Nebraska placed in the middle of the pack in preseason Big Ten power rankings
The Huskers aim to build on a 7-6 season in 2024, which saw them win their first bowl game since 2015. Now, second-year quarterback Dylan Raiola looks to take charge with new faces on offense and a full season under coordinator Dana Holgorsen. The defense has also received upgrades, headlined by the hiring of new defensive coordinator John Butler, who replaces Tony White after White departed the program to join Florida State.
All of this sets the stage nicely for Matt Rhule to succeed in his third season. Myerberg was kind to the Huskers in his piece and broke down their chances.
"The Cornhuskers are climbing the ladder under third-year coach Matt Rhule, whose previous teams at Temple and Baylor popped in his third season. Dylan Raiola will take a leap in his sophomore year and the offense should shine under coordinator Dana Holgorsen, but line play on both sides will decide Nebraska's fate."
Line play will indeed be an essential part of the program's fate moving forward. Changes to the lines were a focus of the program throughout the offseason, and they will be one of the many interesting subplots for the program in what is a crucial season for development.
Nebraska will open the 2025 college football season on Thursday, August 28, when the Huskers face the Cincinnati Bearcats at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. CT.
Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
a few seconds ago
- USA Today
Adam Schefter talks screening for Type 1 diabetes, 2025 NFL preseason
ESPN insider Adam Schefter is perhaps best known for his ability to break NFL – and, as of recently, some golf – news. But he's also an outspoken advocate for Type 1 diabetes. As training camp ramps up across the NFL, Schefter joined USA TODAY Sports for a one-on-one interview where he discussed the latest news out of camps and the importance of screening for Type 1 diabetes. Schefter's wife, Sharri, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as an adult, and he said seeing her experience managing the disease led to a partnership with pharmaceutical company Sanofi to raise more awareness around screening for it. "It's so important to take that first step and make a plan," Schefter said. "Make that plan today. Advocate for yourself, for your family, and talk to your doctor about screening." TREY HENDRICKSON: Bengals DE calls team's contract offer 'atrociously low' Adam Schefter discusses training camp contract disputes Through less than a week of training camp practices, there has been no shortage of intriguing storylines to keep an eye on. Some of the biggest ongoing stories involve contract disputes between some star players and their respective teams. Schefter mentioned the talks between wide receiver Terry McLaurin and the Washington Commanders as well as edge rusher Micah Parsons' negotiations with the Dallas Cowboys as two storylines he's keeping an eye on. But perhaps the most notable disputes have been those occurring in Cincinnati, as the Bengals have struggled to finalize deals with two of their defenders. Veteran edge rusher Trey Hendrickson left the state of Ohio rather than showing up to camp, and incoming rookie edge rusher Shemar Stewart was one of the last remaining unsigned draftees in the entire 2025 class until he agreed to terms Friday. SHEMAR STEWART CONTRACT DETAILS: Bengals rookie agrees to deal, ends holdout The reason for each dispute is different, but the result has been the same: neither player has been practicing at training camp. "Most every contract dispute is resolved eventually," Schefter said. "It's very rare that a full year goes by and a player doesn't play. Now, when they get resolved and how they get resolved are entirely different questions. "All I know right now is Trey Hendrickson is in Florida. The Bengals have offered him one year of guaranteed money. He wants at least three years of guaranteed money like the other top pass rushers – Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt – have gotten. He hasn't gotten that." Meanwhile, Stewart was holding out because he wanted the language in his rookie deal to reflect that of the previous rookie contracts the Bengals have given out. The Cincinnati Enquirer's Kelsey Conway reported that the Bengals wanted the option to void future guarantees for their first-round pick. Stewart contested that it would be unfair to accept a deal like that after other recent Cincinnati first-rounders' rookie contracts did not include that language. Said Schefter: "To me, that doesn't make sense for either side to prolong this and make him sit any longer. Figure out the language, get in the room, get it done. Somebody's got to give up something to get that young man in camp and to begin to get him the reps that he needs." On Friday, USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon confirmed Schefter's report that Stewart and Cincinnati had finally agreed to terms on his rookie deal. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Stewart agreed to accept the new language in his contract in exchange for an additional $550,000 in signing bonus money he'll receive upon signing the deal. Even with Stewart's negotiations in the rearview mirror for the Bengals, their issues figuring out an extension for Hendrickson still loom large. Schefter couldn't say which contract dispute may get resolved first between Hendrickson's issues with the Bengals or Parsons and McLaurin with Dallas and Washington, respectively. Things could change in a day, he said, so it's very hard to predict. SHEDEUR SANDERS: Browns rookie QB helps organize community event after East Cleveland fire Adam Schefter on the Browns' quarterback battle Evaluating rookie quarterback performances and their first-year outlooks is an annual training camp and preseason tradition. This year features an extra bit of intrigue with Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders – Deion Sanders' son – fighting for the starting job in Cleveland. He has his work cut out for him in a crowded quarterback room: veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, as well as fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, are also battling for the Week 1 starting job. "Could Shedeur Sanders win (the starting job)? Yes. Is that the most likely scenario? No," Schefter said. "I think it's more likely that Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett will be the opening day starter." That came with the caveat that either of those players would have to "play winning keep that job." Should Flacco or Pickett falter, the leash on either quarterback likely won't be long with Sanders (and Gabriel) waiting in the wings. The odds may be long, but Sanders still does have a chance to win the starting job in the preseason. Schefter pointed to Cowboys starter Dak Prescott and Giants (former Seahawks) starter Russell Wilson as examples of late-drafted rookie quarterbacks who stole the show in training camp. "If Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders is going to find a way to win the opening day starting quarterback job of the Cleveland Browns, you're going to have to see that particular quarterback light it up in the preseason. Like you're going to have to watch them and say, 'I don't know how they're going to keep this guy off the field.' That's what it's going to take," Schefter said. "Is one of them going to do that? We'll see. Probably not, but not out of the question." MORE SHEDEUR SANDERS NEWS: Browns rookie addresses speeding tickets Who are other rookie quarterbacks to watch? Outside of the Browns' rookie quarterback situation, two other first-year quarterbacks are looking to make their mark in 2025: Saints second-round pick Tyler Shough and Giants first-rounder Jaxson Dart. Giants head coach Brian Daboll has already announced Dart will start the year backing up the aforementioned Wilson, but Schefter thinks Shough's got a good chance to start Week 1. "Their (the Saints') other quarterbacks are Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler," he said. "Neither one of those is proven or established. So Tyler Shough clearly is going to have an opportunity to win that starting quarterback job. That is well within his reach." As for Dart, Schefter said there's a high expectation that he'll get an opportunity to play at some point during the 2025 season. The bigger question is when, exactly, that might happen. Schefter said, "I think you could look at the schedule and you just never know. If the Giants defense is as good as they think it can be, and they can find a way to surprise and keep things competitive, maybe Russell Wilson's leash is extended. If it's not, and they're struggling and they're 0-3, 0-4, then maybe it's shortened. I think a lot will be dependent upon their win-loss production early in the year. "I think that they feel really happy and confident and comfortable on the quarterback that they got in Jaxson Dart. But obviously Russell's going to get the first opportunity and we'll see what he winds up doing with it." Another big question for the Giants and Dart is whether Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen earned themselves more job security by drafting the rookie first-rounder. John Mara, one of the co-owners of the G-Men, said after the 2024 season that he'd "just about run out of patience" with the coach and GM, yet they still got the runway to stick around and draft a young gunslinger. Schefter said it's still too early to predict whether the decision to draft Dart has truly saved either person's job just yet. "If (the Giants) come out, they're flat, another disappointment, fans are angry, planes are flying more banners – 'Fire Daboll,' 'Fire Schoen' – then yeah, then the (owners are) going to be forced to make a move," he said. GIANTS TRAINING CAMP NEWS: WR Malik Nabers is 'ready to go': Daboll Schefter discusses Travis Hunter, J.J. McCarthy expectations As the 2025 season approaches, two players with the most uncertain expectations are Jaguars rookie two-way player Travis Hunter and Vikings second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy. For Hunter, the biggest question is how Jacksonville – led by offensive-minded rookie head coach Liam Coen – will deploy the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. The Colorado product played both wide receiver and cornerback in college, but will he be expected to contribute on both sides of the ball in a similar way in the pros? According to Schefter, the Jaguars likely will allow Hunter to play both offense and defense, but they're prioritizing Hunter's contributions as a receiver first. "They told me around the draft that they want to onboard him as a wide receiver, so it certainly sounds like he's going to start out as a wide receiver," he said. "They'll mix in defensive back, but maybe then they start shifting the scale and he's more defensive back than wide receiver. It's a lot for him to pick up and get adjusted to, but yeah, I think he's definitely gonna have a role as a wide receiver." And as for McCarthy, he hopes to enter the 2025 season healthy after a knee injury during last year's preseason robbed him of making his regular-season debut as a rookie. In his absence, veteran Sam Darnold stepped up and led the Vikings to a 14-3 season, nearly clinching the NFC's No. 1 seed in the process. Minnesota's decision to then let Darnold walk in free agency – therefore sticking with McCarthy instead – seems to say a lot about how highly the Vikings think of their 2024 first-round pick. However, last year's results may also mean elevated expectations for the young quarterback in his first real season. Those expectations get boosted higher when considering the rest of the talent in a stacked draft class for quarterbacks last year. Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix were all fellow first-round quarterbacks last year who showed flashes of excellent potential in their 2024 rookie seasons. Schefter said he expects McCarthy will "fit right into that group" of young quarterbacks who have proven they can play. The ESPN insider pointed out that McCarthy is in a great situation in Minnesota – he's surrounded by offensive weapons like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson and coached by quarterback guru Kevin O'Connell. Schefter also said that McCarthy's father, whom he spoke to earlier this week, is "over the moon about how things are going" in Minneapolis. "Clearly there are a lot of people that feel really good about the way J.J. McCarthy looks and the potential he has for the future and what's ahead for him this season," Schefter said. "So, I think the arrow's pointed up."
USA Today
a few seconds ago
- USA Today
2026 4-star CB and Texas A&M commit shuts down recruitment
Texas A&M's 2026 recruiting class features two of the top cornerback prospects in the cycle, starting with five-star Brandon Arrington and four-star Victor Singleton, who the Aggies flipped from Illinois back in early April. Singleton has been one of the program's biggest supporters via social media, cheering on every commitment in the class, while his elite skill set on the field speaks for itself. On Sunday, Singleton joined a long list of Texas A&M's 27 commits who have shut down their recruitment, following four-star linebacker DaQuives Beck, who announced his shutdown on Friday night, which was spurred by wide receivers Aaron Gregory and Madden Williams and edge commits Jordan Carter and Samu Moala, who all announced their shutdowns this summer. Singleton is one of the fiercest defenders in the 2026 class, and the fact that head coach Mike Elko and defensive backs coach Jordan Peterson flipped him from Illinois head coach Bret Bielema, who has developed and sent several cornerbacks to the NFL, is quite the recruiting win. On the field, Singleton isn't afraid to tackle and is one of the better man coverage specialists due to his elite athleticism, quickness, and defensive instincts. During his 2024 junior season, Singleton recorded 30 tackles, five tackles for loss, and four interceptions. According to On3, Singleton is currently positioned as the 56th-ranked prospect in the cycle, the 8th-ranked cornerback, and the third-ranked prospect in Ohio. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
USA Today
31 minutes ago
- USA Today
How many miles will Nebraska football travel in 2025?
One of the biggest changes to college sports over the past several seasons has been conference realignment. With the realignment, regional conferences now stretch coast to coast, resulting in an increase in travel and a dramatic increase in the miles traveled. The Big Ten Huddle did the calculations, and the numbers are eye-popping. No surprise that the four former Pac-12 teams will travel the most in the Big Ten Conference in 2025. Oregon leads the group, with the Ducks scheduled to travel 8,128 miles. Illinois will do the least amount of traveling, with only 2,735 miles scheduled this season. The Huskers ranked tenth in the Big Ten, with 3,790 miles scheduled. Nebraska will open the 2025 college football season on the road. They will face the Cincinnati Bearcats at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on August 28. The Cornhuskers will only travel four times during Big Ten play. They will play at Minnesota, Maryland, and Penn State, but the farthest road trip in 2025 will be on November 8 when Nebraska plays the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl. Find the entire Big Ten breakdown below. Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
