Our “young” defense

[HominidHusker]

I’m sick of hearing about our “young” defenders being an excuse:

Caleb Tannor: 5th year
Braxton Clark: 5th year
Nick Henrich: 4th year
Garrett Nelson: 4th year
Luke Reimer: 4th year (former walk-on)
Ty Robinson: 4th year
Mosai Newsom: 4th year
Quinton Newsome: 4th year
Myles Farmer: 4th year
Noa Pola Gates: 4th year
Javin Wright: 4th year (injuries)
Garret Snodgrass: 4th year (injured)
Isaac Gifford: 3rd year
Eteva Mauga-Clements: 3rd year plus 2 JUCO
Nash Hutmacher: 3rd year
Marquis Black: 3rd year
Blaise Gunnerson: 3rd year
Jimari Butler: 3rd year
Tamon Lynum: 3rd year

Marques Buford: 2nd year+prep school
Colton Feist: 5th year walk-on
Stephon Wynn: 5th year transfer
Devin Drew: 5th year transfer
Ochaun Mathis: 5th year transfer
Chris Kolarevic: 6th year transfer

+Tommie Hill, Omar Brown, Kaine Williams, Deshon Singleton, Jalil Martin with college or juco level experience and others in their second year.

There’s been a vast amount of players leaving (which is a small part of coaching failure) but almost all of our starters or major contributors have a minimum of 3 years at college level, majority with more.
Others with years in the program being beat out by younger guys.

Others have said it, but every college team deals with the ebb and flow of youth and experience. If guys aren’t ready after 3-4 years at college level to avoid being 124th? in team defense, then it’s not likely to click after 5-6 years.
There’s roughly 10-11 four star caliber players in the names above, but we can’t stop anyone, even FCS teams.

Getting players ready in a couple of years is a requirement in college. I’ll give the DL guys an extra year.
The point is we’re simply not that young. We just lost some veterans. That alone is normal, not a crisis.

 

[Hford]

Definitely not an excuse. Frost firmly believed that the defense was what NU could count on coming into the season.

 

[konaki]

Whoever the next coach is next year I expect a lot of transfers in for the defense and a lot of current players moved out. This is what the portal has created, you may as well just call it free agency and NIL money will buy you the players you want. Pandora's box has been opened and you now find it extremely hard to close it.

 

[redwine65]

 

[drubendall]

I’m sick of hearing about our “young” defenders being an excuse:

Caleb Tannor: 5th year
Braxton Clark: 5th year
Nick Henrich: 4th year
Garrett Nelson: 4th year
Luke Reimer: 4th year (former walk-on)
Ty Robinson: 4th year
Mosai Newsom: 4th year
Quinton Newsome: 4th year
Myles Farmer: 4th year
Noa Pola Gates: 4th year
Javin Wright: 4th year (injuries)
Garret Snodgrass: 4th year (injured)
Isaac Gifford: 3rd year
Eteva Mauga-Clements: 3rd year plus 2 JUCO
Nash Hutmacher: 3rd year
Marquis Black: 3rd year
Blaise Gunnerson: 3rd year
Jimari Butler: 3rd year
Tamon Lynum: 3rd year

Marques Buford: 2nd year+prep school
Colton Feist: 5th year walk-on
Stephon Wynn: 5th year transfer
Devin Drew: 5th year transfer
Ochaun Mathis: 5th year transfer
Chris Kolarevic: 6th year transfer

+Tommie Hill, Omar Brown, Kaine Williams, Deshon Singleton, Jalil Martin with college or juco level experience and others in their second year.

There’s been a vast amount of players leaving (which is a small part of coaching failure) but almost all of our starters or major contributors have a minimum of 3 years at college level, majority with more.
Others with years in the program being beat out by younger guys.

Others have said it, but every college team deals with the ebb and flow of youth and experience. If guys aren’t ready after 3-4 years at college level to avoid being 124th? in team defense, then it’s not likely to click after 5-6 years.
There’s roughly 10-11 four star caliber players in the names above, but we can’t stop anyone, even FCS teams.

Getting players ready in a couple of years is a requirement in college. I’ll give the DL guys an extra year.
The point is we’re simply not that young. We just lost some veterans. That alone is normal, not a crisis.

Too many guys on your list that should be suiting up for South Dakota State, not Nebraska.

 

[1Ramsker3]

I’m sick of hearing about our “young” defenders being an excuse:

Caleb Tannor: 5th year
Braxton Clark: 5th year
Nick Henrich: 4th year
Garrett Nelson: 4th year
Luke Reimer: 4th year (former walk-on)
Ty Robinson: 4th year
Mosai Newsom: 4th year
Quinton Newsome: 4th year
Myles Farmer: 4th year
Noa Pola Gates: 4th year
Javin Wright: 4th year (injuries)
Garret Snodgrass: 4th year (injured)
Isaac Gifford: 3rd year
Eteva Mauga-Clements: 3rd year plus 2 JUCO
Nash Hutmacher: 3rd year
Marquis Black: 3rd year
Blaise Gunnerson: 3rd year
Jimari Butler: 3rd year
Tamon Lynum: 3rd year

Marques Buford: 2nd year+prep school
Colton Feist: 5th year walk-on
Stephon Wynn: 5th year transfer
Devin Drew: 5th year transfer
Ochaun Mathis: 5th year transfer
Chris Kolarevic: 6th year transfer

+Tommie Hill, Omar Brown, Kaine Williams, Deshon Singleton, Jalil Martin with college or juco level experience and others in their second year.

There’s been a vast amount of players leaving (which is a small part of coaching failure) but almost all of our starters or major contributors have a minimum of 3 years at college level, majority with more.
Others with years in the program being beat out by younger guys.

Others have said it, but every college team deals with the ebb and flow of youth and experience. If guys aren’t ready after 3-4 years at college level to avoid being 124th? in team defense, then it’s not likely to click after 5-6 years.
There’s roughly 10-11 four star caliber players in the names above, but we can’t stop anyone, even FCS teams.

Getting players ready in a couple of years is a requirement in college. I’ll give the DL guys an extra year.
The point is we’re simply not that young. We just lost some veterans. That alone is normal, not a crisis.

It’s a convenient excuse for college coaches. It is used for virtually every sport when a team is struggling. It’s never recruiting, player development, player retention, coaching etc….it always falls back on ”we are so young, give us some time” .

All teams have to play by the same rules. If your team is young, you have no one to blame but yourself, especially after 3 or 4 years of recruiting/player development.

 

[king_kong_]

Didn’t it take Caleb tannor (EDGE) like 50 games to record his first sack?

 

[HuskerOH]

I think part of it needs to do away with the Sr, Jr, So, designation. Until the extra covid year designation players have gone through it needs to be 6th yr, 5th yr, 4th yr... I was falling for the So and Jr designation.

 

[Huskerfan2112]

Too many guys on your list that should be suiting up for South Dakota State, not Nebraska.

SDSU defense might just be better than what NU has.

 

[dinglefritz]

SDSU defense might just be better than what NU has.

They’re better coached for sure.

 

[HominidHusker]

I think part of it needs to do away with the Sr, Jr, So, designation. Until the extra covid year designation players have gone through it needs to be 6th yr, 5th yr, 4th yr... I was falling for the So and Jr designation.

This was exactly my thought.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

Young vs inexperienced. Sometimes those terms are used interchangeably by coaches.

 

[American Horse]

Just as a footnote here but Wyoming has the (if I remember correctly) 3rd youngest team in football. They are currently 3-1 and just beat Air Force. I watched their first game and they looked TERRIBLE but must have turned something around.

 

[inWV]

Rivals rankings. Currently under performing their predicted worth as recruits. By a lot.

Caleb Tannor: 5th year	5.8​
Braxton Clark: 5th year	5.5​
Nick Henrich: 4th year	5.9​
Garrett Nelson: 4th year	5.7​
Luke Reimer: 4th year (former walk-on)
Ty Robinson: 4th year	5.9​
Mosai Newsom: 4th year	5.6​
Quinton Newsome: 4th year	5.7​
Myles Farmer: 4th year	5.7​
Noa Pola Gates: 4th year	5.9​
Javin Wright: 4th year (injuries)	5.6​
Garret Snodgrass: 4th year (injured)	5.6​
Isaac Gifford: 3rd year	5.6​
Eteva Mauga-Clements: 3rd year plus 2 JUCO	5.8​
Nash Hutmacher: 3rd year	5.6​
Marquis Black: 3rd year	5.6​
Blaise Gunnerson: 3rd year	5.7​
Jimari Butler: 3rd year	5.7​
Tamon Lynum: 3rd year	5.6​
Marques Buford: 2nd year+prep school	5.5​
Colton Feist: 5th year walk-on
Stephon Wynn: 5th year transfer	5.9​
Devin Drew: 5th year transfer	5.5​
Ochaun Mathis: 5th year transfer	5.6​
Chris Kolarevic: 6th year transfer

 

[TheNewNU]

The lack of any development from the players is astounding. For us to be this bad I have to think the coaching staff was just getting drunk or high all the time for the past 5 seasons.

 

[HominidHusker]

Young vs inexperienced. Sometimes those terms are used interchangeably by coaches.

Agree. I was also thinking that one contribution to lack of experience has been the inability to play backups against “lesser” opponents because the games were too close.
Additionally, coaches have made decisions to not rotate guys in feeling they’re not ready. Some of that again is the coaches’ inability to prepare them or unwillingness to play them.

Mathis, Robinson, Nelson, Tannor, Reimer, Henrich, Newsome I would argue all have plenty of experience (plus Drew). Farmer probably next up.
So 8 of 11 starters have significant P5 experience.
It’s not realistic in college to put out 11 fifth year guys.

Oklahoma had a true frosh in Kanak torching us.

 

[HuskerDana]

View embedded media

I'll drink to that.

 

[jteten]

They are young…..on talent.

 

[rcnut223]

Definitely not an excuse. Frost firmly believed that the defense was what NU could count on coming into the season.

They are all “His” guys. If it’s not working you can’t blame someone else . This was Frosts team , period

 

[Husker Hambone]

Where are the elite edge guys? Thought that was the strength of the team. What a shoot show in Lincoln.

 

[oldjar07]

Where are the elite edge guys? Thought that was the strength of the team. What a shoot show in Lincoln.

Dawson is your answer. Terrible coach.

 

[anon_umk0ifu6vj6zi]

They don’t even look like they want to try and get off of blocks.

 

[HominidHusker]

They don’t even look like they want to try and get off of blocks.

This has been very noticeable to me all season. Good defenders do something “novel” which is avoid the opponent trying to block you (for the most part at least).
It’s not just the DL. Our LBs run right into their blockers, our DBs can’t get off blocks (see Gabriel’s run). It’s been shocking to watch the lack of effort they put into freeing themselves up to make a play.

 

[anon_umk0ifu6vj6zi]

This has been very noticeable to me all season. Good defenders do something “novel” which is avoid the opponent trying to block you (for the most part at least).
It’s not just the DL. Our LBs run right into their blockers, our DBs can’t get off blocks (see Gabriel’s run). It’s been shocking to watch the lack of effort they put into freeing themselves up to make a play.

Once they get into our guys, they totally shut down. No swim, no spin, no hands, no hammer, no push back…. Nothing.

 

[dinglefritz]

Once they get into our guys, they totally shut down. No swim, no spin, no hands, no hammer, no push back…. Nothing.

Their first mistake is allowing the OTs to latch on to them. Tanner and Mathis are too small to try to take on OTs

Carrier said we need to be more aggressive with stunting and blitz packages to try to confuse opposition D lines because we’re too small to take them on headon

 

[oldjar07]

Once they get into our guys, they totally shut down. No swim, no spin, no hands, no hammer, no push back…. Nothing.

It's the interior guys to blame as much as anything. Those guys need to create disruption so the edge guys can shake loose. Great pass rushing teams have great interior linemen that cause havoc to the other team's line.

 

[GaRed]

I’m sick of hearing about our “young” defenders being an excuse:

Caleb Tannor: 5th year
Braxton Clark: 5th year
Nick Henrich: 4th year
Garrett Nelson: 4th year
Luke Reimer: 4th year (former walk-on)
Ty Robinson: 4th year
Mosai Newsom: 4th year
Quinton Newsome: 4th year
Myles Farmer: 4th year
Noa Pola Gates: 4th year
Javin Wright: 4th year (injuries)
Garret Snodgrass: 4th year (injured)
Isaac Gifford: 3rd year
Eteva Mauga-Clements: 3rd year plus 2 JUCO
Nash Hutmacher: 3rd year
Marquis Black: 3rd year
Blaise Gunnerson: 3rd year
Jimari Butler: 3rd year
Tamon Lynum: 3rd year

Marques Buford: 2nd year+prep school
Colton Feist: 5th year walk-on
Stephon Wynn: 5th year transfer
Devin Drew: 5th year transfer
Ochaun Mathis: 5th year transfer
Chris Kolarevic: 6th year transfer

+Tommie Hill, Omar Brown, Kaine Williams, Deshon Singleton, Jalil Martin with college or juco level experience and others in their second year.

There’s been a vast amount of players leaving (which is a small part of coaching failure) but almost all of our starters or major contributors have a minimum of 3 years at college level, majority with more.
Others with years in the program being beat out by younger guys.

Others have said it, but every college team deals with the ebb and flow of youth and experience. If guys aren’t ready after 3-4 years at college level to avoid being 124th? in team defense, then it’s not likely to click after 5-6 years.
There’s roughly 10-11 four star caliber players in the names above, but we can’t stop anyone, even FCS teams.

Getting players ready in a couple of years is a requirement in college. I’ll give the DL guys an extra year.
The point is we’re simply not that young. We just lost some veterans. That alone is normal, not a crisis.

Yeah but, yeah but , yeah but....

 

[Hugo_Stiglitz7]

I'm not sure who is the bigger waste of space. All 190lbs of Mauga Clements or 165lbs of soaking wet Pola-Gates. They wouldn't even crack the 2-Deep at Greta or Westside.

 

[Okie70]

It’s a convenient excuse for college coaches. It is used for virtually every sport when a team is struggling. It’s never recruiting, player development, player retention, coaching etc….it always falls back on ”we are so young, give us some time” .

All teams have to play by the same rules. If your team is young, you have no one to blame but yourself, especially after 3 or 4 years of recruiting/player development.

Texas has been saying it for 10 years. And starting some freshman on the OLine so will likely hear for another year or two. At least.