Spring Preview: Defensive line
With spring practice beginning next week, HuskerOnline.com will take an in-depth look at each position with our 2019 spring position previews.
Today we continue by analyzing and breaking down Nebraska's defensive line heading into spring practice.
What we know right now: Experience will be the strength
While Nebraska still has plenty of questions left to answer about its defensive line, one of the biggest strengths for the front three this season will be a wealth of veteran experience.
The Huskers return six upperclassmen on the d-line this season, including five expected to be starters or fixtures in the gameday rotation. Seniors Carlos and Khalil Davis are back, as are junior Ben Stille, and third-year sophomore Deontre Thomas.
Senior DaiShon Neal and sophomore Damion Daniels, who played in all 12 games last year as a redshirt freshman, also return, and NU added even more experience with graduate transfer nose guard and Damion's older brother, Darrion Daniels.
Those veterans will not only give Nebraska a battle-tested core up front, but they'll also help develop a cast of underclassmen who could make a push for playing time in 2019.
With a group that helped make a big jump last year and nearly doubled their sack total from 2017, there should be a much stronger foundation on the defensive line to build upon in 2019.
Biggest question to answer: How much impact will Tuioti have?
The biggest change of the offseason came within head coach Scott Frost's staff, which lost an assistant for the first time in three seasons when defensive line coach Mike Dawson opted to take a job with the NFL's New York Giants.
Though he'd only been in Lincoln for one year, Dawson clearly made a strong impact on his players and had a key role in NU's defensive turnaround last season and its successful 2019 recruiting class.
Now the keys to the d-line have been handed to Tony Tuioti, who officially joined the staff after two seasons at Cal and other stints at Michigan, Hawaii, and with the NFL's Cleveland Browns.
Frost is someone who is very particular in assembling his coaching staff, and while Tuioti was discovered via a national search, there's little doubt he fit the bill as a coach and person that Frost wanted.
The question now is how Nebraska's defensive front might change under Tuioti's guidance? Frost mentioned that while he wants like-minded people on his staff, he also understands the importance of having assistants who can bring new ideas to the table and put their own stamps on their respective position groups.
We should get a pretty good idea of Tuioti and his approach by the end of spring practices.
Spring dark horse: Deontre Thomas
Fans have been waiting for Thomas to reach his full potential for two years now, but after cracking the rotation as a true freshman in 2017, his opportunities to do so have been limited.
Thomas played in 10 games and finished with 14 tackles his first season, but much of that playing time came in mop-up duty on an NU defense that was downright terrible.
He was again on his way to being a fixture in the rotation when Frost and Co. arrived last year, but a broken hand limited him to play in only the first four games.
At 6-3, 290, the Mustang, Okla., native has the combination of size, strength, and explosiveness the coaching staff is looking for in a 3-4 defensive end.
Even with the amount of returning veteran experience, Thomas will have every opportunity to make himself a mainstay for the Blackshirts this fall.
Projected spring depth chart
DE
1. Khalil Davis, Sr.
2. Deontre Thomas, So.
NG
1. Carlos Davis, Sr.
2. Damion Daniels, So.
-OR-
Darrion Daniels, Sr.
DE
1. Ben Stille, Jr.
2. DaiShon Neal, Sr.
Other notables: Vaha Vainuku, Sr.; Chris Walker, So.; Tate Wildeman, RFr.; Casey Rodgers, RFr.; Ryan Schommer, RFr.; Damian Jackson, So.