Matt Rhule wants Nebraska to rotate 20 players on defense
Matt Rhule continues to hit the right notes for Husker fans who have been frustrated by the past few iterations of Nebraska football.
Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Rhule said he expects the Huskers to be able to rotate almost an entire second unit onto the football field when the defense is on the field.
“We will be a little different than what has happened the last couple seasons,” he said. “If we’re playing the same 11 guys on defense all game, I’m going to lose my mind. I want to be playing 18, 19, 20 guys on defense.
“We’re not gonna just come out in one personnel grouping, so I’ve got to get a lot of guys ready.”
Rhule has several guys in gray jerseys this spring, notably tight end AJ Rollins, who is also working with the defensive line. He’s trying players in new positions. That cross-training isn’t unique to Rhule’s staff, but he does have a refreshing approach to cultivating depth.
He won’t think about the depth chart until the fall.
“In fact, I tell the staff all the time, please do not evaluate their technical skills and drills — ‘Oh this guy can do this, he can’t do this’ — yet. Try to improve it,” he said. “We will look at skillset and traits. Like, this guy’s explosive, this guy’s twitchy.
“But in our system, you come in and we’re teaching the offense and defense right now, and then over the summer we’ll try to improve it, then in training camp we’ll try to perfect it, and then in the season we’ll try to execute it. … I’m really taking that methodical, detailed (approach). The worst thing you can do is write a player off. That’s the worst thing you can do.”
You can see more from Rhule below.