Nebraska offensive line coach Donovan Raiola made an appearance on the Huskers Radio Network Monday night to talk about his room.
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Here’s a rundown of it all:
>> Building a good offensive line is a process. The unit doesn’t magically look like a finished product in the first season of transition. Last year was Raiola’s first as the Huskers’ O-line coach, and for much of the season things looked rocky.
But while the O-line is learning a new offense and terminology just like everyone else, the continuity that was created with Raiola’s retention should help the linemen continue to build on what they learned from their position coach last season.
“I’m just really excited going into my second year with these guys,” Raiola said in the interview. “Their comfort level is totally different.”
Part of the program-wide change involves strength coach Corey Campbell and director of football nutrition Kristin Coggin. Using the weight room and training table, respectively, those two have their own unique ways of shaping a player’s body to fit what Rhule and his assistants want the roster to look like.
It’s clear that improving strength and mobility are important parts of this first offseason with Rhule, and Campbell and Coggin will play a role in that development.
>> Another change: practicing on grass.
The practice fields outside the Hawks Championship Center have been changed from turf to the real stuff. Raiola, a former lineman, welcomes the switch.
“That’s great. I always loved playing on grass,” Raiola said. “As you get older, you realize it’s so much better on your body. At times, the turf feels nice and comfortable and you love running around on it, but over time you see it takes a toll on your back, your knees, your joints, your hips, all those different things. You don’t realize it at the moment, until you get older. That grass is going to be awesome out there. It looks really nice, too.”
>> Nebraska has a veteran offensive line. The unit has a combined 120 career starts between Bryce Benhart (28), Ben Scott (28), Turner Corcoran (24), Ethan Piper (18), Nouredin Nouili (14), Teddy Prochazka (5) and Henry Lutovsky (2).
Raiola offered brief thoughts on all of them.
Prochazka, the 6-foot-10 left tackle, has shown glimpses of being a solid protector of his quarterback’s blindside. While the potential is easy to see, season-ending injuries in his first two years of college football — one a knee, the other a shoulder — create durability questions with the Elkhorn South product.
Raiola said Prochazka, who was limited during spring ball and was held out of playing in the Red-White game for precautionary reasons, will be ready to roll come fall camp, which is slated to start July 31.
“I’m excited for Teddy. He’s really taken steps in improving his body, improving his movement, his conditioning and he’s ready to go. He’s back,” Raiola said. “He’s had an offseason of workouts, an offseason of training and I’m really excited about Teddy moving forward.”
Corcoran is the most versatile lineman Raiola has. The 6-6, 300-pounder is athletic enough to play all five spots on the line if needed, and has made 19 starts at left tackle, three at left guard and two at right tackle over his career.
With Prochazka expected to be that anchor at left tackle and Benhart on the right, Corcoran will end up at either left or right guard in 2023.
“Turner’s a special young man. He’s really taken on a leadership role being up front, and he does it by setting the example,” Raiola said. “He’ll speak up when he needs to, but I’m excited for Turner. He’s working on his strength, working on his mobility, all those good things. We’ll see a big improvement with Turner.”
Piper is back for his fifth season in the program. Like Corcoran, Piper has the athletic ability to play every position along the interior line. All 18 of his career starts have come at left guard, but he’d be a solid option at center in a pinch, too.
“Piper can play guard, center, I just love his energy,” Raiola said. “He’s the same person every day. He’s really taken that leadership role and he’s a great example for everyone on the team, not just the offensive line.”
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Benhart, the favorite to start at right tackle for the fourth straight year, is coming out of an offseason where Rhule said Benhart has NFL potential, which turned heads in the fan base.
The coaching staff is hoping a slimmed-down and quicker version of the 6-9 Benhart — here’s where Campbell and Coggin come into play with reshaping bodies — combined with it being his second year with Raiola’s technique, will help him compete against Big Ten pass rushers.
“Bryce has really improved his strength, and he’s still working hard at it and his mobility. He’s just growing and growing,” Raiola said. “It takes time for offensive linemen going from high school to college, especially at this level. This Big Ten football is top-notch, so we’re really looking forward to Bryce having a great year.”
The former walk-on Nouili is back from his season-long suspension and will look to regain a starting spot. The native of Germany started seven games at left guard in 2021 and played so well that he earned himself a scholarship.
It remains to be seen where Nouili exactly ends up on the O-line, but it will be at either right or left guard. Nouili, Corcoran, Piper and Lutovsky will all likely battle for the two starting guard positions.
“It’s great to have Nouri back. He’s focused, working his butt off. He’s a special player,” Raiola said. “He’s still learning, going through that process of understanding the game and doing those things. He works really hard at it. So I’m excited for him and getting him back in the unit is going to help us a lot.”
The heavy favorite to win the starting center spot is Scott, the 6-5 Arizona State transfer. He's a versatile athlete who has 17 career starts at right tackle and 11 at center under his belt. If all goes well for Scott in 2023, he would be an intriguing draft pick for an NFL team looking for a lineman with position flexibility.
“Ben is a smart player, very experienced. He kind of settles the group and understands the game,” Raiola said. “He’s going to be a great player for us. I’m really excited about Ben, he just adds to the unit that we already had.”
Lutovsky is entering his third year in the program. The 6-6, 310-pounder saw playing time last year, appearing in every game with two starts at right guard when then-starter Broc Bando was out.
Lutovsky is ”one of the stronger guys on the team” according to Raiola.
“I think Henry is going to play a big role for us,” the coach said. “He’s just getting stronger, getting more experienced, understanding the game. He works his tail off and is really focused. He’s a guy who’s a sponge — you tell him something and he’ll do it exactly how you ask.”
While Piper is be an option to play center in a pinch, so would Justin Evans-Jenkins, a center all the way. Evans-Jenkins is entering his second year in the program and will have a good teacher of the position in Scott.
“He’s working hard in the weight room, a strong guy. He’s tough as nails, he’s as tough as they come,” Raiola said of Evans-Jenkins. “I’m excited for his development. As he gains experience, he’ll get better and better, so that’s exciting.”
>> There will be new additions for fall camp.
Following spring ball, Nebraska added one transfer O-lineman in Tyler Knaak of Utah and two in-state members of the 2023 class in summer enrollees Sam Sledge of Creighton Prep and Brock Knutson of Scottsbluff.
Sledge and Knutson will join fellow class member Gunnar Gottula of Lincoln Southeast, who took part in spring ball as an early enrollee. Raiola said the 6-5 Gottula, who primarily played tackle in the spring, is big enough and tough enough to play guard if needed.
“Really happy with Gunnar. He’s a smart young man,” Raiola said. “Really took to the unit and kind of follows those older guys around and learns a lot from those guys. He’s focused, working hard in the weight room, working on his mobility, his strength. Really excited for him, in those six months how much he’s grown.”
Knaak joins former Georgia Bulldog Jacob Hood as second-year O-linemen who transferred to Nebraska. At 6-8 and over 340 pounds, Hood needed to work on his conditioning in the spring and that will carry over to fall camp. During the Red-White game, Hood primarily played right tackle.
Both Knaak and Hood are viewed as backups right now, but also pieces for the future.
“They’re both working hard and getting up to the standard,” Raiola said of Knaak and Hood. “The older guys, the guys who have been here, are really helping them come along. Really excited for Tyler and what he brings to us. He’ll develop well and he’s working his butt off.”
The legacy Sledge is viewed by some as the future center of Nebraska’s offensive line. While he just arrived on campus, what have been the early impressions?
“I love how Sam works, he’s very focused with everything he does on the field, off the field. He’s a conscientious young man,” Raiola said. “Really excited to see him take his steps and grow through the process of summer and going into training camp.”
As for Knutson, the 6-7, 300-pounder from the state's Panhandle?
“He’s doing a good job, figuring things out as a freshman,” Raiola said. “He’s taking to the standard and is working his tail off. Him, Sam and Gunnar, they’re all in the same group and they really work hard together, kind of look up to each other. They’re really focused on improving their mobility and strength.”
