Voting Criteria: Player's importance to the team in 2018, overall talent, and future potential for the upcoming season. A player's long-term/NFL prospects were not taken into consideration.
Voting Panel: Publisher Sean Callahan, HuskerOnline.com staff Robin Washut, Nate Clouse, Mike Matya, and Gregg Peterson.
10. Tristan Gebbia, QB, RFr.
Gebbia earned the immediate reputation as a true football film junkie from the day he stepped on campus last spring as an early-enrollee true freshman. After a redshirt year, he'll enter fall camp with a chance to be Nebraska's next starting quarterback.
Gebbia went head-to-head with true freshman Adrian Martinez in the spring, and the competition essentially became a two-man race after Patrick O'Brien transferred. Gebbia more than held his own running NU's new offense in the Spring Game, and he'll be given every chance to win the job in August.
9. Breon Dixon, OLB, So.
When the NCAA ruled that Dixon and several other former Ole Miss players would be eligible to play this season, Nebraska's defense instantly changed as a result.
A unique talent with the power to play the run as a linebacker and the speed to cover like a defensive back, Dixon brings a hybrid element to the Huskers that few, if any, other players can replicate. He will be a starter from Day 1 and should have a large and versatile role all year.
8. Carlos Davis, DL, Jr.
Though he was recruited to play in a 4-3 defensive scheme, Davis adapted well to Nebraska's move to a 3-4 last year by posting 42 tackles in 12 starts at defensive end. He also added 2.5 sacks, four tackles for loss, and led the team with six quarterback hurries, giving a glimpse of his ability to make plays in opposing backfields.
Davis will once again be one of the primary ends in NU's new system under Erik Chinander, but he also has the ability to move inside to nose tackle as well. That versatility should help make him a mainstay on the field in 2018.
7. Brenden Jaimes, OL, So.
Jaimes joined some rare company last year when he made his first career start as a true freshman at right tackle four weeks into the season. He ended up holding onto the job for the final nine games, giving him the most starts ever by an NU true freshman offensive lineman.
Jaimes made the move to left tackle this spring, and based on his early performances he looks to the Huskers' future on the blindside for years to come. Jaimes already boasts legitimate NFL potential and will be a crucial piece to Nebraska's offensive line.
6. Tanner Farmer, OL, Sr.
Injury derailed Farmer's junior season after eight games, but he returns as one of the key veteran leaders on Nebraska's offensive line as a senior.
With 19 starts over the past two years, Farmer is as experienced as any player up front. While he's projected to hold down his starting right guard spot in 2018, there's still a chance NU could move him inside to center.
