Steven Sipple: Frank Solich goes deep on fullback position; NU running back recruit fights for yards; and a positive report on Zavier Betts
Things I know, and things I think I know: Nebraska rather quietly added a specialist to its class of 2024 walk-on list over the weekend in Izaac Dickey of Stromsburg, Nebraska. Yes, he’s projected as a fullback — a position that Frank Solich genuinely regards as a specialist, and Solich surely qualifies as an expert on the subject.
“They’re a different breed,” Solich told me recently. “To me, fullbacks are absolutely specialists. They’ve got to be tough-ass guys, but they’ve also got to have acceleration and explosiveness if you’re going to have any kind of running game.”
Solich — a top shelf running backs coach for Nebraska before going 58-19 (.753) as the Huskers’ head coach from 1998 to 2003 — applauds new NU head coach Matt Rhule’s decision to hold a fullback camp this summer. Dickey took part in the June 13 camp and obviously impressed the staff.
Nebraska also attracted a pair of recent transfers who appear bound for the fullback position in the Huskers’ new offense — former Notre Dame tight end Barret Liebentritt and former Wyoming quarterback Caden Becker. Both are Omaha natives.
It appears Rhule isn’t just blowing smoke about using a fullback, even if it’s just a part of the offense.
How much of a part remains to be seen.
Cross County fullback Izaac Dickey follows his dream to walk on at Nebraska
Frank Solich says fullbacks set tone for an offense
Nebraska football fans of a certain vintage perhaps get chills as the subject gets discussed, remembering much brighter days in the program.
After all, a fullback can set an appealing tone.
“We were going to be a tough-ass football team,” Solich recalls of his days in Lincoln. “We were going to come at you. We were going to wear you down, and we were going to be the best team in the fourth quarter.”
Rhule constantly emphasizes the need to be physical and be the strongest team in the fourth quarter. Perhaps you’ve noticed that Nebraska in recent years has lost far too many close games, and Rhule is mindful of it.
He’s asked redshirt freshman Janiran Bonner to switch from receiver to a tight end/fullback role. Solich was on hand for Nebraska’s spring game and liked what he saw from the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Bonner.
“We had good movement (in the running game), so I think they’re headed in the right direction with what they’re doing,” Frank said. “It looks like they’ll have a combination of things. I don’t know for sure, but it looks like there’ll be a significant amount of offense with a fullback, and I think that can fit very well in today’s style of football.”
Bonner, though, still has plenty to learn about lining up as a fullback in the I-formation.
After all, it’s a specialty role, at least in Solich’s way of thinking.
“It’s a position that really demands respect from the rest of your football team because of the nature of what you have to do to be successful with that position, with the isolation blocks, the power blocks, the quick handoffs, the wedge blocking, all that stuff.”
“It’s all built around toughness,” Solich continued. “And I think the rest of the players on the team appreciate it.”
All these years of covering Solich — going back to his days as Nebraska running backs coach (1983 to 1997) — and I had never talked to him extensively about the fullback position.
“A lot of schools will use the tight end in the fullback position,” he noted. “But both of those positions are a little different breed. There are few guys who can do both exceptionally well.”
As an example, Solich mentions Tom Rathman, who rushed for 1,425 yards as a Nebraska fullback during the early 1980s. Perhaps more significant is the fact he lost only four yards in 220 attempts.
A Grand Island native, Rathman finished his distinguished NFL career with 2,020 rushing yards as well as 320 receptions for 2,684 yards with a total of 34 touchdowns.
“He’s an example of having a fullback who not only had all the right fullback attributes, but you could easily ship him out of the backfield, and he’d end up being an excellent receiver — like a tight end only maybe a little bit faster.
“He could’ve been a tight end.”
Solich surely appreciates that Rhule is recruiting fullbacks who are native Nebraskans.
“We had a lot of fullbacks who played for us (as Huskers) who were walk-ons,” Frank said. “Some ended up starting for us. You’re certainly going to get guys from Nebraska who are lining up as fullbacks, or have that kind of ability and toughness, and they’ll maybe show up at your camp.”
That’s exactly what Dickey, the walk-on from Stromsburg, did earlier this month.
“You don’t ever want to forget about what those kinds of guys can mean to your football team, in terms of toughness and work ethic and the rest of it,” Solich said.
“The fullback position is just about having a guy who can endure the game for four quarters and be very strong at the end and do the pounding you have to do, whether you’re running the ball or blocking.”
I could listen to that stuff all day.
Kewan Lacy commitment: What does it mean for Nebraska?
Husker recruit’s toughness duly noted
Kewan Lacy fights for yards. That’s what you notice first as you watch his tape.
The 6-foot, 190-pound Lacy, of Lancaster, Texas, verbally committed to Nebraska on Monday, choosing the Huskers over Ole Miss, Baylor, and Arizona State, among other programs. He’s a slashing, downhill runner with good speed (:10.79 in the 100 meters).
His style sort of reminds me of Correll Buckhalter, the former Husker standout from Mt. Olive, Mississippi.
Or maybe I just long for Lacy to run like Buckhalter did.
It was fun covering Nebraska when it boasted high-grade running backs year after year.
But Nebraska’s had only one 1,000-yard rusher since Ameer Abdullah ran for 1,611 yards (6.1 yards per carry) in 2014. Since then, only Devine Ozigbo has cracked the 1,000-yard barrier, rushing for 1,082 in 2018 (7.0 ypc).
Hopefully, Rhule and company can restore the luster to Nebraska’s running back position.
Wonder how Lacy will look running behind a fullback?
My guess is very well.
Zavier Betts progressing nicely, Huffman says
Bellevue West head coach Michael Huffman is cheering hard for one of his former players, Zavier Betts, who’s trying to make a comeback of sorts for NU.
Huffman has a good feeling about the 6-2, 200-pound wide receiver after interacting with him last week.
“I haven’t seen him smile like that since he was a sophomore in high school,” Huffman said. “He’s running the best times he’s ever ran.
“I think the pressure’s off,” Huffman added. “The pressure of his junior and senior seasons (for Bellevue West) — just because of who he was and his grade issues — I just don’t think he enjoyed it that much. Now, he’s finally enjoying it.
“He’s a rare talent.”
If you’re a Nebraska fan, you want to see Betts realize his full potential.
It’s that simple.
It’s that simple with anyone in this world.
The post Steven Sipple: Frank Solich goes deep on fullback position; NU running back recruit fights for yards; and a positive report on Zavier Betts appeared first on On3.
