Tony White opens up on impact of MJ Sherman on defense

Linebacker MJ Sherman came to Nebraska this offseason as a transfer from Georgia. Now, he’s already making a massive impact on the Cornhuskers’ defense.

Defensive coordinator Tony White recently opened up about the impact that Sherman is having on the team.

“You say MJ and anyone who cares about the Huskers knows immediately that guy has a personality to him,” Tony White said. “And a confidence to him and a swag to him that is much needed, that is much welcomed on the defense — in the locker room, period.”

MJ Sherman originally went to Georgia in the Class of 2020. There, he was a five-star recruit according to the On3 Industry Rankings. However, during his time with the Bulldogs, Sherman saw limited action, racking up 14 tackles and 0.5 sacks. He still has two years of eligibility.

“He’s a really, really, he’s a great teammate. The guys love him. He wants to speak up, he wants to do things the right way. Heck, he was a celebrity judge for our cook-off for the OVs, you know what I mean? Just like that on his day off and stuff,” White said.

“So, again, a really high-class individual.”

While he’s happy to be at Nebraska, that time at Georgia had its impact on MJ Sherman.

“I mean, I’ve got million dollar friends,” MJ Sherman smiled. “You know what I mean? And what I mean by that is that I’ve seen a lot of guys that I call my brother to this day that grind and work hard in my position or other positions similar to mine to be where they’re at right now. So, like, just watching them, learning from them, asking them questions, doing stuff like that.”

MJ Sherman on his reps against Jeff Sims

On the offensive side of the ball, Nebraska brought in transfer quarterback Jeff Sims. He’s a versatile dual-threat quarterback who can make life tough on pass rushers. As MJ Sherman explained, this changes how you play against him.

“As a pass rusher going against Jeff Sims, you have to be really, really delicate in how you rush. If you rush past the quarterback, he’s going to make you pay every single time. If you don’t have a balanced rush, he’s going to make you pay every single time. Basically, all I’ve got to say, he makes me better,” Sherman said.

“Iron sharpens iron. That’s our mentality here. It’s just two hammers going at each other right now. I think Jeff Sims has a great future here, has a great future within the offense. I believe that he can take us to a lot of places that we want to go to. We’re just developing each other each way we go.”