10 things we learned from Big Ten Media Days

CHICAGO - Nebraska football head coach Scott Frost, quarterback Adrian Martinez, linebacker Mohamed Barry, and defensive end Khalil Davis all made their way to Chicago on Thursday to participate at Big Ten Media Days.

Here are 10 of the most notable things we learned from the session...

The void at center might be one of the biggest question marks facing Nebraska from a depth chart perspective entering the start of fall camp, and Frost wasn’t tipping his hand at all on the leading candidate at the position.

Redshirt freshman Cam Jurgens, who most assume is the frontrunner to win the starting center job and has earned heavy praise from Frost over the offseason, remains questionable with an undisclosed injury that could impact his availability for the season opener on Aug. 31.

Frost declined to go into any specifics on Jurgens’ health status in Chicago, but again said the Beatrice native and former tight end could be a special talent in the middle of the offensive line when 100 percent.

"I think he has a chance to be an elite player if he stays healthy and stays on the course that he's on," Frost said.

If Jurgens is forced to miss any game action, Frost pointed to guys like Hunter Miller, Will Farniok, Josh Wegener, and even Trent Hixson as other options to step up at center. Hixson is still expected to push for the starting left guard spot along with Broc Bando and John Raridon.

Frost also kept open the scenario of moving a tackle (i.e. Matt Farniok) inside to guard if necessary.

Oddly enough, Martinez was one of only two quarterbacks representing their teams at Big Ten Media Days this week.

Frost was asked why he chose to bring the true sophomore to Chicago rather that stick with the usual tradition of only taking seniors to the media event.

“Yeah, it was an easy choice,” Frost said. “He deserves to be here.”

The move was a perfect example not only of Martinez’s rise as the face of the Huskers’ program, but also as one of the most high-profile players in the conference entering the 2019 season.

Frost didn’t try to hide his QB from the spotlight, either. That’s because he knows the 19-year old was more than capable of handling the attention.

“Yeah, I wouldn't trade our guy for anybody in the country at that position, at the quarterback position,” Frost said. “On top of being a great player, he's just a great individual, exactly what we're looking for to run our offense. We're probably going to go as far as he can take us this year.

“I played the position - not as well as he plays it, but I played the position. And from personal experience and coaching experience, I think particularly at that position, your biggest jump comes from your first year of playing to your second year of playing, and I've seen that happen with some of the guys that I've coached, as well.

“As good as he was last year, if we get a similar jump, we're going to be really strong at that spot.”

As far as off-the-field storylines are concerned, few players generated more headlines than sophomore running back Maurice Washington.

Washington continues to go through the legal process after being charged with one felony and one misdemeanor from an incident this spring involving an ex-girlfriend back in California. On top of that, the Stockton, Calif., native was also cited on suspicion of possessing drug paraphernalia on campus last month.

As he did all spring, Frost said he wouldn’t speculate on Washington’s status this season until after his legal issues were concluded. However, Frost said Washington had been working out with the team this summer and would practice normally during fall camp.

A decision on any type of suspension likely wouldn’t come until the week of the first game. Washington’s next court appearance in California is July 25.

"We're going to wait and see how it all turns out with Maurice," Frost said. "He's been doing a pretty good job in the weight room and with the team, but we won't make any decisions on status or anything until we know that his legal problems are over, and I don't want to guess on which way we'll land depending on what happens."

As it was at this time a year ago, one of the main talking points from Frost and his players on Thursday was about how far the team had come with its overall strength and conditioning.

Frost heaped more praise on the job done by strength coach Zach Duval this offseason, saying his players looked noticeably bigger and stronger after their second offseason in NU’s program.

Frost didn’t hide his thoughts on how Nebraska lacked in that regard last season, saying that the only way his team was going to compete in the Big Ten was to develop players in the same physical nature as league foes like Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, etc.

“If you just walked in and saw our team right now compared to where it was a year ago, some of the kids don’t even look like the same kids,” Frost said. “We’re starting to look like how a Nebraska team is supposed to look. We’re starting to run like a Nebraska team is supposed to run. Bigger, faster, stronger never hurt anything.”

Nebraska’s defense was somewhat of an afterthought when Frost took over in Lincoln last year, but it didn’t take long to see how far that side of the ball needed to improve.

After an awful start to 2018, the Blackshirts made big improvements over the second half of the season, which played a part in NU winning four of its final six games. That trend continued on through the spring and summer, according to Frost.

“I think the defense has had a little bit better (offseason) than the offense,” Frost said. “The mentality that I see in the weight room and the workouts that I see, the confidence that I’m starting to see build, I’m really excited about.”

One of the more surprising additions Nebraska made this offseason was taking in Rutgers tight end transfer Travis Vokolek.

While the Huskers already seemed set with their depth at the position, Frost said a pre-existing relationship with Vokolek’s father and the junior’s undeniable talent made him an exception to NU’s general reluctance to hit the transfer market.

The question now was whether the Springfield, Mo., native would apply for a waiver to be immediately eligible to play for the Huskers this season.

“I think we still have to determine with Travis if he’s going to try to gain eligibility this year or not,” Frost said. “I think he’s got a ton of talent and I look forward to watching him. All you have to do is watch him walk down the hall to realize that he’s got some special things about him, so we’re excited about him.”

Because of NCAA rules regarding what coaches can and can’t observe during summer workouts, Frost still hasn’t seen new wide receiver transfer Kawanai Noa catch a football since he joined Nebraska.

But based on his conversations with Martinez and the other NU quarterbacks, the California grad transfer has already opened plenty of eyes with his play so far.

“The quarterbacks are telling me that he already knows three receiver spots and is very reliable, understands how to run routes and get open,” Frost said. “He’s a good addition to that room.”

Frost said the 6-foot, 200-pound Noa could see time at the X, Z, or ever Duck-R receiver spots this season based on what he’d shown during 7-on-7 drills.

Like Vokolek, Frost said Noa kind of fell into the Huskers’ laps as a transfer prospect, and the team was fortunate to get a player with his experience, intelligence, and dependability.

Most members of Nebraska’s 2019 recruiting class already had an established position to start their college careers this fall, but one player who was still somewhat in flux was Ethan Piper.

The 6-foot-4, 300-pound freshman from Norfolk (Neb.) Catholic had the ability to play on either the defensive or offensive lines in his first season, but Frost confirmed on Thursday that Piper would begin his Husker career on offense, working both at guard and center.

Frost said the initial plan was for Piper to start out on defense, but with Nebraska’s depth issues on the o-line, particularly on the interior, it made more sense to move him across the ball.

“Ethan will be an inside guy for us to start out,” Frost said. “That may or may not be permanent, depending on how it goes. But he’s going to be a center/guard for us.”

Nebraska generated some headlines for the wrong reasons this summer, particularly with multiple situations regarding player use and possession of marijuana.

Along with Washington, wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson was cited for possession of marijuana in June and then safety Jeremiah Stovall was cited on the same charge earlier this week.

Safety Marquel Dismuke was with Stovall at the time of the citation, but he was only ticketed for driving with a suspended license.

Frost publicly addressed the situation for the first time on Thursday and admitted that the use of marijuana was “a problem” that Nebraska and every other team in college athletics needed to solve.

“Yeah, it’s a problem,” Frost said. "Trust me, we’ve had a lot of conversations about it as a team and individually. It’s going to continue to be a problem not just with us, but with college athletes everywhere, particularly with it being legalized other places.

“But our team understands that I don’t care where it’s legal and where it isn’t; it’s illegal according to the NCAA, and I don’t think it’s beneficial for guys that are trying to accomplish what our guys are trying to accomplish.

"We’re certainly not unique in that we’ve had a few problems with that, but we’re doing everything we can to try and help kids not do it, and we’ll keep fighting that battle.”

In Frost’s mind, no day better embodies the meaning and heart of a strength and conditioning program than “testing day.”

Recalling his experience as a player when Boyd Epley was running the Huskers’ S&C, Frost remembered how much pride he and his teammates took in how they scored in the annual offseason performance testing.

Who was the strongest, fastest, and who could jump the highest was a badge of honor, and Frost wants it to be that way again. In fact, he said he wants to go back to publicizing players’ testing scores, just as they did under Epley.

“I still want to get back to a day that, when we test at Nebraska, it’s a big deal,” Frost said. “I remember that. It was in your guys’ papers every year, twice a year when we tested in our 40, our agility run, our squat, our clean, our vertical jump. It was competitive, it was impressive, it was a big deal.”

Things might not be at the level they were in the 90s just yet, but Frost said his team was significantly closer than it was a year ago.

“Some of the numbers I’m seeing now are night-and-day different from when I arrived,” Frost said. “It’s going to make a big difference.”