Husker Hurry Up: Jason Kelce impressed by Cam Jurgens "tools" on O-Line

Good morning, and welcome to the Husker Hurry Up! This is your guide to news, analysis and other tidbits as we get you caught up and prepared for everything that’s going on in Nebraska football, recruiting, volleyball, basketball and more throughout the week. So grab your coffee and sit down to read up on your favorite Huskers players and teams.

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Cam Jurgens arrived in Lincoln in 2018 as a four-star athlete, the No. 1-ranked player in Nebraska out of Beatrice High School and a player expected to suit up at tight end for the Huskers.

Soon enough, though, he made the transition to center, and the rest, as they say, is history. But while Jurgens' time with the Huskers ended last year, his life as a potential NFL stalwart is just beginning.

After being selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 51st overall pick in the second round of April's NFL Draft, Jurgens caught eyes during the team's rookie mini camp, and he has garnered high praise throughout his still-brief time in Philadelphia.

That includes from four-time All-Pro center Jason Kelce. The Eagles hope to use Jurgens, who may begin his NFL career at right guard, as Kelce's replacement down the road.

But, as The Philadelphia Inquirer's Josh Tolentino wrote earlier this summer, it was Kelce who helped the Eagles scout Jurgens by giving his own assessment to the staff. And it has been Kelce pounding the table for Jurgens after seeing him up close in practices this summer.

“I’m pretty excited about the kid,” Kelce said. “I liked him a lot. I like his tools. I like his mentality. I think I’ve looked at a few guys the past couple years when they’ve asked my opinions. He’s here obviously because [offensive line coach] Jeff Stoutland and Howie Roseman, Nick Sirianni, all these people, watched his tape and really believe in him. I think, although he does have a lot of similar traits to me, he’s going to be his own player, and I’m looking forward to helping out any of these young guys, in particular Cam.”

Tolentino also spoke with Frost in a one-on-one interview for that story, and the Huskers coach praised Jurgens for having "a nasty streak in him" that will continue to serve him well in the future.

The National College Football Awards Association is running out its preseason awards watch lists this week.

The Maxwell Award Preseason Watch List on Monday, and the Davey O'Brien Preseason Watch List was released on Tuesday.

But no Nebraska players were featured on either list. We expected that Husker quarterback Casey Thompson would be among the 35 players for the Davey O'Brien Award, which honors the nation's best quarterback in college football, but perhaps that's a product of Thompson not having officially locked down the starting quarterback spot yet.

Whatever the case is, Thompson not being named to the list was a bit of a surprise.

The next preseason watch list to be released is for the Doak Walker Award, which honors the sport's best running back at the end of the season.

Beni Ngoyi is a three-star receiver and the state of Nebraska's No. 8-ranked player in the Class of 2023.

The 6-foot-4, 188-pounder is set to announce his commitment at 1 p.m. CT today from Lincoln High School.

He is down to Iowa State, Nebraska and TCU, but it is shaping up to be a Big 12 win for Ngoyi's commitment.

Iowa State appears to be the favorite as he is not likely to wind up with the Huskers. But we will find out officially this afternoon.

– Greg Smith, Inside Nebraska's senior recruiting analyst, conducted his first live chat on our Insider's Board on Tuesday night. Check that out through this link if you missed it.

– Bryan Applewhite appeared on "Sports Nightly" on Tuesday. Steve Marik broke down Applewhite's conversation here.

– Greg's live chat was his first with Inside Nebraska, and Steve will be holding his first one this week as well. Steve will hold his from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. CT on Thursday as we experiment with evening and afternoon slots for those live chats.

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