Terrance Knighton reveals what he wants to see from Nebraska players before camp

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are set to kickoff their 2023 season in less than three months. But currently, the coaching staff is out on the recruiting trail before heading back to Lincoln for fall camps. The team over at Husker Online caught up with some of the Cornhuskers’ coaches down in Texas for a football camp held at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. One of the coaches they were able to catch up with was defensive line coach Terrance Knighton.

Knighton, who followed head coach Matt Rhule from the Carolina Panthers to Nebraska, revealed what he wants to see from his players before the start of camp.

“Right now, they’re just coming together, building that brotherhood. And you can see it day by day,” said Knighton. “The guys like hanging around each other and just generating that camaraderie before camp because camp is gonna get tough. And as long as those guys stick together and continue to work hard, we want to play eight guys. Play as many guys as you can and attack guys in waves. So, we need all our guys to be ready, all our guys to be locked in. Whether you’re a starter or backup, or a situational guy, you got to be on top of your game. It’s good that the guys are starting to hold each other accountable, and it’s not coming from the coaches.”

For Knighton, it’s all about building camaraderie while away from the field. And he believes his players are doing just that, consistently hanging out with each other. Along with that, the Cornhuskers players must be locked in and ready to go at a moment’s notice. According to the Cornhuskers’ D-line coach, their plan is to row bodies at the opposing offense all season long.

Evan Cooper clarifies Nebraska’s stance on transfer portal

Knighton wasn’t the only Nebraska coach Husker Online spoke with. Secondary coach, Evan Cooper was asked about the program’s stance on the NCAA transfer portal. And Cooper took that time to clarify some misconceptions about head coach Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers’ position on using the portal.

“I think, sometimes, people misinterpret what coach says about the portal,” said Cooper. “We’ll always kick the tires for people that we think could help make us better. We are not out soliciting and trying to look for people. But sometimes, some of those situations come up. And if it’s a fit, then it’s a fit. We’ve added some pretty good players in the portal, so we’re not anti-portal.”