Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule made an appearance on Huskers Radio Network on Wednesday night. Here are the highlights:

Rhule likes the fact that all five starters in the defensive backfield will be wearing single-digits. That includes the corners in Tommi Hill and Marques Buford Jr., the two safeties in Malcolm Hartzog and DeShon Singleton and rover Isaac Gifford.

Rhule even joked with secondary coach John Butler that opponents shouldn’t be throwing for many yards on the Huskers this season.

“I really respect those guys. Those guys work hard. They work at their craft. They've overcome," Rhule said. "You think about Marques Buford, he's overcome two knees (injuries). DeShon Singleton missed most of last year with a knee. Malcolm has played corner and safety unselfishly. Giff decided to come back. Giff played all last year with a sports hernia and just played through it. Never sat himself out, waited until after the season to get surgery. Tommi Hill didn't even start halfway through the year last year.”

Rhule used the opportunity on the radio Wednesday to announce that Buford will get the start at corner opposite Hill against UTEP.

“Marques Buford will start at corner,” Rhule said. “I think he’s played excellent this camp. We have fast receivers, he’s played really well."

But while the Huskers’ starting secondary looks solid, Rhule is wondering about the depth behind them.

“Really, what we need right now to be honest with you, is some of the younger group to step up,” Rhule said, “because we'll need to give these guys a blow at some point, and that second group on defense is really my main focus right now.”

Of course, there will likely be a rotation at that second corner spot with multiple guys getting opportunities. That means Husker fans could see Blye Hill, Ceyair Wright, Jeremiah Charles, Amare Sanders and others getting looks.

“It's college football, it's not the NFL. These guys are emerging. They're growing. And there's a lot of good players. There's a lot of depth,” Rhule said. “So they'll compete it out each week. Maybe one week someone's got something pulled. Maybe one week someone's really focused. Maybe one week the game style or the player fits somebody.”

Rhule and Butler were recently watching offensive film of Austin Peay, the team UTEP head coach Scotty Walden coached last year. It was a heavy spread offense, sometimes with four receivers to one side while the offensive linemen were using wide splits.

Rhule turned to Butler and joked, “It’s a little different than getting ready for the Jets, huh?” That got a laugh out of the new DBs coach who spent the past 10 seasons coaching in the NFL.

“I think what you see, I think you see a spark and you see a renewed energy in him,” Rhule said of Butler. “When you're in the NFL, you're coaching. When you're here, you're teaching, you're training, you're developing players. So I think that’s his natural character. And I think I see a really good synergy between him and Tony (White).

Rhule said the Huskers will not be wearing an alternate uniform this season. The coach added that talks for alternate jerseys usually happen two years before when they’re worn in a game. The coach added Nebraska is currently in talks for an alternate for the 2026 season.

“There was nothing planned for this year. I think that was just sort of a philosophical decision,” Rhule said. “Many people know that I'm a traditionalist, I love seeing traditional uniforms. I know if our players had their druthers, they would definitely, I mean, every recruit, every player, would come out white-on-white one game, or red-on-red one game. But in terms of an alternate uniform, there's nothing this year.”

Rhule sounded confident when discussing Corcoran, who is the team’s starting left tackle now that his primary competition for the job, Teddy Prochazka, suffered a season-ending ACL injury and is out for the season.

“I think Turner’s looked great. He goes against good players every day,” Rhule said. “He’s a guy who’s played a lot of football. He’s bigger, he’s stronger, he’s sturdy. Anxious to watch him play.”

Behind Corcoran, however, is where the questions start. Redshirt freshmen Gunnar Gottula and walk-on Grant Seagren are battling for the LT2 job. Whoever wins that role, Rhule is confident because of what he’s seen from offensive line coach Donovan Raiola.

“I think the biggest thing, the biggest mark of the job Donnie has done, is if someone goes in, if Gunnar goes in, if Grant Seagren goes in, whomever goes in, there’s not a big drop-off,” Rhule said. “They work together as a unit and play well together.”

Rhule continues to be high on true freshman Carter Nelson, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound former 8-man player from Ainsworth. While the young and explosive athlete is taking a lot in right now, there are flashes of him being an elite playmaker.

“Carter is a developing young player. You think about the fact that this is his first foray, other than those all-star games, into 11-man football, it's really mind blowing what he's done,” Rhule said. “He's got great talent. He's helping us on special teams. He's working in on offense. I think as the year goes on, he'll continue to grow.

"Right now, it's just about the volume, the learning, knowing what to do. I think right now, not every play he’s quite sure what to do, but when he is, he's really talented. So he's got a great future. We'll bring him along day by day.”

One radio listener asked Rhule which freshmen he thought would play during the season. Rhule gave an answer, but didn’t give a number on how many games for any of them.

“Dylan (Raiola) will play. Carter will play. Jacory Barney will play. Vincent Shavers will play. I’d say probably Amare Sanders will play," Rhule said. "I’m probably missing some guys, but I’d say those are probably in the mix. Willis McGahee will probably play.”

The decision was made to move the Huskers from the east sideline to the west during games beginning this season. That’s a welcomed change for Rhule.

“Certainly last year with the sign stealing and all that…not having the officials on your sideline marking the chains. I mean, there's a lot of advantages to being on the traditional home sideline,” Rhule said. “Traditionally the home side is the pressbox side. Grateful that we were able to do that.”

With the season-opener quickly approaching, the Huskers are still trying to figure out who the first guy to get a crack at a field goal will be.

Tristan Alvano, last season’s starter, is working his way back to full health after offseason groin surgery. On Tuesday, special teams coordinator Ed Foley said Alvano was operating at about 90%. Pushing Alvano in the specialist room is John Hohl, a transfer from Iowa Western Community College who has impressed since arriving this summer.

Hohl, however, has never attempted a kick in college. He redshirted his true freshman year last season for the Reivers.

“I think it’s still a question yet to be answered,” Rhule said of the place kicking. “You have an unproven guy in John in that he just hasn’t kicked for us in college. You have a guy in Tristan who had a good first year and was on track to improve on it and has been injured. I think when you’re injured, you don’t know until you know. I have a lot of confidence in Tristan, there's not a doubt in my mind that when he's ready he'll go out there and go. I love what I've seen from John. I have a lot of confidence in him. A lot of confidence in Nico (Ottomanelli). Those guys have kicked really well. But we're gonna have to get out there and do it.”

Rhule later added, “The things that do keep me up at night, that’s one of them. It’s not about the players, it’s about his injury and their experience.”

>> Rhule said it'll be offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield who will be the one talking to starting quarterback Dylan Raiola during game days. The 2024 season is the first that will allow coaches to use helmet communication with players.

>> Rhule said the Blackshirts will be handed out during game week.

>> CONSIDER AN ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIPTION for less than $2/week to unlock all of our premium articles and sound off on the hot topics on our INSIDER'S BOARD

>> Follow us on Twitter (@NebraskaRivals) and Instagram (@nebraskarivals)

>> Subscribe for free to the Inside Nebraska YouTube channel