Spring grade out: Offensive line
As we continue our spring grade outs, today we breakdown the offensive line position. The Huskers must replace several key players from a year ago.
What we learned: Nebraska's youth must grow up fast
When you look at the success of Nebraska's offensive line in 2016, the Huskers are going to lean heavily towards three sophomores and a junior who's never taken a major snap of Division I football.
The offensive line class of Jerald Foster (high three-star), Tanner Farmer (four-star) and Nick Gates (four-star) has certainly lived up to it's billing and that trio will play a big part of the Huskers line play in 2016.
Gates is NU's best overall lineman right now, while Foster and Farmer are the type of guards Nebraska needs if they want to beef up their running attack. The x-factor will be David Knevel at right tackle. The junior has never played a meaningful game snap, and they are going to be counting on him in a big way this season.
Dylan Utter's move to center is also something to watch, as he has some physical limitations and they need him to have a big senior season.
Biggest spring concern: Tackle depth and competition
When you look at Nebraska's offensive line right now, two things jump out. They don't have a lot of offensive tackles and the drop off from the starting two to the second team is quite significant.
Gates and Knevel are solid starters, while senior walk-on Sam Hahn and redshirt freshman Christian Gaylord would be the second group at this point. NU cannot afford an injury to Gates or Knevel, otherwise it will change the entire complexion of the line, and that's assuming Knevel steps up and gets the job done.
There also isn't a ton of competition on the interior with the departure of Paul Thurston. Senior Corey Whitaker and redshirt freshmen Michael Decker and Jalin Barnett appear to be the backs-ups coming out of the spring on the interior. I know the staff if very high about the abilities of both Barnett and Decker for the future.
Spring surprise: Farmer's rise and Thurston's departure
When Farmer announced in December he was going out for the wrestling team it drew some mixed reviews from the fan base on how he would be able to balance that with football.
When it was all said and done it appears Farmer's work on the wrestling mat has helped turn his play on the football field around. Last fall Farmer weighed 335 pounds, but since going out for wrestling he's seen his weight drop down to 295 pounds. Both he and offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh are also on the same page after a rocky start to their relationship last season.
The other big surprise that came out of the spring was Thurston's decision to leave the program. I guess you could also say it was easy to see this coming, considering the fact he took a class that caused him to miss all of the Tuesday and Thursday spring practices. When the staff decided to move Utter from guard to center my guess is he didn't feel too confident about his chances of winning a starting job.
Looking ahead: Look for potential shake-ups still
Today Nebraska's offensive line would be LT Gates, LG Foster, C Utter, RG Farmer and RT Knevel.
There's a good chance it stays that way, but don't be surprised if you see the staff exhaust all of their options over the summer months. Farmer could get a look at center I'm told if they feel Barnett or Whitaker can step up at guard. The key will be finding the best five players and getting them on the field.
Also don't be surprised if freshman Matt Farniok gets put in the two deep right away with NU's lack of depth at tackle.