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Youth movement: True freshmen, underclassmen account for a large chunk of Nebraska’s roster

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Youth seems to be a theme across the B1G West this year. That inexperience, as well as incoming talent, is a good reason why the division is such a wide open race this fall.

Nebraska is one of the several teams in the West that will be very young in 2019, and thanks to a roster breakdown from Sam McKewon of the Omaha World-Herald, we know just how young the Huskers will be this fall.

According to McKewon’s breakdown, Nebraska’s roster is at 152 names. Of that total, 79 players are either true freshmen or redshirt freshmen, accounting for over half the roster. Another 26 players are listed as sophomore.

In total, that’s 105 underclassmen on the roster, or 69.1 percent. There are also 23 juniors and 24 seniors on the team.

That would be a pretty young roster for anyone, but it’s especially true for Nebraska considering the high expectations entering Scott Frost’s second year. The Huskers are expected to challenge for a West title this fall, primarily because of the return of quarterback Adrian Martinez.

When dealing with a young roster, though, consistency can be an issue. Nebraska hasn’t had much success on the field over the last two years, either. That makes the challenge even greater.

Regardless of what happens this year, Frost is certainly building a foundation in Lincoln. Even if the Huskers don’t claim a division crown this fall, they’ll certainly be in the mix for years to come.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB