Exclusive Tunnel Talk: 8/25/2023
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…
Callahan’s weekly nuggets
***I think the hardest pill to swallow for Nebraska’s leadership on Ted Carter’s decision to leave for Ohio State was how it all played out. I’m told they had an idea Carter was looking at other jobs and had his name in the running for a few.
They did what they could to keep him happy: having him oversee athletics and being a part of the Big Ten Council of Chancellors and Presidents. Those are two things that had never been done at Nebraska before. He also got a bonus/raise from the Board of Regents.
All of this was in an attempt to let him know his value, and it took a lot of work at the regents’ level to get it done. That’s why people like Governor Jim Pillen and others were surprised. I think they were led to believe the recent moves would keep him here and that he was taking his name out of the running for some of these other jobs.
***Former assistant coach Mike Dawson probably doesn’t get enough credit for recruiting Cameron Lenhardt. He recruited him to NU for three full years. He also fought hard to secure Lenhardt’s spot in the class of 2023 when Mickey Joseph was trying to take Ashley Williams instead.
If you remember, Williams committed in the summer of 2022, but NU backed off him as the spot was being held for Lenhardt. That looks like it will be pretty big in the end. Williams is now at Arizona State.
***The Huskers moved out of the dorm for training camp last week. However, head coach Matt Rhule still had a curfew for his team. How did they check it?
Rhule divided his support staff into groups, and they did house checks of the 120-man roster each night to ensure guys were at home. It usually consisted of a text message as the staff member was getting close, and the player then waved from their front porch that they were at home.
***Running back Anthony Grant had two big fumbles during the scrimmage on Saturday. One was from a hit by linebacker John Bullock. It will be interesting to see if all of this is a motivational tactic by Rhule or if we truly won’t see much of him in the Minnesota game. There are some other minor detail things with Grant that have also put him back a notch.
***Two guys I heard that might land a single digit are running back Rahmir Johnson and safety DeShon Singleton.
***Also, this is not a big surprise, as we’ve projected it for the last week or two, but expect wide receiver Alex Bullock to go on scholarship officially. He worked with the No. 1 offense on Saturday, along with Billy Kemp IV and Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda.
***Even if Arik Gilbert gets his eligibility waiver, I still think he would be the third tight end. I know he had a few drops in Saturday’s scrimmage.
***I was told Tristan Alvano had three misses last week in the scrimmage. The kicker battle is a concern for me heading out to Minnesota. It feels like neither guy has stepped up to win the job. I still believe Alvano gets the nod.
***Ethan Nation, Corey Collier, and Dwight Bootle all appear to be guys working with the second unit on defense.
***I’ve had many say that defensive lineman Nash Hutmacher looks quicker than we’ve seen before. He’s had a very good August.
***The defense has had the upper hand this August, but the offensive line looks better. Bryce Benhart looks much more agile than a year ago at right tackle. They are also firing off the ball much better.
Also, keep your eyes on Sam Sledge. He’s had an excellent camp and is working as the No. 2 left guard.
-Sean Callahan
As Sipple sees (and hears) it
***Talked to a former Husker who watches practice. He thinks running back Anthony Grant is (still) Nebraska’s best pure runner, but there’s the fumble issue. According to the former Husker, Grant might just run for a touchdown on one play, then jump offsides the next.
Grant wasn’t necessarily that way last season.
At any rate, Matt Rhule, as is the case with most coaches (and bosses of all types), looks for reliability.
Hence, Gabe Ervin’s spot atop the running back depth chart.
What’s more, Ervin (6-foot and 225 pounds) obviously is the most impressive physically of the bunch.
Coaches can become overly enamored with that aspect. I’m not saying that’s the case here – Rhule and his staff watch all the practice film – but it’ll be intriguing to watch Ervin in Minneapolis to gauge how much improvement he’s made.
***The former Husker says he feels the offensive line has improved over last season or at least looked better in the practices that he witnessed. Another former Husker says the O-line has improved markedly. Keep in mind, that’s with Teddy Prochazka, the projected starting left tackle, sidelined by injury. Rhule says Prochazka practiced this week and is trending in the right direction in terms of recovery as the opener nears.
The offensive tackles, Turner Corcoran (left) and Bryce Benhart (right), still have work to do in terms of improvement, I’m told.
***An ex-Husker player says he wants to seek more “spunk” out of Jeff Sims as a leader. Maybe that’ll come as the real stuff begins.
*** I’m told Elijah Jeudy, the transfer D-lineman from Texas A&M, needs to turn up the intensity. We have heard little to nothing about him from coaches this month.
It’s a bit of a head-scratcher. A former standout for Northeast High in Philadelphia, Jeudy was regarded as one of the top 10 prep players in talent-rich Pennsylvania.
He was a consensus four-star prospect.
He’s only a third-year collegian. Far too early to give up on him.
***I was thoroughly enjoying a half rack of ribs at home Wednesday night when some Travis Fisher quotes from back in the day came to mind. Back in the day, as in the spring of 2022.
Back when Nebraska corner Tommi Hill was first becoming a big deal on the scene.
He obviously faded out early last season.
Well, Hill is back in play following a strong offseason.
“Tommi Hill is a dog,” said Fisher, the former Nebraska secondary coach who’s now the cornerbacks coach for Syracuse.
“A long-armed dog,” a reporter interjected.
“He’s a dog to the fullest,” said Fisher, adding, “Some of the dogs, I have to tame. Cam Taylor-Britt, I had to ‘whoah’ him. But sometimes you have to pinch a player and say ‘go.’
“Tommi is a ‘whoah.’ But I need to love him up. Because I know when you get on his bad side, he’ll snap at you.”
Hill has snapped back, in a good way.
He’ll be part of the secondary rotation if he’s full-go.
***Speaking of Fisher, DeShon Singleton gives Fisher a lot of credit for his decision to play for Nebraska after spending the 2021 season at Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College.
A native of Amite, Louisiana, Singleton came to Nebraska for “more opportunity.”
“It’s really a business to me,” he said of his playing career. “I have a business mindset.”
Business is good. If you heard Rhule on statewide radio Tuesday night, you understand. The Nebraska coach said Singleton “is going to be one of our best players.”
The 6-3, 210-pounder had only three tackles last season as a reserve. But last summer, he was rotating with the first string at safety. It’s just that Nebraska ultimately went with Marques Buford and Myles Farmer.
***Fun fact about Singleton: He owns two Standardbred horses.
“One’s for my brother, one’s for me,” Singleton told me. “My Standardbred’s name is Baby.”
He planned to sell the horse for a faster one.
Rhule is also always on the lookout for fast horses.
-Steven Sipple
Munson’s Musings
***I can’t tell you enough how much fun it’s been to get out to a couple of scrimmages this fall, and I am looking forward to seeing Mario Buford again tonight under the lights against Allen. As some pointed out on the board, it’s not a team like Allen has had in recent years under Kyler Murray, Theo Wease, Dan Buckner, and others. But they will be talented and well-coached, I am sure.
DeSoto, on the other hand, is undeniably talented. I was so impressed with DeSoto’s talent at every level on each side of the football. They have one of the largest offensive lines I have ever seen. Byron Washington reminds me of playing at UNK and being a teammate with George Murdoch (aka Tyrus). Washington is taller than Murdoch, and he’s massive. On top of it all, he can move.
***There are three offers on the DeSoto squad to players not named Buford that I want to zero in on. They are all skill position players: Daylon Singleton, Ethan Feaster, and Deondrae Riden.
I mentioned last week that Singleton scored a touchdown in the scrimmage against Lancaster. Feaster is widely considered the top wide receiver in the 2027 class. But it’s Riden that everyone should get to know. I had some intel make its way to me last week about him that indicates how talented he is.
***Riden didn’t play on Thursday night against Lancaster. The DeSoto coaching staff held him out to avoid any risk of injury, like what happened to Kewan Lacy last year in the same game. I was told Riden didn’t come out for spring practices unless Georgia, Alabama, or a similar school were there to see him, and that was based on the coaching staff’s guidance.
I am sure there is some overstating, but DeSoto’s coaches and players see Riden as the real deal. And that’s on a team that is full of talent.
***Lots of questions about Grant Brix on the board, social media, and my messages. Brix told me two weeks ago that he planned to commit before his first game this season. I am unsure if that will happen, but even if it doesn’t, I don’t think people will have to wait long following that game before he announces his decision.
Now the question has been for me: how will Brix announce his decision? He’s a very private person. He doesn’t embrace the popularity that the process has given to him. He shied away from it and chose to take a break at the end of June.
Still, he’s not felt pressured to decide the toll this process has taken on him between the calls, visits, time away from doing things he wants to do and spending time with family and friends. He wants to make the right decision.
*** I still feel good about my prediction of Nebraska. I know there is a lot of talk around Oklahoma right now, and it’s not surprising. The media that cover Oklahoma are very active, and they are very optimistic about OU’s chances with every recruit. Brix may end up at Oklahoma, and this will not look good for me. Just be patient, like Brix has done, because I still think things look good for the Huskers.
***A couple of offers to 2025 recruits to note this week. The first of the two offers went to David Kuku. Kuku is rated as a wide receiver, but it makes more sense for Nebraska as a cornerback offer. The board is thin at cornerback, as demonstrated in Three & Out this past week. There weren’t many names to share, so offers out to cornerback is something that I expect more of.
***The second offer went out on Friday to a player from Hawaii. Five weeks ago, Nebraska landed Preston Taumua from Waipahu (Hawaii). The Huskers offered Aiden Manutai, who is also from Waipahu but goes to Kahuku HS. Manutai is rated as a safety by On3, and like Kuku, it’s pretty easy to see Manutai playing cornerback at the next level.
***I keep hearing that Nebraska is ready to start the 2025 class. They will be able to in the coming weeks as they are only waiting on a few open spots in the class and about as many possible names for those spots. These offers to 2025 players are two of many to come over the coming weeks/months.
-Bryan Munson
Washut’s Nebrasketball news & notes
***Nebraska’s two latest additions – Ball State transfer point guard Jarron “Boogie” Coleman and freshman forward Matar Diop – are both on campus.
Keisei Tominaga is the only Husker not in Lincoln now, who is still competing with the Japanese national team at the 2023 FIBA World Championships. He likely won’t be back until early September.
***Tominaga’s opening game is this morning vs. Germany. Tip-off is at 7 a.m. CT and will be streamed on ESPN+.
***Nebraska fans aren’t the only ones disappointed about the recently reported 11 a.m. CT kickoff for the Huskers’ home game vs. Michigan on Sept. 30.
The Husker basketball team will have to change up some plans for one of its biggest recruiting weekends of the fall.
It hasn’t been made official yet, but NU is currently set to hold its annual “Opening Night” preseason event on Friday, Sept. 29. As usual, the staff was eying that weekend to bring in some of its top targets for official visits.
One includes 2024 Texas 7-footer Trent Burns, the No. 120 player in the On3 Industry rankings.
Given that Opening Night is the day before, the early football kickoff won’t keep basketball recruits from making it to Lincoln in time. However, it does disrupt the staff’s ideal schedule of capping Saturday with an electric night-game showcase of Husker fans.
I know for a fact that Nebraska’s coaches were not pleased when they heard the news of an 11 a.m. start.
***The Netherlands national team was eliminated last week from the 2023 FIBA World Cup. As a result, Rienk Mast returned to Lincoln this week and is now back to work with the Huskers.
Mast played all three games during the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey. He averaged 6.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.
***Nebraska is doing something somewhat unique and, in my opinion, pretty cool on Saturday.
For the first time under head coach Fred Hoiberg, the Huskers are hosting a pair of regional elite camps. The invite-only events will feature some of the top prospects from around the state and the 500-mile radius.
I don’t have a complete list of the confirmed participants, but I know that two of NU’s top 2025 targets – Omaha Bryan four-star center A’mare Bynum and Lincoln Southwest wing Braden Frager – will be there.
2025 West Des Moines (Iowa) Valley point Curtis Stinson Jr. (offered in June) will be there, as will several recruits from Iowa and Minnesota.
Other in-state players on Nebraska’s radar expected to attend include 2024 Millard North guard Neal Mosser and 2024 Bellevue West guard Jaden Jackson.
Saturday will be broken up into two elite camps. The first will feature 2024 and ’25 prospects, followed by a second camp with 2026 and ’27 players.
***After a two-week break following the trip to Spain, Nebraska got back to individual player and small-group workouts this week.
Those will continue for about a month until official preseason practices begin on Monday, Sept. 25. The Huskers will then have 42 days to prepare for the opener vs. Lindenwood on Nov. 6.
***The Big Ten officially announced that its annual men’s basketball Media Day will be on Tuesday, Oct. 10, at the Target Center in Minneapolis. I’ll be there for full coverage of the event.
It’s still way too early, but my guesses for Nebraska’s player representatives right now are Mast and Brice Williams. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Juwan Gary or Josiah Allick got the nod.
The women’s basketball Media Day will be the day before on Monday, Oct. 9.
-Robin Washut
Abby’s assists
***Nebraska volleyball’s first official matches of the 2023 season are this weekend. They play one match on Friday (Utah State at 6), Saturday (Lipscomb at 5), and Sunday (SMU at 2). All three matches will be at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Utah State game will be televised on Nebraska Public Media, and all three matches will be on B1G+.
Husker Head Coach John Cook and his staff will mix up the lineups as they still haven’t settled on the starters.
Lauren Cook West, Husker Radio Networks volleyball expert and daughter of John Cook, has already said who she thinks will be Nebraska’s starting lineup. On KLIN, West gave her starting lineup projections:
Bergen Reilly, setterBekka Allick, middle blockerAndi Jackson, middle blockerHarper Murray, outside hitterLindsay Krause, outside hitterMerritt Beason, opposite hitterLexi Rodriguez, libero
She also expects Laney Choboy to sub for Krause as the defensive specialist. Maisie Boesiger was projected to be the serving sub for the middle blocker.
Cook said he wants Choboy on the court as much as possible. She is a great player and teammate who is a game-changer.
West is a very reliable source and has heard things from her father about practices but has also watched practice and the scrimmages.
I completely agree with West’s projections after Saturday’s scrimmage and what we’ve been hearing in press conferences. Cook wants the six best passers and servers on the court. These six look to be that way.
Most are very consistent. Jackson is a very talented athlete but is still learning a lot about her position at the next level. She is too explosive to keep off of the court.
***Assistant Coach Kelly Hunter was on the Husker Radio Network’s first episode of “The Dig.” This weekly show will rotate between Nebraska’s three assistant coaches.
Hunter dove into the setters, their off-season training, and concerns for Volleyball Day in Nebraska.
She said during the spring, she and the setters did a deep dive running great offenses. Hunter said they video-chatted with three of the best setters in the world. They discussed offenses with USA men’s volleyball setter Micah Christenson, USA women’s volleyball setter Jordyn Poulter, and Micah Ma’a, who plays at a very high level overseas. They discussed techniques, how to make choices, and confidence.
Hunter said they made a big push to redefine Nebraska’s offense and find their identity in their two current setters.
***Hunter said she hopes Aug. 30, the day of Volleyball Day in Nebraska, isn’t very humid. If so, the setter’s hands will get sticky and damp, and it’s difficult to set that way. She remembers having to do so is very nerve-racking for a setter.
Nebraska will practice in Memorial Stadium on the court on Tuesday, Aug. 29, in the evening. This way, they will practice around the time they play on Wednesday. Hunter said the depth perception of being outside would also be a big adjustment.
As of Thursday afternoon, Wednesday’s forecast is a high of 87 degrees with about 50 percent humidity.
***Three Husker volleyball commits were named Preseason All-Americans by MaxPrep this week. Outside hitter Skyler Pierce is a first-team hitter. Papillion-LaVista South hitter Lauren Medeck was also a first-team selection.
2025 setter commit Campbell Flynn is an all-around first-team selection. 2024 middle blocker commit Ayden Ames was picked as a second-team All-American.
***The USA U21 girls team will compete in the 5th through 8th-place semifinals on Friday at the World Championship. After falling to Turkey in four sets on Aug. 18, the US avenged their loss to beat Turkey 3-1 on Wednesday.
Pierce, a 2024 Nebraska outside hitter commit, had 19 points with 18 kills. She hit .325 with eight digs. As the starting setter, Flynn has two kills, two aces, and eight digs. Flynn was also on the U19 team that won gold earlier this month.
Ames was selected for the U21 team but withdrew to focus on her school work. She will enroll at Nebraska in January and wants to ensure she will graduate high school on time.
-Abby Barmore
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