Tony White addresses Nebraska's creativity on defense
New Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White is doing everything he can to help the Cornhuskers get more creative on defense.
That’s why Matt Rhule brought him to Lincoln at the end of the day. Speaking to the media ahead of the start of a new campaign, White explained what he’s been cooking up for his side of the football.
“Well first I think the biggest thing is putting the guys in position to be successful,” explained White. “You know, every play on defense is designed to do something, you know what I mean? So you’re saying to yourself, they’re in two categories. You’re trying to stop what the offense is doing to you, so you’re calling defense that way, or there’s a certain emphasis, where you go back through the week like yesterday, we got a chance to self-scout, and then you’re going back through and saying, ‘What do we do wrong, what do we need to work on so then now in practice you’re making an emphasis to just call that, regardless of situation.’ You’re saying, ‘I want to work on this. Let’s get the organics of this.’
“So those are the two things that go on in our head. One, is making sure that they get used to seeing the pictures, but two, making sure that we’re working on things that we’re not necessarily good at right now, so that way we can fix them.”
One of those defenders wholeheartedly buying-in to White’s system is Nebraska linebacker Nick Henrich. Earlier this offseason, he gave some thoughts on White’s approach, and it’s evident it’s an intense one.
“Coach White is very intense, and he’s not going to let anything go unnoticed. If you’re loafing one play, you’re going to get yelled at. But, he’ll praise you in the next one if you make a good play,” Henrich said. “You know what you’re going to get out of Coach White, and I love it. I love how he always holds everyone accountable, and he does a great job.”
History backs up Henrich’s claims. Before joining Nebraska, White led Syracuse’s defense.
In both 2021 and 2022, Syracuse ranked in the top 25 nationally in total defense. Further, Syracuse held its foes to 20 or fewer points 10 times over his final two seasons while twice ranking in the top 15 nationally in defensive touchdowns.
As for the talent on White’s side of the football, Nebraska returns its top three tacklers from last season: linebacker Luke Reimer (86), defensive back Myles Farmer (73) and nickel Isaac Gifford (70). Additionally, the team returns Henrich, who started in the Cornhuskers’ first five games last season before tearing his ACL.
Despite a few standouts, Nebraska’s defensive cast could not deliver a happy ending to fans in 2022. The team ranked No. 100 in total defense and 108th in rushing defense. White is doing everything he can to turn around the Cornhuskers’ defense before the season opener.
Time will tell if he’s able to do so, but the hype is real behind Tony White. He’ll have Nebraska ready to rock when the season starts, that much is for certain.
On3’s Grant Grubbs contributed to this article.