The spring portal will wrap up shortly. Nebraska football and Matt Rhule have fiercely tried to protect their roster from the ongoing portal outflows. Due to the influence of NIL money and increased competition, players struggle to settle into a program. You blink, and one player from your card slips off to a new home. That’s the brutal reality Rhule doesn’t want to address. He, in fact, held off the traditional spring game so that the outsider coaches didn’t get easy access to their quality playmakers and poach a few of them. That’s a one-way job, though. What’s the other? Of course, to ensure you have adequate players in each position, and if not, consider taking a few from the last portal before the season. Where should Rhule focus his efforts?
At this point, for Huskers fans, it’s not important what the ingredients are. All they need is the recipe and the wins, unapologetically, relentlessly. But the coach needs to ensure he has all the right ingredients within his reach, right? Well, as far as the QB room is concerned, Rhule seems to be at ease. Heading into the spring scrimmage, the offense is shaping up with the contending QBs setting the field on fire. Rhule said that Dylan Raiola was ‘surgical.’ The Nebraska football team didn’t let the highlights roam over social media walls, but Raiola lived up to the hype. He’s a marksman. Daniel Kaelin and Haarberg turned heads as well. But to further enhance Raiola’s effect on the Huskers, Rhule needs to invest in the offense.
Willson Dittman pinpointed three target spots to go for this off-season. ‘Running back again, they’re going to go after running back,” Dittman spilled. Emmett Johnson is great, but somehow, he lacks that insane speed, leading to some less explosive attacks. Kwinten Ives, on the other hand, is gradually gaining prominence. His development is striking but not something rare. Adding another wheel to the position will give flair to the RB room. The next position in question is wide receiver, which is the second most game-changing spot after the quarterback.
“I expect them to land one wide receiver. They are targeting a D2 wide receiver. We’ll see where that goes. I’ll give you guys a name in a later video. But Nebraska’s being aggressive at that wide receiver spot. We know that again, Daikiel Shorts, he’s all about competition. Dittman said, “He already lost one of his transfers to Hardley Gilmore. He’s trying to add one back to Nebraska. It’s not guaranteed. They’re going to land a wide receiver transfer, but they’re trying to add another one to this room.”
Dane Key, Jacory Barney, Quinn Clark, and Junior Bonner are the guys gracing the receiver room, edging forward. Cortez Mills, as a true freshman, has the highest ceiling. Expect him to make a bigger push in the offseason. We’ve got Carter Nelson still out there, but he’s healing from his hip surgery. There is talent, there is size, and there is speed. Adding another standout prospect might double the momentum. “They’re going to add a defensive lineman; we’ll see about those other units, linebacker and DB,” Dittman said, highlighting another focused area of Rhule’s concern in the dwindling portal.
While keeping his eyes on the lucrative portal wins, Rhule has a strategy of his own when it comes to bolstering the roster.
Matt Rhule issued a creepy warning to the 16 Big 12 teams
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