Husker football preview: Players to watch, new Big Ten rules, record predictions
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Husker football season is here, and the excitement around the sea of red is sky-high for a season that has the potential to be one to remember.
Nebraska has one of the richest bowl game backgrounds in college football, yet they haven’t played that 13th game since the 2016 Music City Bowl against Tennessee.
With all the returning talent on defense, offensive weapons added in the portal and a five-star freshman quarterback, the Huskers could be primed to take that next step back into national relevance.
Channel 8 talked with an evaluator from an agency that represents NFL talent.
They gave an inside look at some of Nebraska’s top players to help you get ready for the 2024 season.
Tommi Hill
6-foot-0, 205 pounds
2nd-3rd round draft pick
To put it simply, Tommi Hill is the best NFL prospect that Nebraska has this season.
Hill’s draft stock would shoot up if we saw him in a more defined role.
As a corner, there are two spots on the field where you can line up: the boundary side (the short side) or the field side (the more open side).
Due to Nebraska’s defensive scheme, Hill usually only plays one side of the field. The placement of the ball before it’s snapped will determine if he is the boundary or field side corner.
Usually, a boundary corner is left to play man defense with less safety help over the top. If Hill were able to consistently dominate in the boundary corner role, he has the potential to be a high Day 2 pick.
Hill is also a little bit more reactive than instinctual. He will rarely run the route for the receiver. Given his lengthy frame, elite speed and closing ability, this doesn’t hurt him as much in coverage.
The biggest upside to Hill’s game is his ball production. He is a natural ball hawk who has the athleticism to get any ball that comes his way.
He is also a disrupter in the run game. Hill is a big reason why most teams couldn’t run the ball outside of the tackles last season.
Overall, Hill has only played one full season at corner. This offseason, he put on 10 pounds and filled out his frame.
Look for Hill to use that big body to be physical at the line of scrimmage, dominate in the run game and be that blanket corner that the Huskers need.
Every receiver who lines up against Hill this season is going to have a tough time.
Ty Robinson
6-foot-6, 310 pounds
Late-round potential
Ty Robinson has the most to prove this season.
He is your prototypical defensive lineman and has the size and length to be a force in the Big Ten and beyond.
Robinson’s biggest downfall is his consistency. When he’s on his game, the tone on the line of scrimmage is completely different.
But he has a very high missed tackle rate. His body allows him to get where he needs to be, but finishing the play hasn’t been his calling card.
Robinson isn’t as twitchy as some of the defensive linemen who have elite speed off the line of scrimmage and lateral quickness.
Overall, Robinson needs those flash plays to show up more often so they aren’t flash plays anymore.
He is a very versatile defensive lineman, and his talent shows from any position in the trenches.
Even if he isn’t a high draft pick, Robinson is still an invaluable piece to the Blackshirt defense. He’s one of the most disruptive players on the defensive line.
Getting more pressure on the quarterback and finding a way to finish plays at a consistent rate will keep the Huskers among the elite defenses in college football.
Nash Hutmacher
6-foot-4, 310 pounds
Late-round potential/preferred free agent
Nash Hutmacher is one of the most intriguing players on the Nebraska defense this season.
He made a splash in the headlines last winter, when he decided to join the wrestling team and cut more than 45 pounds.
Last fall, Hutmacher checked in at 330 pounds, according to the roster. This season, he is listed at 310 pounds.
This could be a huge advantage for Hutmacher, as he struggled to create separation between himself and other offensive linemen last season.
His lack of length sometimes causes him to get stuck in the chest of offensive linemen. Less weight allows for more speed; more speed can help him stay out of those situations.
Hutmacher’s biggest downfall is he often ends up on the ground. You can’t do much when you are on the ground, so he needs to find a way to stay on his feet.
His biggest strength is his ability to plug two gaps at once. Nebraska’s run defense was so effective last season due in part to Hutmacher’s ability to clog the gap.
Much like Robinson, Hutmacher is an invaluable piece to this defense. He is one of the most productive interior defensive linemen, and his motor in unmatched.
If Hutmacher and Robinson can both stay healthy and take that next step, look for Nebraska to be in the top 5 in rush defense this season.
Other impact players to watch
Nebraska has many new faces to look for once game day rolls around. Plenty of them will have an immediate impact and help the Huskers get to where they want to be.
Micah Mazzccua
6-foot-5, 325 pounds
Micah Mazzccua transferred to Nebraska in January after playing 31 games at Florida and Baylor throughout his career.
The Philadelphia native has 21 career starts under his belt and has one year of eligibility remaining.
In 2022 at Baylor, Mazzccua was graded as the second-best interior offensive lineman in the Big 12, according to Pro Football Focus. His run blocking grade from PFF was the best in the Big 12 and top 15 in the nation. He led the Bears to more than 180 yards rushing per game.
Mazzccua is slotted to start at right guard and add experience to an offensive line that is already loaded with experience.
Jahmal Banks
6-foot-4, 220 pounds
Coach Matt Rhule has been raving about Jahmal Banks since he transferred to Nebraska from Wake Forest.
Banks arrived on campus in January, and Rhule said the impact Banks has already had on the football program will be felt for years.
He started 10 games last season for the Demon Deacons and hauled in 59 balls for a team-high 653 yards. Banks had seven games with more than 50 yards receiving in 2023.
Banks is listed as WR1 to start the season.
Isaiah Neyor
6-foot-4, 220 pounds
Nebraska is the third stop for senior wide receiver Isaiah Neyor.
Before committing to the Huskers in January, Neyor made stops at Wyoming and Texas.
In his sophomore season at Wyoming, he caught 44 balls for 878 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Neyor’s first year at Texas was cut short after an injury in fall camp kept him off the field for the entire 2022 season. In his second season, he had one catch for 14 yards in the first game of the year.
Neyor is part of a deep receiving room for the Huskers. Three or four guys could lead this team in receiving yards, and Neyor is one of them.
Fall camp buzz
Channel 8 followed the Husker coaches and players closely throughout fall camp. Here are some the highlights:
‘I see a confident team’: Matt Rhule praises Husker players at Big Ten Media Days
Nebraska football hosts pre-camp media day
Husker Quarterbacks take the stand after day three of camp
Husker football wraps up day nine of fall camp
Husker football working on the little things in week three of fall camp
New Big Ten rules
The Big Ten Conference added four new teams for the 2024 season: Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA.
Now that there are 18 teams in the conference, there will no longer be divisions. The top two teams at the end of the season will play for a conference championship.
The conference recently released new tiebreaker rules to be used if needed at the end of the year.
If two teams are tied in the Big Ten standings (conference games only), the following steps will be followed until a determination is made:
- The tied teams will be compared on their head-to-head matchup (if applicable) during the regular season.
- The tied teams will be compared based on their records against all common conference opponents.
- The tied teams will be compared based on their records against common opponents with the best conference record and proceeding through the common conference opponents based on their order of finish within the conference standings.
- The tied teams will be compared based on the cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents.
- The representative will be chosen by the highest ranking by Sportsource Analytics (Team rating score metric) after the regular season.
- The representative will be chosen by random draw by the commissioner or designee among the tied teams.
Channel 8 record predictions
Nate Johnson: 9-3
UTEP – W
Colorado – W
Northern Iowa – W
Illinois – W
@Purdue – W
Rutgers – W
@Indiana – W
@Ohio State – L
UCLA – W
@USC – L
Wisconsin – L
@Iowa – W
Jake Homan: 8-4
UTEP – W
Colorado – W
Northern Iowa – W
Illinois – W
@Purdue – L
Rutgers – L
@Indiana – W
@Ohio State – L
UCLA – W
@USC – L
Wisconsin – W
@Iowa – W
Mark Fischer: 8-4
UTEP – W
Colorado – W
Northern Iowa – W
Illinois – W
@Purdue – L
Rutgers – W
@Indiana – W
@Ohio State – L
UCLA – W
@USC – L
Wisconsin – L
@Iowa – W
