There was plenty of bellyaching from fans about Nebraska’s early spring game. With Fred Hoiberg’s success basketball and football overlapped, something Husker fans haven’t dealt with before. But there’s something fans need to consider. With spring practice over and a spring game in the books, coaches were given time to evaluate talent and determine where they stand at each position headed into fall. And don’t be naïve and think these coaches have warm fuzzies and are set at every position. After spring there’s one group at the top and one at the bottom.

As of now it appears the offensive line is at the top and the defensive line is at the bottom. We saw the Huskers bring in big men with big talent on the offensive line and there isn’t anyone who has been around the program that hasn’t commented on seeing a noticeable difference.

We also saw players brought in on the defensive line, but no one with the same hype and credentials as what’s on the O-line. On the inside the Huskers added Owen Stoudmire, Jashear Whittington, and freshman Dylan Berymon. Stoudmire has fought injuries throughout his career, Whittington is considered undersized, and Berymon is inexperienced.

On the edge only one player was brought in, Anthony Jones, a 6’5”, 265-pound senior who will now be playing for his fifth Big Ten team. That’s right, five teams in five years, Oregon (2022), Indiana (2023), Michigan State (2024), UCLA (2025), and now Nebraska (2026). Realistically it probably means nothing, but it still raises some red flags. Jones will find himself as the old man as he joins a young inexperienced group.

At Edge the Nebraska roster lists five sophomores, Williams Nwaneri, Kade Pietrzak, Willis McGahee IV, Jordan Ochoa and Ethan Duda. Nwaneri and Pietrzak have seen paying time but not with a lot of production. McGahee and Ocha are former linebackers who are considered undersized and have made the switch due to Aurich’s 4-2-5 scheme. Duda has logged two tackles in two games. The two juniors are Mac Markway and Conor Connealy. Markway switched from tight end to edge and has never played a defensive snap. Connely has never been in a game. That leaves the two seniors, Cam Lenhardt and Jones.

It seems after spring ball it has been determined that there isn’t enough experienced depth on the edge. It’s sort of like the offensive line was, a lot of young talent that still needs developed. Which brings us to the question, who is DJ Wesolak?

Tim Verghese of Inside Nebraska commented yesterday on a podcast that Nebraska is showing interest in edge player DJ Wesolak, who is currently in the transfer portal. Ahh, there it is. Yet another reason to get spring practices started early. But a player that is still in the transfer portal in April can’t be a good sign, can it? Or can it? With the elimination of the spring portal, it may not be a bad idea to stay neutral until after spring ball. No, you don’t get to integrate with your new team early, but you would be no different than an incoming high school graduate. So, maybe Wesolak has made the right move hanging loose.

Wesolak is one of the last true transfers still available after the recent ruling of penalties being inflicted on anyone who adds a player who hasn’t gone through the portal. While some see him as a depth piece, for others he could be the final piece needed going into the season. Wesolak is a 6’4”, 255-pound junior who had 38 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks, and 2 fumble recoveries last season at Missouri State. He spent two years at Missouri where he red-shirted before transferring to Oregon State. He left Oregon State for Missouri State after head coach Trent Bray was fired.

A 4-Star recruit out of high school Wesolak was perused by multiple schools and received offers from places like LSU, Penn State, Florida, Clemson, Georgia, Miami, and USC. Like Jones, there are some red flags due to his rambling ways, but he has the tools to be a good player with the right coach and scheme. Is that Roy Manning and Nebraska? Stay tuned Husker fans, the roster saga continues.

GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST, VIOLENT!!

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