Monday notebook: Secondary making big gains

While positivity and optimism were overflowing in new head coach Scott Frost’s first spring at Nebraska, there was one area that remained an undeniable concern following the Red-White game.

The lack of returning experience and last year’s ugly performance from the secondary had already raised some red flags for NU’s new staff, and then the overall lack of progress through spring ball didn’t help ease those worries.

But as the team got back to work for the start of fall camp, defensive coordinator Erik Chinander couldn’t have been much more pleased with the turnaround from his defensive backs.

“In the spring, I’ll tell you honestly, it wasn’t very high. Right now I’m really thrilled,” Chinander said of his level of trust in the DBs. “Definitely that’s the most improved unit on the team. By no stretch of the imagination are we ready to roll yet.

“We’re not ready to go out there and play a game yet, but that unit as a whole - the guys that were here, the young guys - that group has taken a huge, huge step in fall camp. I think we’re all pleasantly surprised with them.”

One of the biggest issues for the new staff was the lack of interceptions the secondary forced during spring practices considering the level of importance placed on creating turnovers in Chinander’s scheme.

Chinander said that was a notable difference through the first four fall sessions, and senior safety Antonio Reed said the defensive backs made it a point to reshape their mentality regarding aggressiveness and taking chances in coverage

“As a DB, you have to think about getting turnovers every day, every play,” Reed said. “With this defense, that’s what happens…

“We’ve really improved our attention to detail and our focus on the field. A while back we weren’t really focused, but now you can see the focus and attention we put into the work. I think that’s where most of the improvement came from.”

Part of that jump from spring to fall has been due to the influx of new faces in the secondary. Junior cornerback Lamar Jackson said it’s been somewhat of a fine line between wanting to help the younger players come along while also holding them off for a starting job.

“They say you can teach a guy to take your job, but it’s up to you to say 'there’s no way he’s taking my f***ing job,’” Jackson said. “That’s how it goes. All the young guys, they ask me questions, and I’m going to tell them to watch me. But at the same time, I’m confident in abilities.

“It’s just all about having confidence in yourself and respect for the game. We are all competing at the end of the day and we are all working.”

- Robin Washut

One of the biggest challenges for a new staff is not only getting their players up to speed on new schemes, terminology, and team culture, but also developing vocal leaders on the field and in the locker room.

Leadership was still very much a work in progress coming out of spring practices, but Chinander thinks that won’t be the case much longer.

The Huskers are still looking for more vocal leaders to step up this fall, but the overall buy-in and willingness to accept peer instruction immediately jumped out over the first few camp practices.

“The thing that’s changed right now is that if something’s not right, somebody says something,” Chinander said. “I don’t know if it’s three or four (clear leaders) yet, but somebody says something and everybody listens.

“So we’ve grown in our leadership, but we’ve also grown in the followership. It’s not anymore like, ‘F you, I ain’t listening to you.’ Now it’s, ‘Oh, somebody told me something, that’s the way it’s supposed to be. That’s my teammate. I’m going to do it that way.’ I think that whole group has grown as leaders and followers.”

Chinander said it’s to the point now where it’s not just up to the coaches to call out mistakes during practices, as the players have started to take it upon themselves to make sure their teammates know exactly what is going on.

“In the spring time I (was) calling them up after every period. By the time I get over there now, they’ve already got it,” Chinander said. “Mo Barry has got them up; Mick Stoltenberg’s got them up; anybody’s got them up and taking care of the problem, I don’t even have to get in there. That’s a great feeling as a coach.”

- Robin Washut

While giving his initial evaluations of his inside linebacker group during spring ball, Barrett Ruud didn’t pull any punches.

That was especially true for sophomore Avery Roberts, as Ruud publicly called out the Wilmington, Del., native for being out of shape and essentially questioning his drive to get better.

Ruud was singing a completely different tune regarding Roberts on Monday.

“He’s improved,” Ruud said. “He took it to heart. I don’t think - and he’ll probably tell you this too - he’s where he needs to be yet, but he’s made a lot of progress since spring. I think he’s on the right track.

“It’s still going to take him some time, and he’s got to continue to work and get better, but I think he really took it heart and tried this summer, which is good.”

Ruud said the biggest progress he’s seen from Roberts - who is now listed at 6-1, 230 on the official roster - has been his commitment to improving his overall strength and conditioning.

“I think he always had a good understanding of the defense, but I think physically he’s improved compared to where he was in the spring,” Ruud said. “I don’t think he was ready to play in the spring.

“Now with the offseason workout program, I think he really did take that to heart and he’s in better shape than he was in the spring.”

- Robin Washut

One of the more highly ranked recruits in Nebraska’s 2018 class was outside linebacker Caleb Tannor.

The Georgia native is expected to compete for early playing time, and thus far has not disappointed.

“I think so, and I think he’s exceeding it a little bit almost,” outside linebackers coach Jovan DeWitt said of Tannor when asked if he’s meeting the early expectations.

“He’s even met some expectations as far as pass rush ability. He’s got some natural football acumen, which is really nice. Because a lot of times when freshmen come in and you are expecting a lot of them, sometimes the mental aspect kind of takes over and they kind of struggle a little bit.

“I think Caleb has done a really good job of getting back in the meeting room and has a better understanding of where he needs to fit. There are some intricacies in the defense obviously he hasn’t picked up, but I think he’s doing a good job of getting lined up, which I think is the first step in calming the chaos in his mind.

"We are teaching him right now when practice starts to become chaotic with our tempo and when you start to play in the chaos, you have to calm things down in your mind, so you can relax and start playing faster again.”

Junior inside linebacker Mohamed Barry has also been high on Tannor. He’s done his best to take the fellow Georgia native under his wing in Fall Camp.

“He listens,” Barry said of Tannor. “One thing about him is he’s looking for it. I don’t have to take him. He’s at the pond. He’s there and he’s drinking. I don’t have to go to him, he’s coming to me. He’s opening his ears and he’s ready and hungry to learn to get better.”

- Sean Callahan

Of all the freshmen in Fall Camp, maybe the biggest surprise player has been cornerback Cameron Taylor.

The former high school quarterback has never played defensive back before but has already made a strong enough impact through four practices that he’s expected to see the field immediately this season.

“He makes plays, and he’s getting after it,” sophomore DiCaprio Bootle said of Taylor. “He’s really getting after it out there, so I’m really proud of him at how he’s come in and working. He’s very mature.”

When was asked to point out some of the newcomers that have jumped out in camp, he didn’t hesitate at all to mention Taylor’s name first.

“Cam Taylor,” Jackson said when asked which freshman has been the most impressive. “He plays corner with me, so I respect him. He stays on me and asks questions, he’s picking up stuff fast. All the guys have been working, but Cam is the guy that’s been the most impressive with the young group of DB’s.”

And Jackson added being a former high school quarterback is something that’s helped Taylor with his transition to defense.

“That just shows his character that he played quarterback,” Jackson said. “He always ‘yes sir,’ or ‘no sir.’ He’s a natural leader. That’s where you can see he was a quarterback, but at the end of the day playing DB he’s still confrontational. He’s still a dog and he’s still confident in what he’s doing, even when he makes mistakes he’s out there making them fast. He’s doing his thing.”

- Sean Callahan

One of the key off-season additions Nebraska’s added to the coaching staff was bringing back long-time assistant Ron Brown.

However, instead of a position coach, Brown will serve more as an advisor to both the players and the coaches.

DeWitt has never worked with Brown before this season, and thus far he’s been very impressed with what he’s brought to the table.

“I think he’s an invaluable resource just from a guy that knows how Nebraska works,” DeWitt said. “He knows the people and he knows what to do. He knows the pressures that a player feels are different at Nebraska than a lot of other places. He can help those guys manage it.

"In terms of a life skills and player development guy, I don’t know if there’s a better guy in the country for a role like that.”

- Sean Callahan

As a senior leader along the defensive line, Mick Stoltenberg has seen a lot.

He’s seen enough to know the Blackshirts are preparing differently this fall camp to make sure they don’t repeat last season’s miserable performance.

“I think the No. 1 thing we are working on right now is effort, getting hats to the football,” Stoltenberg said. “The best defenses get a lot of guys to the ball every play. It’s not a ball was thrown to the other sideline, I’m just kind of jogging. No, I’m getting my butt over to that sideline as well with the rest of the team. That way, if there are cutbacks or if someone misses a tackle we’re all there to make it. So that’s the No. 1 thing, for sure.”

Another thing Stoltenberg said they are doing differently this year is developing depth and making sure everyone is getting reps. Given the type of offense the Huskers will be running, the defense will need to stay fresh and be able to have plenty of bodies to give maximum effort at all times.

“The offense is moving fast, we’re spending a lot of time on the field,” Stoltenberg said. “What we need to prepare us for that is depth. We need to be able to roll guys. You can’t take 70 snaps in the Big Ten every game as a defensive lineman. That’s not going to work for the longevity of the season.

"We need bodies to roll, need bodies fresh and coming in to contribute. So that’s something we’re working on. We’re making sure that we’re developing everyone across the board."

Stoltenberg added that he's seen a big boost in the overall depth and competition on the defensive line.

“I think we have 16 guys, which is awesome, and we’re going to need as many bodies as we can get,” Stoltenberg said. “As far as reps and everything, that’s Coach (Mike) Dawson. Every single night he writes down every single rep, who’s going to take it, what combination of guys are going to take it.

"I’ve gone with a variation of guys, he likes to roll guys in, keep guys fresh, make sure guys are getting the appropriate amount of time off or the appropriate amount of reps. He does a great job kind of planning everything out. It’s great having that kind of numbers and that many guys that can roll.”

- Nate Clouse

***Chinander said transfer safety Tre Neal has hit the ground running through four practices, as expected. Chinander said Neal “knows the answers to all the questions” when it comes to anticipating plays and pre-snap adjustments, and he’s been a great teacher to the rest of the DBs.

***Chinander said linebacker Luke Gifford was still being eased into the full-football work, but he can already tell Gifford is going to be a really good player for them. Chinander said they still need to see Gifford get more football work before he can tell where he’ll fit in the defense, but the potential is definitely there.

***Chinander said he sometimes has to remind himself that defensive end Ben Stille is only a sophomore and not a seasoned veteran at times. Stille carries himself with such poise that he seems beyond his years, and Chinander said he’d only continue to get better as he masters the details of the game.

***Outside linebackers coach Jovann DeWitt said freshman Caleb Tannor was much further ahead than he expected coming into camp. Tannor still has a lot of work to do, but he’s really impressed early on.

***Freshman cornerback Cam Taylor continued to garner more praise on Monday, and it’s clear he might be the most impressive freshman of all.

***Dawson said transfer Vaha Vainuku brings a unique body type and great experience to the room. Because Vainuku missed so much time due to injury Dawson said he still has to re-acclimate back to football a bit, but he’s well on his way to being a big factor.