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Nebraska OC encouraged by tight ends early in spring, highlights Arik Gilbert
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Nebraska offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield acknowledged it’s very early in spring ball, but he seems optimistic about what the Huskers have in the tight end room.
It’s a group that has to replace last year’s leader Travis Vokolek. There are some obvious big names in the group, but Satterfield is pleased so far with the depth. When he spoke with reporters on Thursday, Satterfield highlighted the variability in the room.
“We have a lot of different tight ends with a lot of different bodies that can do a lot of really cool things,” he said. “We have the body types. It’s what I’ve always wanted to have. I’ve never had this many tight ends.
“But we want to be in 13 personnel at times, where you have a tight end that’s maybe a bigger guy that puts his hand down and he’s blocking the C-D gap. And you have another tight end that might be a little bit shorter that’s playing more of the fullback type. And then you have another tight end that might be just a little bit undersized but he’s playing in the slot. … As many as we can get out there at once is awesome for me. I think we’re going to have a chance to have really good depth at that position.”
Nebraska returns Thomas Fidone, Nate Boerkircher, and AJ Rollins, among others. The big-name newcomer is former Georgia tight end Arik Gilbert. Man, does Satterfield seem encouraged by Gilbert.
“Freak, man. He’s super gifted. Very, very, very good kid,” Satterfield said. “Flashes at times when he does things. It’s mind-boggling to be that big and move your body like that. So really excited where he’s going off the field and on.”
Nebraska has the former Bulldog listed at 6-foot-6, 260 pounds. With the Huskers wanting to move their tight ends around like chess pieces, having a player with that kind of size is a huge plus.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.