Five takes on Nebraska’s defensive depth chart
Nebraska released its first depth chart of 2023 on Friday as the team gets ready to play at Minnesota.
Here are five takes on the defensive depth chart.
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Lenhardt and Gunnerson will split the load
Head coach Matt Rhule has been setting us up for this already, but freshman Cameron Lenhardt and sophomore Blaise Gunnerson are officially co-starters at defensive end.
Lenhardt has opened eyes since arriving in the spring, while Gunnerson has patiently waited in the wings for this opportunity. I expect both players to get a Blackshirt since they have an “or” next to their names.
Two former safeties are two-deep linebackers on the depth chart
We saw Rhule make several notable position moves when he got to NU. He took two former safeties John Bullock and Javin Wright, and moved them to linebacker.
Bullock and Wright are now listed as two-depth linebackers behind starters Nick Henrich and Luke Reimer. It appears both Bullock and Wright have transitioned nicely to their new homes.
Six 2023 roster additions show up on the two-deep
A total of six 2023 newcomers showed up on the defensive two-deep for Nebraska: Defensive end Kai Wallin, Lenhardt, linebackers Chief Borders and MJ Sherman and Dwight Bootle and Corey Collier.
Lenhardt is a co-starter at defensive end, while Sherman and Borders are co-starters at the Jack position. We should also see Wallin play solid reps at defensive end, while Bootle and Collier are listed as No. 2 in their secondary roles.
DeShon Singleton’s rise is real
No player made a bigger jump on the defense from 2022 than safety DeShon Singleton. As a sophomore, Singleton played 67 defensive snaps, according to PFF.
Now Singleton has a lock on the starting job and has been one of the better stories that has emerged out of fall camp.
Other notable two-deep appearances
There were a few other two-deep appearances of note. Defensive lineman Ru’Quan Buckley, Bullock, Omar Brown, Koby Bretz and Phalen Sanford are all two-deep names on the depth chart that have emerged over August.
Buckley and Bretz are two Huskers we have never seen in the discussion at NU until this year. Brown has battled injuries, while Sanford has been more of a special teams contributor over his time at Nebraska.
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