Voting Criteria: Player's importance to the team in 2016, talent and potential for the upcoming season. A player's long term/NFL potential was not taken into consideration.
Voting Panel: Publisher Sean Callahan and HuskerOnline.com staff Robin Washut, Nate Clouse, Mike Matya, Bryan Munson, and Gregg Peterson.
5. Josh Banderas, LB, Sr.
Nebraska's coaching staff has been waiting for Josh Banderas to take over as one of the leaders of the defense at middle linebacker, and his senior season just might be when he puts it all together and answers the call.
The problem for the Lincoln native is that injuries have plagued him throughout his career. A promising start to 2015 was cut down to just nine game appearances by a lingering groin injury he suffered at Miami.
Even so, Banderas still managed to rank fourth on the team with 61 tackles. He looked back to his old form this spring, and is expected to reclaim his role as the starting MIKE despite all of the newfound linebacker experience returning in 2016.
Maybe the biggest indication yet of NU's expectations for Banderas this season came when the staff announced he would be one of the three player representatives for the annual Big Ten Media Days next week in Chicago.
It's unclear what Nebraska's plan is for team captains this season, but Banderas would appear to be one of the leading candidates for that honor with the way things stand right now.
T3. Jordan Westerkamp, WR, Sr.
Jordan Westerkamp enters his senior season well on his way to re-writing Nebraska's receiver record books.
He's already broken Nate Swift's record for receiver catches in a season and fell just 25 yards short of besting Johnny Rodgers' season receiving yardage record (942). Westerkamp will have a chance to top both marks again this year, and he figures to have a great shot at breaking some career records as well.
Among the records in jeopardy are Kenny Bell's career catches and yardage marks. Westerkamp averaged five catches and 70.6 yards per game in 2015, and a repeat of those numbers in 2016 would allow him to top Bell in both categories.
Considering Westerkamp has registered a reception in every game each of the past two seasons, he's also got a great shot at beating Rodgers' consecutive-games-with-a-catch streak.
Maybe biggest of all, he will have a legitimate chance at becoming the Huskers' first ever 1,000-yard receiver. It certainly won't be easy, especially with NU's tremendous depth at wide out. But betting against Westerkamp in anything is pretty much foolish at this point.
T3. Nick Gates, OL, So.
Nebraska came into the spring having completely reshuffled its offensive line from what it looked like last season, but one spot that was already well secured was at left tackle with sophomore Nick Gates.
He spent all of his first two seasons as a Husker working on the right side, including starting 10 games at right tackle last year and earning Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors.
But after the departure of senior Alex Lewis, Nebraska asked Gates to move to the other side of the line at left tackle.
He seamlessly transitioned into the marquee position on the o-line this spring, and his combination of skill, strength and nastiness makes him an ideal fit to protect Tommy Armstrong's blindside.
As a result, Gates looks to be locked in as NU's starting left tackle for years to come.
2. Nate Gerry, S, Sr.
Nate Gerry admittedly struggled early on last season in adjusting to a complete shift in coverage responsibilities from the previous defense to Mark Banker’s scheme.
But things started to click as the year went on, and he ended up posting one of the better seasons of any Husker defender.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder led NU with 79 tackles (49 solo), four interceptions, and seven pass breakups. Gerry had at least six tackles in eight games in 2015, and his play was good enough to earn third-team All-Big Ten honors.
The South Dakota native is well on his way to etching his name in the school career record books, as he’s currently just outside the all-time interceptions list (nine) and needs five more picks to tie the program record of 14.
Also, with 199 tackles, Gerry needs just 55 more to crack the top-10 career list.
Now with a year of experience in Banker’s system, there should be no reason Gerry can’t continue to rise up those charts in his senior year.
1. Tommy Armstrong, QB, Sr.
Entering his fourth season as Nebraska’s starter, Tommy Armstrong stands as one of the most experienced and productive quarterbacks in the Big Ten this year.
Last season was a bit of a transition for Armstrong and the entire Huskers’ offense under head coach Mike Riley and offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf, but he still managed to produce 3,430 yards of total offense, which stand as the third most in NU history.
If he can make a jump with more than a full year in the new offense now under his belt, Armstrong could be in for one of his best campaigns yet.
Of course, just as it's been for the past three seasons, Armstrong's decision making and ball security will ultimately decide what 2016 will be for the Huskers.
If he can get consistent help from the running game and not have to throw the ball 40-plus times, he and offense will be much better off. In fact, it's possible Nebraska might lean on Armstrong more than ever as a runner this season.
Not to say they're going to go back to the option offense of old, but if the Huskers can utilize Armstrong in a similar style to NFL stars Cam Newton and Teddy Bridgewater - two QBs the staff has studied heavily this offseason - the offense could be in for very big things.
