Five takeaways from the defensive depth chart

Here are five quick takeaways on the defensive depth chart released by Nebraska on Sunday morning...

Easily the most notable omission from Nebraska's initial defensive depth chart was sophomore linebacker Breon Dixon.

A player who the Huskers pushed to get immediately eligible for this season after transferring from Ole Miss, most expected Dixon to push for a starting job this year, let alone crack the Week 1 depth chart.

There really was no indication that Dixon wasn't going to be a key piece in the outside linebacker rotation coming out of fall camp, but some of it might have to do with the rapid rise of true freshman Caleb Tannor, listed as the No. 2 behind Luke Gifford.

After working at both outside and inside linebacker this offseason, sophomore Collin Miller found his home on the inside during fall camp.

He's apparently settled in so well at the position that he's now the co-starter alongside Nebraska's most experienced defensive player, senior Dedrick Young.

The coaching staff has praised Miller's versatility to play either linebacker role, but it was his quick grasping of the defense mentally the separated him into a potential starter this fall.

One of the latest additions to Nebraska's roster this summer, senior graduate transfer safety Tre Neal wasted no time making his mark on the secondary in fall camp.

A player who started 18 games under NU head coach Scott Frost and staff at Central Florida, Neal knows the Huskers' defense better than anyone on the team, and that catapulted him to earning a No. 1 safety job for Week 1.

While Neal is the clear starter on one side, the other safety spot features senior Antonio Reed and another offseason addition, junior college transfer Deontai Williams, listed as co-starters. Senior Aaron Williams, the most experienced returning NU defensive back, is the No. 2 behind them.

Nebraska's cornerback depth was one of the biggest concerns for Frost and Co. entering the start of the offseason, but the emergence of true freshmen Cam Taylor and Braxton Clark went a long way in easing some of those worries.

Taylor was the talk of fall camp after his impressive performance in his first full-time playing experience as a cornerback. Clark forced his way into the conversation as well by the end of camp, as he was one of NU's interception leaders in practice.

Both are listed as No. 2's behind starters Lamar Jackson and Dicaprio Bootle, but look for Taylor and Clark to see immediate playing time in their first seasons as Huskers.

Frost used the analogy of comparing Nebraska's defensive rotation to hockey lines subbing in and out during games, and the Week 1 depth certainly indicates that will be fairly accurate.

In all, there are seven "ORs" on the defensive depth chart, including four co-starters.

Along with Young/Miller and Reed/Williams, sophomore Ben Stille and junior Carlos Davis are co-No. 1s at defensive end, while juniors Mohamed Barry and Will Honas are listed as co-starters at the other inside linebacker spot.

Other notable "ORs" include junior Khalil Davis and sophomore Deontre Thomas sharing the No. 2 defensive end role behind senior Freedom Akinmoladun. Senior Peyton Newell and redshirt freshman Damion Daniels are the co-backups at nose tackle behind senior Mick Stoltenberg.

The last "OR" is at safety behind Neal, where sophomores Jojo Domann and Marquel Dismuke share the No. 2 role.