CHICAGO – Mohamed Barry knows how to pick his battles.

In most cases, the senior Nebraska linebacker will make his feelings known when something is bothering him, especially when it happens on the football field.

But when it comes to arguing with his defensive line teammates, Barry generally bites his tongue.

“That group, you know that when you mess with one of them, you’re going to mess with all of them, so you better calm down,” Barry said. “No matter how hot I get, I kind of, you know, ‘what’s up?’ to them, because I know if I mess with one of them, I’m going to get the heat of all of them.

“It’s a good band of brothers.”

Barry certainly isn’t the only Husker to notice how tight the defensive line has grown over the past year. Head coach Scott Frost said that the veteran group had gone through a lot together over the past few seasons, and that adversity had brought them closer together than ever.

It also helps that four of the top members of the d-line rotation are siblings with Carlos and Khalil Davis and Darrion and Damion Daniels.

“The guys that are around on defense have been through a lot,” Frost said. “Right now, I see excitement. I think these guys are more confident than they’ve ever been, largely because of the changes that they’ve made, too.

“I walked around the other day and watched the d-line lift with Carlos and Khalil and those guys, and I think there were six or seven guys that did two reps of over 800 pounds on squat. That’s not something they could’ve come close to a few years ago.”

Even teammates on the other side of the ball have noticed the gains made by the entire defensive line this offseason. Along with the progress on the field and in the weight room, quarterback Adrian Martinez said the unit featured some of the strongest leaders on the team.

Oddly enough, the newest member of the d-line, Darrion Daniels, has made as big of an impact in the locker room as any player on the team since arriving in Lincoln this spring as a grad transfer from Oklahoma State.

“The defense is kind of a night-and-day difference as far as their confidence, and I think a big part of that is Darrion Daniels,” Martinez said. “He’s a real big leader for them. He’s immediately stepped in and been a vocal guy and a guy who got the respect from all of the players.”

The bond on the defensive line doesn’t stop at football, either. The unit spends just as much time together off the field, going on fishing trips and spending Fourth of July weekend together at Lake McConaughy.

“They love each other,” Barry said. “They do everything together. You know, sometimes they can be weird, but that’s OK. They’re d-linemen.”