Exclusive Tunnel Talk: 8/9/2024

Welcome to the latest edition of HuskerOnline.com’s most popular member feature, Tunnel Talk. Our staff gives you the latest inside information on Nebraska football, basketball, volleyball, and recruiting.

Now, on to the scoop…

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

Callahan’s weekly nuggets

***There’s no question that the loss of Teddy Prochazka is significant. However, the feeling I was getting before the injury happened was that it was very likely Turner Corcoran was in a position to take back the left tackle job.

Remember, after Corcoran’s injury, Prochazka took over the left tackle spot last season. Before that, he was coming off the bench.

I was told they are now keeping Corcoran on a diligent pitch count as they prepare for the opener. His value at this point is as great as any player on the roster, knowing what the options are at tackle after him.

***Starting in 2025, there will be a roster cap of 105 players, meaning you can now have up to 105 players on full scholarship.

One source I talked to this week said many teams will not fully fund 105 scholarships. Iowa, for example, plans to stick with 85 and have 20 walk-ons, the source said. Wisconsin will have 95 players on scholarship with 10 walk-on spots.

I can’t see Nebraska doing that. From my estimation, they already essentially have over 100 players on scholarship when you count NIL portal and walk-on additions, which are players on NIL deals equal to the value of a scholarship package.

***People often ask us about running back Dante Dowdell and where he fits in the running back conversation. I was told he entered training camp a little overweight. Today, I still see it primarily as a three-horse race with Emmett Johnson , Rahmir Johnson , and Gabe Ervin Jr. , and all three will play.

***Someone I talked to this week who’s been around different college football programs over his 20+ year career called Isaiah Neyor “one of the most physically gifted athletes” he’d seen in his time during the game. He also said this is, without a doubt, the best roster he’s seen at Nebraska in the last few years regarding the talent level. You can sense the confidence behind the scenes of this team’s potential.

***It would not shock me if we saw NAIA transfer quarterback Jayln Gramstad see action in the UTEP game if the score gets out of hand. They will be very protective of Dylan Raiola in situations like that, and you could say the same about Heinrich Haarberg . He carries quite a value heading into this season.

Everyone I talked to was impressed with Gramstad and what he brought to the table for his first time out. Daniel Kaelin may be a better long-term QB prospect, but Gramstad has a significant edge from a game experience level with his 25-1 record as a collegiate starter.

*** I was told there is possibly one more significant injury to the offensive line in camp this week among the true freshman group.

Of that freshman group, Gibson Pyle and Grant Brix are the two who would probably be in the best position to see some snaps in 2024.

***I continue to hear strong reports about the camp Micah Mazzccua is having. When it’s all said and done, he could end up being the top offensive lineman on the roster this season.

-Sean Callahan

As Sipple sees (and hears) it

*** Terrance Knighton got my attention in early June with the enthusiastic way he discussed Keona Davis , an early February add to Nebraska’s class of 2024. I came away from my discussion with Knighton in June thinking, “Watch this kid, and I mean right now .”

A defensive end from Tucson, Arizona, the 6-foot-5 Davis reportedly weighed in the 240 range this past winter (On3, in fact, listed him at 230). Now, however, Davis is up to 270, according to Knighton, the second-year Husker defensive line coach.

Sean recently listed true freshmen he expects to play prominent roles for Nebraska in 2024: Dylan Raiola, Jacory Barney , Carter Nelson , and Vincent Shavers . Based on what I’ve heard from Knighton and others in the program, I am thinking hard about adding Davis to the list.

I’ll poke around on this a bit more.

***Knighton this week dropped a provocative tidbit in the middle of a conversation about John Butler – a tidbit that got my attention. “We have a mission on defense that we want to be the best defense in the country,” Knighton said.

Well, then.

My first thought is if that is to happen, Nebraska will need a defender or two to rise to the level of no-doubt first-team All-Big Ten status. If a player is a no-doubt All-Big Ten first-teamer, he basically is a serious All-American candidate.

Premier defenses typically have multiple players of that level.

*** John Butler emphasizes the importance of having a lot of assistants for such a large roster. “Obviously, you’ve got to get good at organizing your staff,” he said, noting that in the secondary he’s helped by Adam DiMichele, Rashaan Melvin, and Tariq Thompson. Melvin and Thompson were hired this summer.

“We’re helping those guys develop as coaches,” Butler said. “A lot of them are really focused on the younger players. So, it becomes like your development staff.”

***I get the distinct feeling that James Williams is regarded much more highly within the program than he is outside it. That’s perfectly understandable, if only because Williams played in just four games in 2023 while redshirting in his first season. He was disruptive as a pass rusher, finishing with two sacks among his four tackles, but we saw so little of him.

Media and fans don’t see Williams every day. For his coaches, it’s another story.

“I think the great thing for James is he finally had a whole year of offseason training and being around the guys,” Knighton said this week. “He kind of got thrown into the fire last year, and he had one skill set – that was to rush the passer.

“Now, he’s trying to be an every-down guy. He’s lining up at three-technique and doing different things with different calls that we’ve had. He’s embracing it and understands that with where he wants to go in life, he has to be an every-down guy.”

Prediction: Williams, listed at 6-6 and 250 pounds, will get at least six sacks this year.

He’s a big story waiting to happen.

***I appreciated hearing Bill Busch step up and defend Brian Buschini on the radio this week. A texter to the morning show, Early Break (93.7 FM), characterized Tristan Alvano and Buschini both as being unproven when it comes to being able to handle big moments.

“Hang on, time out,” Busch interjected. “When Buschini came in – and I was lucky enough to be the one who recruited him – Nebraska went up 80 spots in net punting. Went up 80.”

That was the 2022 season, when Buschini averaged 44.0 yards per punt as Busch served as special teams coordinator.

“You can’t say he hasn’t responded,” Busch said. “His first year (in Lincoln), he did a tremendous job. Last year was not as good.”

Buschini dropped to 40.7 yards per punt in 2023.

Which Buschini will we see this year?

***We close with a burst of wisdom from Butler: “Playing football for a living is a hard job. It’s rewarding financially, but it’s hard. It takes a lot of time, a lot of sacrifice, a lot of physical and mental toughness. That’s what I’m trying to interject with these guys (on Nebraska’s roster). That’s the approach.

“You can’t be thinking about the game coming in 25 days. All these guys really need to think about is having a good practice this morning, then getting recovered. Then, we have meetings. It’s not about what happened in the practice. It’s about coaching in the meetings and getting better.”

Interesting. It tells me the emphasis during practice is moving quickly from play to play and not dwelling too much on mistakes.

-Steven Sipple

Munson’s musings

***I just remembered that I had to share this story a couple of weeks ago.

I got a text message from a buddy whose son will be a freshman at NU this fall. Following the elite junior day on July 27, Matt Rhule passed by a fraternity house where many students were hanging outside. He stopped the car after a full day of recruiting leading right up to the start of fall camp and went over to the house to chat with the students. It was after 6:00 on that Saturday evening, heading home, and Rhule had enough in the tank to stop by, hang with the guys, and chat with them.

How frigging cool is this guy? My buddy, his son, and his friends would all say, “Very cool.”

***Great timing from Steve Wiltfong with the story on Christian Jones on Thursday. I did some recon on Jones earlier this week and gathered some intel about his situation. Nebraska has definitely stepped it up with Jones, but it’s not just a Nebraska/Oklahoma batter for the four-star linebacker.

As I mentioned in the Hawthorn sets commitment date thread on Wednesday, Miami has recently re-entered the picture (which is what Steve reported on Thursday). If Nebraska wins the first three games, as some suggest, it will move the needle a lot with Jones. I know there are rumors about his interest in trying to get more NIL as well.

***There were some questions during the chat about recruits committed to other schools that Nebraska could pursue if it got off to a good start. It seems logical that if NU misses on David Sanders Jr. , it would want to find another OT to go along with Shawn Hammerbeck .

Similarly, the Huskers seem interested in taking a couple of additional wide receivers in the class, considering where things sit with Isaiah Mozee and Michael Terry III . They already have commitments from Jackson Carpenter and Bryson Hayes .

First, Nebraska would need to go out and get those wins. We have heard this optimistic strategy before, and the Huskers went to Ireland and lost to Northwestern right out of the gate. Second, a list of committed NU targets might exist if you look at who it brought in for official visits and who committed to other schools.

The issue is that, typically, not only must Nebraska do well, but also the school the recruit is committed to would need to do poorly. That will just have to play out over the first month or so of the season. I can definitely see Nebraska remaining interested in several committed recruits, particularly offensive tackles and wide receivers.

***I heard last week that Nebraska may have something brewing with a wide receiver who officially visited Lincoln in April. It seems that Cortez Mills is interested in returning for a game this fall. The rumor I heard was that the Oklahoma commitment could come to see NU take on Colorado in Week 2.

That game will already have a significant visitor list, but adding Mills – considering his talents and the fact that he’s an OU commit – would be a significant development. I have considered Mills the best 50-50 ball wide receiver in the country this year. He tends to get the better end of all the catchable balls in his radius.

***The news on Will Hawthorne wasn’t surprising but still disappointing. There have been some mixed reviews by folks around here regarding Hawthorne’s abilities. I can tell you that Nebraska was very interested in getting him in the class and turned up the heat going back to April.

***Nebraska seems to be in a terrific position with Mozee . I touched on this in Three & Out on Wednesday, but the Huskers could be ready to flip the Duck commitment. Mozee and his father, NU senior football assistant Jamar Mozze, have a good relationship with Oregon head coach Dan Lanning .

That is one of the biggest reasons a flip could come sooner rather than later. It would trigger a flip so as not to prolong the situation.

Look for this to happen in the next week or so.

***Lastly, being a recruiting guy, I don’t get much team news, but some information has occasionally found its way to me.

Every player does some amount of team video and photography leading up to the season as stock imagery. It’s more for the players who will play more, and the opposite is true for those not anticipated to play much.

This past week, Grant Brix and Gibson Pyle shot more videos and photography associated with the big screen, in-game imagery. I assume this goes hand in hand with the recent o-line injury news.

-Bryan Munson

Washut’s Nebrasketball news & notes

***Nebraska wrapped up its second session of summer workouts on Tuesday. The Huskers will now be off until they report back to campus on Aug. 24 for the start of the fall semester on Aug. 26.

***NU capped off the summer with an intrasquad scrimmage on Monday. I’m not putting that much stock into it since it featured some different lineups and rotations. However, I heard it was an extremely competitive run.

***Good news regarding center Braxton Meah , who sat out of last week’s open media portion of practice. The Washington transfer has been in and out of workouts this summer with what head coach Fred Hoiberg has called “a minor injury.”

Talking with people who have watched him play, all of them rave about how dominant Meah is around the rim on both ends of the floor. One observer told me that the rim shakes after Meah’s dunks in a way he hadn’t seen in a long time.

At 7-foot-1 with a 7-5 wingspan, it’s easy to see why Hoiberg has said he’d never coached a player with Meah’s physical traits and athleticism.

***I’ve heard that guard Connor Essegian has been everything Nebraska had hoped as a knock-down 3-point shooter. He should be critical in filling the void left by Keisei Tominaga .

***Maybe the surprise of the Huskers’ summer has been forward Andrew Morgan . The North Dakota State transfer has thrived since arriving in Lincoln, showcasing skill and athleticism that some might not have expected.

Morgan really impressed Nebraska’s staff during workouts. In particular, it’s been Morgan’s footwork in the paint and playmaking ability out of the pocket.

***I got some clarity on the guard Gavin Griffiths ‘ procedure that forced him to miss the final two weeks of workouts. The Rutgers transfer had a small bone fragment removed from his right (shooting) wrist.

Nebraska still expects Griffiths to fully recover without any restrictions for the start of fall practices in early September.

***The more I hear about Rollie Worster , the more I’m convinced he’ll be the starting point guard to open the season. Hoiberg has praised the Utah transfer’s willingness to “do whatever it takes to win.”

A perfect example is the 6-4 senior ranking third on the team in rebounding during Nebraska’s summer live runs.

***Beyond the usual suspects, I’ve heard really good things about some guys a bit further down the bench. I was told walk-on guard Cale Jacobsen had “an excellent summer.”

Fellow walk-on Justin Bolis took full advantage of his increased practice work with Berke Buyuktuncel overseas and Meah in and out of workouts.

I’ll also add in freshman Braden Frager. He’s still catching up from the time he missed after off-season wrist surgery, but the former Lincoln Southwest standout has already impressed at NU.

Frager has added around 20 pounds of muscle and held his own physically in workouts. That’s especially impressive, considering he reclassified from 2025 to 2024 and should technically be entering his senior year of high school.

***Speaking of Buyuktuncel, he’s still scheduled to arrive in Lincoln in mid-August before Nebraska’s Aug. 24 report date.

-Robin Washut

Abby’s assists

***Nebraska volleyball will have two intense position battles in 2024. NU returns two starting outside hitters ( Harper Murray and Lindsay Krause ) and two starting middle blockers ( Rebekah Allick and Andi Jackson ).

But head coach John Cook added a player to each position group who also started in 2023. Outside hitter Taylor Landfair was a three-year starter at Minnesota. She was the 2022 Big Ten Player of the Year and a first-team All-American. Nebraska is focusing on how to get Landfair back to her peak like she was in 2022.

The battle between Murray, Krause, and Landfair could last all season. They will push each other to be their very best or be on the bench. This group could be insanely good.

Don’t let the outside hitter battle overshadow the competition at middle. Leyla Blackwell joins NU for one season after three years at San Diego. Cook called her an exceptional blocker and said they were finetuning her attack.

Blackwell wouldn’t have transferred to Nebraska if she didn’t feel confident about playing during her last season. This battle will be fascinating and close.

Husker fans will get their first glimpse of the Nebraska volleyball team at their Red-White scrimmage on Aug. 24.

***Defensive specialist Laney Choboy sat out of NU’s first day of practice on Monday. However, she returned on Tuesday.

***USA Volleyball is playing for the Gold on Sunday, Aug. 11, at 6:00 a.m. CT. They will take on Italy in an attempt to defend their 2020 Gold Medal from the Tokyo Olympics. Italy has never won an Olympic medal but secured at least a silver in the 2024 games.

Team USA outlasted Brazil in five riveting sets in Thursday’s semifinals (25-23, 18-25, 25-15, 23-25, 15-11).

Former Husker Justine Wong-Orantes has been undeniable for Team USA. She is a huge reason why the US has secured a medal. Her consistently incredible passing and digging have been an unbelievable factor.

Jordan Larson secured her fourth Olympic medal. Kelsey Robinson Cook has three, and Wong-Orantes has two.

***The PrepVolleyball.com Class of 2027 rankings have arrived. Seven players in the top 25 were at Nebraska’s Dream Team Camp in July. The list includes:

5. Lauren Forelli, OH, Peoria, Arizona – top OH

8. Malorie Boesiger, S, Firth, Nebraska

11. Marissa Jones, S, College Park, Georgia

12. Kate Kalczynski, S, White Lake, Michigan

13. Tessa Larkin, OH, Phoenix, Arizona

21. Mallory Johnson, L, Grand Rapids, Michigan

22. Shaye Witherspoon, OH/MB, Wildwood, Missouri

Five more players from the camp ranked in the top 50 of the 2027 top-150 rankings. Nebraska native and Elkhorn North outside hitter Reagan Wallraff is No. 34.

McKinley Moser , who was not at Nebraska’s camp, ranks No. 96 overall as a setter. She will be a sophomore at Waverly and played club for VCNebraska. Papillion-La Vista South middle blocker Lyric Judson is No. 144, and Marian middle blocker Erin Cramer is No. 146.

Another player to keep an eye on is outside hitter Peyton Kubik . She is the younger sister of former Huskers Madi and Hayden . Peyton is a 6-foot-1 outside hitter from Olathe, Kansas. She ranks No. 15 in the class.

-Abby Barmore

The post Exclusive Tunnel Talk: 8/9/2024 appeared first on On3 .