The first week of fall camp has concluded for Nebraska as the team gets ready for an important 2022 season. There’s been a lot said in post-practice interviews about the state of the team but how about some insider notes?
Here’s what I’ve heard from people in and around the program about the first week and from Saturday’s scrimmage.
First week notes
>> The offensive line looks to be in better sync this camp. Offensive line coach Donovan Raiola has the group playing together but this isn’t going to be the program’s most athletic OL. This is a bigger, slower run block first group.
>> After Travis Vokolek, Chancellor Brewington and Nate Boerkircher are the other two main tight ends working with the first-team offense. As we wrote about earlier this week, Brewington is working hard to be a more complete tight end. Boerkircher has been a favorite of Beckton’s for a while.
>> Javin Wright has consistently practiced and looks good out there. He just needs reps and to stay healthy. He’s the best mix of skill sets at that nickel spot but might be a year away from making a big impact.
>> Casey Thompson has really stepped up his play this camp. Some of that is being healthy after surgery but he’s just better than the other QBs according to sources.
>> Stephon Wynn Jr. and Colton Feist are battling for the other iDL spot alongside Ty Robinson. They’ll need both to play a lot since no one really knows what type of shape Devin Drew will arrive in. That’s not a knock on him but training with a team is different than on your own.
Scrimmage notes
>> Turner Corcoran sat out of the scrimmage today but I’m told the issue isn’t a long-term problem. Given how critical he and Teddy Prochazka are the team will be cautious with them if needed.
The first-team OL today was Prochazka-Banks-Hixson-Bando-Benhart. The rumors are true they had issues with the Blackshirts pass rush.
>> On the other hand, the o-line helped the offense run the ball well during the scrimmage. Anthony Grant and Gabe Ervin Jr. looked good during practice. The extra muscle that Ervin has added is serving him well and he hasn’t lost a step.
>> Omar Manning also didn’t suit up today. We’ll see on his long-term status but it’s a lower body issue (not knee) that he’s dealing with.
If I get anything else, I'll pass it along.
Here’s what I’ve heard from people in and around the program about the first week and from Saturday’s scrimmage.
First week notes
>> The offensive line looks to be in better sync this camp. Offensive line coach Donovan Raiola has the group playing together but this isn’t going to be the program’s most athletic OL. This is a bigger, slower run block first group.
>> After Travis Vokolek, Chancellor Brewington and Nate Boerkircher are the other two main tight ends working with the first-team offense. As we wrote about earlier this week, Brewington is working hard to be a more complete tight end. Boerkircher has been a favorite of Beckton’s for a while.
>> Javin Wright has consistently practiced and looks good out there. He just needs reps and to stay healthy. He’s the best mix of skill sets at that nickel spot but might be a year away from making a big impact.
>> Casey Thompson has really stepped up his play this camp. Some of that is being healthy after surgery but he’s just better than the other QBs according to sources.
>> Stephon Wynn Jr. and Colton Feist are battling for the other iDL spot alongside Ty Robinson. They’ll need both to play a lot since no one really knows what type of shape Devin Drew will arrive in. That’s not a knock on him but training with a team is different than on your own.
Scrimmage notes
>> Turner Corcoran sat out of the scrimmage today but I’m told the issue isn’t a long-term problem. Given how critical he and Teddy Prochazka are the team will be cautious with them if needed.
The first-team OL today was Prochazka-Banks-Hixson-Bando-Benhart. The rumors are true they had issues with the Blackshirts pass rush.
>> On the other hand, the o-line helped the offense run the ball well during the scrimmage. Anthony Grant and Gabe Ervin Jr. looked good during practice. The extra muscle that Ervin has added is serving him well and he hasn’t lost a step.
>> Omar Manning also didn’t suit up today. We’ll see on his long-term status but it’s a lower body issue (not knee) that he’s dealing with.
If I get anything else, I'll pass it along.
