First Day of Spring Football!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Huscar Buzz Edition with Sean Callahan. Well, I have been
like on the first day of spring ball, Jim, this
is the big fix that Husker fans get. It's the
midyear fix before the start of the football season, and
we open up spring training today.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Shout out a couple of things. One the big question
mark to me is offensive line. It continues to be
and that may linger because three starters are out with
injury and probably won't even participate in spring drills.

Speaker 3 (00:25):
Yeah, they brought in I mean two starters from the portal.
Elijah Pritchett, who's projected to be probably the left tackle
right now, who started in for Alabama last year, and
then Rocko Spindler, who started at guard from Notre Dame.
So you have those two players. Justin Evans will be
out there and he can play guard or center. Most

(00:46):
think he'll probably stick with guard. Latowsky is limited, but Getula,
Corcoran and Prahasca all out this spring, so it's going
to open the door for a guy like Sam Sledge
maybe at center. This bring Jason Machachik as well, it
could get a look in there. Grant Bricks pressing town Mouy.

(01:07):
I mean you have a lot of younger players, but
they've got a good core of at least four that
are healthy. And then I think it's going to leave
some opportunities. But you really would like get Tula and
corkorand some of these guys just to see what they
can do. And obviously we won't really know where they're
at now, probably till the summertime.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yeah, and the thing about it is you got some
guys that have played, but they haven't played here. That
means a new system, new teammates, new quarterback, new everything.
And it'd be nice to have a full compliment of
the dudes that are going to be on the field,
but they'll have to deal without them, at least in
the spring. The other question involves all the new receivers.
This is a big, big part of Nebraska's offense. We

(01:47):
know it's a pass happy offense. So what do you
think they can get done? Because again, new guys, what
do you think they can get done in spring practice?
That would be encouraging heading into the fall.

Speaker 3 (01:58):
Well, first of all, you have Dana Whole now who's
in his first full you know, opportunity to run the show.
He he kind of had to use last year's menu
and go with it. I mean that now he's in
charge of making it and developing the playbook, and he's
got the Keel Schwartz here with him as well. So
I expect a big change and upgrade across the board,

(02:20):
which is what they do and how they do it.
Dank Key is one of the all time leading receivers
at Kentucky and he's been a leader behind the scenes.
Don't sleep on Hadley Hardley Gilmour, who came with dank
Key from Kentucky. I've heard he's had a great winter.
Isaiah Hunter, who was Cal's leading receiver. I mean that
they brought in some dudes to go with Jacorey Barney

(02:42):
and the players they have. But then court Has Mills,
a freshman that they brought in, was the top player,
one of the top players in the All American Ball,
arguably the best receiver in San Antonio this year. All
of those players are here. In fact, Jim, this is
the most that I can recall. New new faces are
sixteen transfers in thirteen early in role league players, so

(03:05):
twenty nine total new players that have joined this roster
since January. Here as a open up.

Speaker 2 (03:11):
Spring ball today, and they got one hundred and thirty three.
They need to be down to one hundred and five
by the start of next season. The big profile will
be Heinrich Harberg. Can we now officially declare he's a
tight end or is that still up in the air.

Speaker 3 (03:25):
No, I think he's all in at the tight end spot.
Dane Holgerson has done a very good job of selling
Heiner Cardberg that this is your spot. You know, if
you want to play on Sunday, we can get you
there if you commit to this spot. And he's got
a lot of athletic ability, a lot of upside. I mean,
look at Thomas Vidoni. I mean, I think a lot
of Husker fans were critical of his year, but he's
going to be a fourth fifth round pick this year.

(03:47):
He had a great combine, looked really good in Indianapolis
a few a few weeks ago. You know, Heiner Carberg
can do that. I mean, he can do that and
more if with his upside and he's been healthy his
whole career. So I think there is a lot of
intrigue of what Harvard can bring to the table. Luke
Linn and Meyer to compliment him. There, Carter Nelson once

(04:09):
he comes back from his hip offseason repair that he
had done. He played the bowl game and had the
surgery after the bowl game, and he'll be back later
in the summer. So they've got a really good group
of tight ends. But Harbor is a big piece to
this whole puzzle.

Speaker 2 (04:23):
All right, let's visit for a second and get your
take on nil. What's happening in basketball. Clearly, Louisville declaring
we are going to do eight to ten million a
year in basketball players sets the pace. Unofficially, LSU kind
of sets the pace in football at eighteen million a
year for players. What does Nebraska need to spend and

(04:44):
what does the Nebraska or a Creighton need to spend
in basketball to keep the good guys and be able
to get enough other good guys to keep winning their
way into the tournaments.

Speaker 3 (04:54):
Well, there's two pots of money. I mean, you got
to first say what is your revs share pot going
to be? And that's the twenty point five million, and
that's going to be divided where football is going to
get a heavy number of that. In most places that
number is going to be anywhere from thirteen to maybe
sixteen million for football in Nebraska, is going to be
towards the top there. They're gonna be right probably in
the fifteen range, you know, with that rev share money.

(05:18):
And then how much do you give with basketball? And
you know, I've seen Georgia publish their amount in the
in the mid threes three and a half million, So
you got to figure in the brask is going to
be in that three and a half range in what
they're going to get from that rev share amount. But
then on top of that, what can you do with
your collective? But then how do you legally pay that
money out? Now? Moving forward, because after the settlement case

(05:42):
goes through in April in July, there will be a
third party clearinghouse that will have to approve all payments
made by your collective, meaning the payments have to be
legit nil. They can't just be here's five hundred thousand dollars,
because here's five hundred thousand dollars.

Speaker 2 (05:56):
Can be the ten thousand dollars call to a booster's
grandson on his birthday.

Speaker 3 (06:01):
So that's the one elephant in the room. We don't
really know, and I don't know how they're going to
police this with this clearinghouse. But yeah, you've got to
figure out how much money you can get and maximize
that across the board, and I think Nebraska probably needs
to be in that four and a half to six
million range is what you need to be to really
be a top programmer. And look at the sweet sixteen, guys,

(06:24):
this is the lowest. The first time ever there hasn't
been a true non Power Conference team really in the
sweet sixteens. It's nineteen seventy five. So it shows you
how big NIL has gotten along with the portal, because
if there is good players, they're getting bought off the
lower rosters and joining the Power Conference teams and the SEC.

(06:45):
I mean, look what they've done seven teams in the
sweet sixteen. And they're not doing that by recruiting and development.
They're doing that by nil right acquisition.

Speaker 2 (06:53):
They're getting guys. It's a free agency market now, and
today is when offer sheets will start getting tendered to players.
It's the first day of a two week transfer portal.
All right, Sehana, We'll talk to you throughout the week
as Nebraska football launches into spring practice. Twenty twenty five,