressure mounted on Frost in 2021, he shook up his offensive line against Northwestern. True freshman Teddy Prochazka started at left tackle, and he moved Corcoran to right tackle and benched Benhart. It appeared NU solved its tackle issues for four quarters against Northwestern and a half against Michigan. The line play was outstanding.

Prochazka looked like a future first-round pick as he neutralized eventual No. 1 NFL draft pick Aidan Hutchinson in the first half. Corcoran looked great at right tackle. Then, in that Michigan game, Prochazka went down with a knee injury that changed his career trajectory.

He returned probably quicker than he should have in 2022 and injured both shoulders. He stepped into action in 2023 early in the season, playing in 10 games. He took over the starting left tackle job after Corcoran got hurt. This past week, Prochazka suffered another setback, tearing his other ACL.

It’s been one thing after another for Matt Rhule and the Huskers at tackle. The bottom line is this: Benhart improved as much as any player year over year in 2023. They need that type of play again on the right side, and Corcoran needs to bounce back strong as a 12-game starter. If they can make this work, NU already has the interior to be very good on the offensive line.

2 – DeShon Singleton is poised to be a surprise impact player in 2024

One player people forget about on the 2024 roster is safety DeShon Singleton . He was poised to have a breakout season in 2023 before going down with an injury in game five.

Singleton is now back and could be a real difference-maker for Rhule and the Huskers in 2024.

Singleton was awarded one of Rhule’s prestigious single-digit jerseys a year ago. That tells you the level of player the staff thinks he is.

3 – Mekhi Nelson and Jalyn Gramstad appear to be two great late pick-ups

If there is one thing Rhule has proven, good football players come in all shapes and sizes, and you can find them anytime.

NU’s June summer camps have produced quality roster additions for the second year in a row. A year ago, edge rusher James Williams was discovered during the post-graduate camp.

This year, the Huskers found quarterback Jalyn Gramstad and running back Mekhi Nelson in its summer camps. Both are on the 120-man Fall Camp roster and look like great additions.

Gramstad has put his name in the backup quarterback discussion, while Nelson has added another set of live legs to NU’s running back room.

TWO QUESTIONS THIS WEEK

1 – Could John Hohl beat out Tristan Alvano at kicker?

Nebraska’s kicker situation is interesting. Starter Tristan Alvano remains out of camp, but new addition John Hohl has looked good early on in practice. Could he beat out Alvano?

It’s too early to say, but if Hohl continues to kick consistently, this will be one of the more interesting position battles to watch. Nobody could’ve predicted a week ago that Hohl would join the team and present a possible challenge to Alvano.

We also don’t know if Alvano will show any lingering effects from the groin injury he is recovering from.

2 – What is the toughest game of Nebraska’s first seven on the schedule?

When you look at Nebraska’s schedule, which opponent offers the toughest challenge of the first seven games?

This answer might surprise people, but I think it’s Rutgers today. Greg Schiano is a seasoned coach in his fifth season of building the Scarlett Knights roster. They are coming off a 7-win season, during which they beat Miami in a bowl game. They are the only team of NU’s first seven opponents that qualified for a bowl game in 2023.

They also return the Big Ten’s leading rusher and a very physical unit on defense. This has the chance to be a very ugly, low-scoring football game when you look at it today.

ONE PREDICTION: TE Thomas Fidone will catch 40+ passes in 2024

With Dylan Raiola under center at quarterback, it will open up many more things in the Husker offense. One of the positions that should benefit is tight end.

Today, I’ll make this prediction: Thomas Fidone will catch over 40 passes in 2024. I think he’s going to be a real weapon at tight end.

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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