The Weekly Rundown: Nebraska putting a close on camp to begin preparations for Minnesota
Nebraska put a close on Fall Camp Saturday, as classes begin at UNL Monday and preparations for Minnesota start on Tuesday.
We hit on that and more as we start your Monday with The Weekly Rundown Column.
Sure bets
You have to feel good about these things right now:
Depth chart release: I think head coach Matt Rhule has figured out pretty quickly how seriously people take their football around Nebraska. He joked on Saturday he’s never been asked so much in his coaching career about the release of a depth.
Welcome to Nebraska. People care about every detail of this football program. That’s why there are over 12 hours a day of local sports talk radio in both Omaha and Lincoln each day. That’s why there are over 50 media members at practice. The fan base and the overall interest in the program drive this all. Former head coach Bill Callahan once called it an “unhealthy obsession” with this football team. It’s clear people care here and are interested in what Rhule’s first team will look like on Aug. 31.
The good news is Rhule plans to release a public depth chart, possibly as early as Friday when he holds his press conference previewing the Minnesota game.
RB Gabe Ervin Jr.: Rhule named Gabe Ervin Jr. his starter at running back on Saturday. He’s had a heck of a camp and has appeared to shake off the rust from a year ago after his 2021 season-ending knee injury at Oklahoma.
Ervin Jr. has also developed his body to fit the Big Ten. As a true freshman, it is very tough to be ready for that, and in 2022, he was still trying to come back from his knee injury.
DL Cameron Lenhardt: Of all the recruits in the class of 2023, none have risen faster on this football team than defensive lineman Cameron Lenhardt. Former assistant coach Mike Dawson recruited Lenhardt for the better part of three years, then Rhule and his staff were able to lock him down in December when taking over.
Rhule referred to Lenhardt as an “old soul” and mature beyond his years. It will be interesting to see if he’s in the initial group of Blackshirts handed out this week.
Staring the game week approach: Nebraska will begin its in-season approach today. Monday will be the team’s off day, even next week before they travel to Minnesota. The team will also mix practices between the mornings and afternoons to get used to playing at all times of the day. Rhule will have his team under the lights on Saturday to get used to playing at night. No stone goes unturned with Rhule.
Surprises
These were my surprises of the week:
Phalen Sanford being put on scholarship: With Myles Farmer and Zavier Betts leaving the program in August, that opened up two more scholarships. Seeing Rhule reward junior safety Phalen Sanford with one of the two scholarship openings was nice.
Sanford saw 201 snaps on special teams and 89 on defense a year ago. Only Isaac Gifford (79.9) and Javin Wright (76.1) graded higher on PFF in special teams play than Sanford (75.5). He played the third-most special teams snaps in 2022 behind linebackers Chris Kolarevic (225 snaps) and Eteva Mauga-Clements (203 snaps).
Rhule’s level of honesty: I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a Nebraska coach be more honest with his comments than Rhule.
One example was on Saturday when he explained why running back Anthony Grant was not with the top offense. He said Grant put the ball on the ground too much this August, and he did it again in the scrimmage on Saturday. That might be the difference in a game like Minnesota when the Gophers limit your overall possessions. Rhule’s honesty also eliminates any gray area of why Grant is not the starter.
The fast rise of LB John Bullock: Speaking of Grant, I’m told one of his fumbles in Saturday’s scrimmage was forced by a hit from linebacker John Bullock. The play got everyone’s attention.
He’s having an outstanding camp. He appears to be in a position where he will rotate in with Luke Reimer and Nick Henrich at the two inside linebacker spots. Bullock earned a single-digit jersey number this past week. Will he earn a Blackshirt as well? If a fourth linebacker and a fourth defensive lineman get one, it could easily be Bullock and Lenhardt.
The jury is still out
Questions still surround these things:
Who are the captains of this team: Rhule already said on Saturday he does not plan to name permanent camps before the Minnesota game.
Instead, he’ll do rotating captains throughout the year, and then the team will vote on it at the end of the regular season. I think this approach makes a lot of sense. Let this football team develop under live bullets. My question is, who will those captains be? You have to start with any player in a single-digit jersey. You’d also like to see an offensive lineman on this team grow into that role.
How many players will earn Blackshirts: We will probably see Blackshirts handed out as early as this week. This is my best guess of the top 11 and a handful of others in contention.
Position GroupProjected BlackshirtsOn the bubbleDefensive line Ty Robinson
Nash Hutmacher
Blaise Gunnerson Cameron Lenhardt (Splitting time with Gunnerson)Linebacker MJ Sherman (Jack)
Luke Reimer
Nick HenrichJohn BullockSecondary Quinton Newsome
Malcolm Hartzog
Omar Brown
DeShon Singleton
Isaac Gifford Tommi Hill (Has been injured)
Who would be the first backup QB inserted in a game?: Rhule has said he would be confident in his backup quarterbacks if they had to play in a game.
That said, in my opinion, Chubba Purdy leaves camp as the No. 2 guy heading to Minnesota. However, Heinrich Haarberg is an intriguing athlete who can help this football team in some way in 2023.
This has my attention
Moving forward, this has my attention:
Bellevue West’s win over Creighton Prep: Creighton Prep gave Bellevue West all they wanted in Week Zero. Junior Jay defensive coordinator Brian Mohnson had been a defensive coordinator at the Division I level for several years before joining Tim Johnk’s staff.
He came out with a solid game plan to slow down Daniel Kaelin and the Thunderbirds’ pass-heavy offense. Prep tackled in space and made West win by running the football.
2026 prospect Kaprice Keith: The biggest storyline to emerge from the Week Zero season opener was 2026 Bellevue West defensive back, Kaprice Keith. He had an interception and received his first scholarship offer from Iowa State on Saturday.
Keith is the son of former NFL running back Kenton Keith. He’s also related to NFL backs Roger Craig and Breece Hall. I would expect a Nebraska offer to come his way sooner rather than later.
Kicker battle: Nebraska’s battle at kicker continues. I still expect freshman Tristan Alvano to get the nod over Timmy Bleekrode, but I’m told neither kicker again stood out on Saturday.
DB DeShon Singleton: I will call my shot on this right now. Safety DeShon Singleton will be one of the most improved players on this team year-over-year. He’s had a great camp and is projected to be a starting safety.
WR Alex Bullock: Will wide receiver Alex Bullock join his brother John on scholarship? There remains one open spot on the 85. With Marcus Washington out, Alex Bullock has been working with the first-team offense and has had an excellent camp. He makes the most sense right now.
The start of classes: School is back in session. Nebraska’s players will start the fall semester on Monday after three weeks of being in camp. That means the team is back on the 20-hour rule.
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.
The post The Weekly Rundown: Nebraska putting a close on camp to begin preparations for Minnesota appeared first on On3.
