This is the final installment of ‘Getting to 105’. Some may wonder how getting to 105 fits in with the coaching staff. Well, each of Nebraska’s position coaches has an idea of what they want in their room and how many players they believe are needed. And if you look at Nebraska’s roster right now, you’ll see 29 defensive backs. This is a room where there will be players moving on. Expect some of those to make the move when the spring transfer portal opens.

Nebraska’s defensive back room is overpopulated due to Rhule giving former defensive backs coach Evan Cooper free rein. Rhule saw Cooper as a talent evaluator and let him take athletes who could be developed for different positions rather than defensive backs. Jaidyn Doss and Brice Turner are a couple of names that fall into this category. Doss has jumped back and forth over the last two seasons from defensive back to wide receiver. With the addition of John Butler and Adison Williams that thought process has changed.

I believe the two coaches with the most say on who stays and who goes will be the two new coordinators, Dana Holgorsen and John Butler. There won’t be any rock-paper-scissors when deciding who stays and who goes. This staff knows what they are looking for and what they expect from their rooms.

Holgorsen wants to put points on the board, that means explosive wide receivers and multi-talented running backs along with quarterbacks who can get the ball to them. He’ll also want a line that can protect. It sounds like I’m covering all my bases, but I don’t expect all of the offensive positions rooms to be perfectly balanced. It’ll be slanted toward wide receivers.

Butler on the other hand will look to be more balanced. He’s going to look for defensive lineman who can get to the quarterback when not double teamed. He’ll want linebackers who are fast enough to cover and big enough to come up and fill the gap. As for defensive backs, he prefers big-bodied guys you can’t throw over the top on and who can cover one-on-one. He and Williams will identify pure cornerbacks and safeties. I don’t look for there to be as many position cross overs in the secondary as we’ve seen over the last two seasons. Like the new linebacker transfer Desan McCullum suggested, players get lost when bouncing around, they want an everyday home.

Nebraska went into last season with one new coach. John Butler was brought in during the summer to replace the departed Evan Cooper. However, that all changed after the UCLA loss. It was plain to Rhule and all of Husker Nation after that game that Nebraska was headed towards another 5-7 season. Rhule brought in Dana Holgorsen and Phil Snow. At first Holgorsen was just supposed to call plays, but that quickly changed, and he was made the offensive coordinator. It is easy to say Holgorsen saved the season, as two of Dylan Raiola’s three most productive games came under Holgorsen. After the season was over, Rhule overhauled his staff, whether it was due to coaches making a change or Rhule making it clear a change was coming, it’s hard to say. Staff changes are as follows:

Staff Departures

Tony White – Defensive Coordinator

Terrance Knighton – Defensive Line

Jack Potenza – Jack Linebackers

Josh Bringuel – Assistant Linebackers

Kevin McGarry – Defensive Analyst

Garrett McGuire – Wide Receivers

RJ Sneed – Graduate Assistant Wide Receivers

Tariq Thompson – Graduate Assistant Defensive Backs

Staff Reassignment

John Butler – Defensive Backs Coach to Defensive Coordinator

Ed Foley – moved from Special Teams Coordinator to Director of Football Relations

Marcus Satterfield – moved from OC/Tight Ends to Tight Ends only

Ron Brown – moved from Full Backs/Returners to Assistant Coach

Mike Williams – moved from Graduate Assistant to Assistant Running Backs

Staff Returning

Donavan Raiola – Offensive Line Coach

EJ Barthels – Running Backs Coach

Rob Dvoracek – Linebackers Coach

Glenn Thomas – Co-OC/ Quarterbacks

Aaron Coeling – Analyst

Adam DiMichele – Offensive Analyst

Josh Martin – Analyst

Ira Savage-Lewis – Assistant Defensive Line

New Staff

Dana Holgorsen – Offensive Coordinator

Daikiel Shorts Jr. – Wide Receivers Coach

Mike Ekler – Special Teams Coordinator

Phil Snow – Associate Head Coach

Terry Bradden – Defensive Line Coach

Phil Simpson – Outside (Jack) Linebackers

Addison Willimas – Defensive Backs Coach

Jamar Mozee – Senior Football Assistant

Nick Humphery – Assistant Special Teams

Brett Maher – Special Teams Assistant

Andrew Verboys – Wide Receivers Assistant

As one can see, with the rule changes which no longer limit how many on the filed coaches you can have, Nebraska’s staff has grown. Taking a quick count, it looks like Nebraska now has (1) head coach, (1) associate head coach, (9) offensive coaches, (6) defensive coaches, (3) special teams coaches, and (5) assistants/analyst. A sizeable staff compared to the old days.

It should be noted that receivers coach Daikiel Shorts brought an assistant with him in Andrew Verboys and Mike Ekler brought assistant Nick Humphery. Until the changes of allowing unlimited coaches, additions like this wouldn’t have happened in the past.

Also notable is the fact that there are four coaches on the staff who were former defensive coordinators, Matt Rhule, Phil Snow, John Butler, and Addison Willimas. There are three who have been offensive coordinators, Dan Holgorsen, Marcus Satterfield, and Glenn Thomas. I can’t remember a Nebraska staff with more experience when it comes to coaching multiple positions and coaching in different conferences.

I anticipate the largest rooms to be wide receivers, defensive backs, offensive linemen, and defensive linemen. Games are won in the trenches, scoring on big plays, and not allowing big plays. With that said, I anticipate something like the following, 16 defensive linemen, 14 linebackers, and 20 defensive backs for a total of (50). On offense, 20 offensive linemen, 6 tight ends, 13 wide receivers, 5 quarterbacks, and 6 running backs for a total of (50). With adding 5 special teams players, that gets you to 105. There are currently between 126 and 133 players on the roster, concessions will have to be made.

For more insight into Nebraska’s coaching staff, go to:

Carriker Chronicles / Off the Cob / Matt Rhule: A CEO and the Natural Progression of a Staff / Dec 14^th, 2024

Go to Off The Cob to see Nebraska’s roster as of 02/02/25.