Princewill Umanmielen: “I didn’t come here to just sit on the bench”

It’s pronounced OO-man-me-ellen.

The pronunciation of his last name is a question true freshman early-enrollee Princewill Umanmielen often gets, or at least used to. Umanmielen doesn’t sound like Sims, Kemp, Coleman, Doss, Fields or any of the other somewhat standard last names for some newcomers to the Nebraska football program.

“People are getting used to it now I guess,” Umanmielen said of his name during a recent appearance on Huskers Radio Network. “I don’t know how.”

Don't worry. Husker fans know, Princewill.

Not since Randy Gregory was hunting quarterbacks and racking up a combined 26.5 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks in two seasons has Nebraska had a pass rusher opposing offensive coordinators feared. That was 10 years ago.

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But there’s hope in Lincoln that Umanmielen, who most fans will simply refer to as Princewill, can be the next Randy Gregory. If the young Texan takes the momentum he ended spring ball with — he recorded four tackles, three for a loss and one sack in the Red-White game — and uses it as a tool to have a strong fall camp and true freshman season, well, there’s a path for him to be a star at Nebraska.

But that’s in the future. Umanmielen isn’t worried about what’s waiting for him down the road. His focus is on the here and now.

“Keep getting one-percent better every day. Can’t be satisfied, can’t be lazy,” Umanmielen said. “The more I keep going, the better I get. I just have to keep staying motivated and keep pushing.”

Due to injuries that kept defensive linemen Ty Robinson and Blaise Gunnerson off the practice field in the spring, Umanmielen took advantage of the opportunity for reps with the first-team defense. Lessons were learned.

“It’s a man’s game. You can’t be a little boy,” Umanmielen said of his first taste of college football. “No matter what age you are, they’re going to look at you, look at the person across from them and see you as their opponent. So you have to go hard.”

Going against a veteran offensive line that returns 120 combined career starts, there were tough practices. Umanmielen won reps, but he lost his share, too. He feels going against veterans like Turner Corcoran, Bryce Benhart, Ben Scott, Nouredin Nouili and Ethan Piper made him more aggressive.

But just like he wants to stay humble and not get too high when he makes plays, Umanmielen never wants to get too low. So he’ll keep getting up if he’s knocked down and shake it off. He has goals to meet.

“I didn’t come here to just sit on the bench,” Umanmielen said. “I’m trying to earn a role to play, earn a role to start.”

Not every true freshman is able to hold up on the defensive line in college football, especially in the Big Ten, a conference known for its physicality and offensive lines built of fourth- and fifth-year players.

Since joining the team as an early enrollee, Umanmielen said he's put on 20 pounds. His goal is to be around the 250-255-pound range. That extra mass will help him compete against older, more experienced players.

Life these days for Umanmielen has consisted of visits to the weight room, eating and protein shakes. Lots of protein shakes.

“It’s not like I’m not a fan of them,” Umanmielen said of the shakes. “But I know what it takes to gain weight, so I’m going to do whatever it takes.”

Nebraska defensive line coach Terrance Knighton sees the potential Umanmielen has. At 6-foot-4, he has length that will allow him to get his hands on an offensive lineman and the quickness that will make him dangerous on the edge or in the slant and stunt game.

“I’m very athletic, so it fits my style a lot,” Umanmielen said. “Being on the edge, winning with speed a lot, it’s a fun game when you’re playing with T-Knighton and the defense he runs.”

Umanmielen had two good role models to learn from living under his own roof. His two older brothers — Prince and Princely — are both playing college football as defensive linemen. Prince played five seasons at Tarleton State before transferring to East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, where he's at now. Princely is entering his fourth year at Florida, where he's played in 33 career games and collected a combined 60 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and eight sacks.

Said Knighton of Princewell back in January: “Very dynamic kid. Long. Has a great passion for the game. Very smart kid — comes from a great family. Has a history of athletes in their family — his brother goes to the University of Florida. He’s a guy who we feel like can come in right away and immediately impact our roster.”

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