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Great question...I'd love to hear the answer. Usually a surprise or two as far as an injury that was assumed to be taken care of, or a scholarship kid who just got lazy and won't end up being around 2nd semester, etc.
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anon_umk0ifu6vj6zi
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yes ... there are far too many names that should come as surprises on a power 5 school roster hoping to compete for championships. Hopefully Riley and staff will get this rectified over the next few years
He actually wasn't on the 105 man roster last season either. He's a complete non factor despite still being on scholarship. Probably should've been "processed" long ago, but he's a good student and a good teammate.
That's actually kind of silly. It's a 105 man roster. Every school in the country is going to have at least 20 names on their roster who aren't on scholarship and aren't "championship" caliber.
I'm not talking about the last 20. Plenty way up on the depth chart. We led the nation last year in walkons in the 2 deep depth chart
I believe that was true of the 94/95 teams also. I believe it averaged over 20 of the 65 man travel roster - if I remember a Coach T O quote correctly. Different era, but remarkable anyway.
You beat me to it. Good post. We used to brag about how many walk ons were starters. I understand the contrary point, but the mere presence of a large number of walk ons was at one time a source of pride for the program.
Yeah, but having walk-ons is only cool if you are winning.
The only spot on the entire roster where Nebraska is basically playing a walk on by default is Weak Side Defensive End with Ross Dzuris.
Brandon Reilly would start for every team in the Big Ten minus Michigan.
Chris Weber, a back up Middle LB, will actually beat out Tyrin Ferguson, the former New Orleans HS Defensive POY who chose Nebraska over Oklahoma and Arkansas.
I always enjoyed this argument from last season. Walk on Andy Janovich, now of the NFL, really cost Nebraska on the field. So did Reilly.
Guys like Brad Simpson and or the Jordans or Tyler Hoppes are special teamers at best. Their presence only strengthens the roster. It doesn't hurt it.
The team certainly needs to build more depth and athleticism at DE and offensive tackle, but there is nothing wrong with your back up MLB being a 4th year walk on.
I'm going to be nitpicky - Janovich was technically a grey shirt, not a walk-on. It was supposed to be a 2-year grey shirt, with 3 years of scholarship. Once they started him in the first game, they made it a one year grey shirt.
Its an overblown complaint. Here's the list:
QB (5) Tommy Armstrong
Ryker Fyfe - 5th year back up walk on
AJ Bush
Patrick O’Brien
Tanner Lee
RB (8)
Terrell Newby
Devine Ozigbo
Mikale Wilbon
Adam Taylor
Jordan Nelson - won't ever play other than ST
Austin Rose - Maybe ST
Tre Bryant
Wyatt Mazour - back up return man
FB (3) - All walk ons but they're fullbacks
Luke McNitt- Literally the strongest man in Nebraska
Graham Nabity
Harrison Jordan
WR (16)
Jordan Westerkamp
Alonzo Moore
Stanley Morgan
Brandon Reilly - 5th year walk on with and NFL prospect
De’Mornay Pierson-El
Derrion Grim
Gabe Rahn - will be a special teamer
Bryan Reimers- ditto
Brady Pelzer ditto
Zack Darlington
JD Spielman
Lavon Alston
Keyan Williams
Christian Bailey - 4th string slot
Conor Young - 3 years from seeing the field
Donovan McDonald - walk on with 4.3 speed
TE (6)
Cethan Carter
Trey Foster - 5th year will be used as H-back blocker
Sam Cotton
Matt Snyder
Tyler Hoppes - freak athlete will surprise down the road.
David Engelhaupt
OL (16)
Nick Gates
Jerald Foster
Dylan Utter - started 14 career games, now a center
Tanner Farmer
David Knevel
Sam Hahn - 5th year back up transfer from SDSU
Corey Whitaker
Michael Decker
Jalin Barnett
Matt Farniok
Zach Hannon
Christian Gaylord
Bryan Brokop
Boe Wilson
John Raridon
Cole Conrad - impressive feet at 6'6 300 from NE C2.
DL (16)
Freedom Akinmoladun
Ross Dzuris - Discussed above only walk on starting by default.
Kevin Maurice
Khalil Davis
Carlos Davis
Mick Stoltenberg
Sedrick King
DaiShon Neal
Logan Rath- 4th string DT won't play
Alex Davis
AJ Natter
Matt Jarzynka- 4th string DE, special teamer
Peyton Newell
Collin Miller
Garret Johns- 5th year 5th stringer, won't play
Ben Stille
LB (12)
Josh Banderas
Michael Rose-Ivey
Dedrick Young
Marcus Newby
Luke Gifford
Tyrin Ferguson
Mohamed Barry
Chris Weber- good player might start in 2017
Brad Simpson- special teamer
Quayshon Alexander
Greg Simmons
Pernell Jefferson
DB (17)
Nate Gerry
Joshua Kalu
Chris Jones
Aaron Williams
Kieron Williams
Eric Lee
Avery Anderson
Boaz Joseph
Lamar Jackson
Antonio Reed
Tony Butler
JoJo Domann
Charles Jackson
Dicaprio Bootle
Jeremiah Stovall- back up ST
Marquel Dismuke
Reid Karel - 4th year back up ST
ST (6)
Drew Brown
Caleb Lightbourn
Jordan Ober- long snapper
Spencer Lindsay- back up up kicker/punter
Isaac Armstrong- back up punter
Chase Urbach- back up long snapper
Other than the Specialists,
The only Walk ons who will even be factors in the 2 deep are:
Brandon Reilly- WR
Luke McNitt - FB
Dylan Utter- C
Ross Dzuris - DE
Chris Weber - 2nd Team MIKE LB
Fullbacks have long been walk ons at Nebraska. Specialist have long been back ups. The occasional interior linemen have long been back ups, and its also pretty common to see a walk on in the 2 deep at LB.
And while someone will undoubtedly ***** about Utter, keep in mind the coaches let former 4-Star Center Paul Thurston transfer because they preferred Utter at that spot. And Thurston played well when he started due to injury.
If you want to get really nitpicky, then most of the so called "walk ons" are no longer walk ons.
Reilly and Utter are now on scholarship. For the sake of this argument, I think everyone is alluding to players whom arrived at Nebraska without a scholarship in hand.
I love walk-ons as much as the next Husker fan. In fact, if talent was equal, I'd rather play a walk-on from Nebraska over a scholly guy from any other state. If we didn't have as good of a walk-on program we would have been a really bad team for the last 10 years. With that said, a big problem for me last year was we ended up starting walk-ons, for at least a game, at the two most important positions on the field; QB and DE. Those particular positions take extreme athleticism/talent. Take nothing away from Ross Dzuris and Ryker Fyfe, they work hard and are great kids, but they aren't as talented as you would like guys to be at those positions.
We've got to be the only team in the power 5 over a 3 year stretch that started 2 different walk-on QBS in a game. That is totally unacceptable at that position IMO. And by the way, this isn't a knock on the walk-ons. Without guys like Ron Kellog, Fyfe, and Dzuris we would have been in an even worse position. This is a knock on how bad the recruiting has been at those positions in the last several years.
We've got to be the only team in the power 5 over a 3 year stretch that started 2 different walk-on QBS in a game. That is totally unacceptable at that position IMO. And by the way, this isn't a knock on the walk-ons. Without guys like Ron Kellog, Fyfe, and Dzuris we would have been in an even worse position. This is a knock on how bad the recruiting has been at those positions in the last several years.
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I loved hearing that in practice yesterday, Stoltenberg was "intimidating" in terms of his strength and size at DT. If he's that good, the rotation would be what, he and Maurice starting, then the Davis twins, then Newell as the 5th rotation?
Could be a pleasant surprise at DT this year. And by that I don't even mean freakish or dominant, I just mean "surprisingly competent." And honestly, that's really all they have to be this year, because the linebackers and secondary should show some strong improvement/are actually healthy.
My point was, that Jano was never a true walkon. He just gets added to the discussion because we don't grey shirt a lot.
The walkon issue will be a lot smaller this year than it was last year. Depth has been improved (thankfully!). Gangwish was a very solid player last year and we will see what Dzuris can bring. Hopefully Utter improves, because he was unimpressive last year. The LB situation should be over. A guy like Simpson should not be seeing (non special team) playing time last year at LB.
The reason people take issue with having walkons in the two deep is that we lost a lot last year. And there were a couple positions that were a stunning lack of depth/talent (DE and LB). So that makes it easy to say that we have too many walkons in the two deep. Especially when you have zero pass rush and you see two walkons at DE.
Janovich was guaranteed a scholarship. Reilly, Utter and every other walk-on were not.
This topic is hot with friends as well, and I never understand why people lump Janovich in with walk-ons, he wasn't one.
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I don't want to get into the walk on issue or start calling out specific scholarship players by name.
Suffice it to say that I do not think we have a championship or top 10 caliber roster, and therefore if we ultimately expect championships then our roster does have plenty of surprises that are not in line with our ultimate goal.
I will use the last decade plus of on the field results as my supporting evidence.
Suffice it to say that I do not think we have a championship or top 10 caliber roster, and therefore if we ultimately expect championships then our roster does have plenty of surprises that are not in line with our ultimate goal.
I will use the last decade plus of on the field results as my supporting evidence.
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And he never technically grey shirted. That's not what a grey shirt is. A grey shirt postponing your enrollment for a semester (until the winter term) so that a scholarship frees up for you.
So if you really want to be nitpicking...
Also he was very much a walk-on. His was a hybrid, a walk-on promised a scholarship at a future date. Most of the walk-ons are promised scholarships if they can crack the 2 deep
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Thank you, thank you, thank you, Cornicator for stating that about our walk-on programs. I am sick and tired of so many people on this board pointing the finger out are walk-ons as the problem with our program. A few of the being "mods" and a few so called "insider" fought this to the death last year. I get that they were trying to defend the new staff but they were placing blame on kids who weren't to blame.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I respect that but I don't respect bashing hard working players on this board when they weren't the reason we lost so many games last year. But that's in the past. If anyone blames are "walk-ons" this year, I am going to sh*t a brick.
Who remembers the thread that try to explain how Purdue have more talent on his roster the Nebraska last year… That was amazing
Good catch on the GS definition. Walk-ons aren't guaranteed a scholarship though. Andy was guaranteed a scholarship. Reilly wasn't. Utter wasn't. Weber wasn't. Foltz wasn't. The list goes on and on...
http://www.omaha.com/huskers/footba...cle_254998d6-a5e7-5066-be1e-744dacaf9d1c.html
Others weren’t so easily swayed. Janovich, now with the NFL’s Broncos, was one. He never attended NU’s camps. Husker coaches knew little about him. He was set to play at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, had it not been for Jamrog pushing coach Bo Pelini to agree, before Janovich ever walked on, that the fullback would be guaranteed a scholarship after two seasons.
I remember the graphs, they were all over social media. Agree or not, and I don't remember Purdue specifically, but the 2-deep Rivals stars were eye opening when comparing us to our opponent. There should be a gap but there wasn't.
Depends on how you look at it. Many are told that if you crack the 2 deep you will be put on scholarship. I'll try to hunt down articles when Barney would recruit these kids to walk-on to prove it to you. The staff would not guarantee it but it was a promise from them. Bo didn't always live up to that promise but for the most part did.
It's really no different then Jano. The staff knew what they were getting with him. He was going to be in the 2 deep
Read what you're saying. IF (key word) you crack the 2-deep, you'll be put on scholarship. Janovich was guaranteed a scholarship, regardless. There's no need for you to dig up articles, I'm familiar with how Jamrog, Cotton and Pelini recruited walk-ons.
It's a huge difference than Janovich. The staff didn't know anything, which is why Jamrog had to convince Pelini to guarantee a scholarship. The article I linked says it all, which doesn't support what you're trying to say.
The issue with walkons is a touchy one. If you're good enough to climb the ladder and crack the top two in the depth chart you get a scholie.
If you get there due to injury, do you get one? Let's say 1st stringer tears acl and 2nd stringer has high ankle sprain. 4th string walk on is now all of a sudden 2nd string for an extended period of time, maybe half the season or more. Is that person deserving of the scholie? Most likely not. Next season if they are back at 4th string, then you know the answer.
And I do think it's a little different comparing walk ons in the Osborne era to walk ons today... In the Osborne era of you cracked the top 2 as a walk on you beat out some pretty good talent to get there. Can the same be said in the late 2010s? Did Gangwisch and Dzuris get there because they beat out high level talent, or did recruiting suck?
If you get there due to injury, do you get one? Let's say 1st stringer tears acl and 2nd stringer has high ankle sprain. 4th string walk on is now all of a sudden 2nd string for an extended period of time, maybe half the season or more. Is that person deserving of the scholie? Most likely not. Next season if they are back at 4th string, then you know the answer.
And I do think it's a little different comparing walk ons in the Osborne era to walk ons today... In the Osborne era of you cracked the top 2 as a walk on you beat out some pretty good talent to get there. Can the same be said in the late 2010s? Did Gangwisch and Dzuris get there because they beat out high level talent, or did recruiting suck?
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anon_umk0ifu6vj6zi
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Good info for THIS years supposed depth chart. Has little to do with last years shocking lack of depth and high number of players in the 2 deep that had no business being there. This is my opinion. Hell look at the starting linebackers in game 1 last year, just as a start.
Wow. Great work. Post of the week. All else really is nitpicking
Like who?
Janovich?
Gangwish?
Last I checked they were both in NFL training camps.
My argument about last season is Nebraska should have been thanking their lucky stars those Walk Ons were on the roster.
Nebraska clearly had some depth issues last season. They were making a transition, lacked depth, lacked experience, and when injuries struck they had to count on some walk ons.
But other than DE, the presence of walk ons helped the team more than it hurt.
Janovich was excellent.
Reilly had a very good year.
Chris Weber was good enough that it actually hurt when he was injured.
Gangwish would've been better as a reserve, but his leadership was excellent.
Utter certainly is an average player, but he was superior to Chongo Kondolo last season, especially as a run blocker.
Foltz was awesome and he will be missed.
A guy like Lane Hovey became less and less involved and became a 4th strnger by mid season.
It just was an overused excuse last season.
The only position it truly hurt was Weak Side Defensive End. Every other spot manned by a walk on was a benefit to the team.
Defensive End was the only sp
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anon_umk0ifu6vj6zi
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Gangwish and Dzuris should NOT be lumped together in my opinion. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure we're gonna see that they are two different animals this year. One is currently on an NFL roster by the way.
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anon_umk0ifu6vj6zi
Guest
Dzuris graded out the best of any d-lineman this Spring..... according to the new super-coach Parrella.
we will get a nice snapshot of our overall roster talent on Nov 5
this isn't about walkons - it is about how our 2 deep - walkon or scholly - compares with top ten teams
this isn't about walkons - it is about how our 2 deep - walkon or scholly - compares with top ten teams
I didn't say we should've lost to Purdue, or any team. No idea what you're spinning it comment means, surely doesn't fit my response.
Nebraska has some lack of depth at certain positions but every team in the BIG west have similar problems or worse. We have the most talent in the west to win it. We should be thankful for the walkon program because it saves our *** at certain positions when we miss. Every coach misses. The difference between a Saban or Urban type is they find a way to essentially cut the dead weight when they miss.
According to the charts, that's not accurate for last season. Maybe it is for this season, guess we'll find out soon enough if the charts are around again. One more thing just to be clear, I have no ill feelings towards the walk-on program so I'm not sure why you said what you did.